# Crate advice for 14 week pup?



## nattyk (Oct 10, 2016)

Hi all,
The hardest weeks ( i hope haha) are out of the way. My Atticus is sleeping through the night and has been for about a month. He doesnt mind the crate, but the issue I'm running into in the morning is that he barks when he hears someone, especially if he senses its me. I imagine just bc they love people so much, which is fine, but I sometimes leave the house before 6am and he then proceeds to wake the house up. Needing advice on how to stop this? If I know for a fact that it is not bc he needs to go to the bathroom, will it just take time for this behavior to stop? Being crate trained is very important for me, so I do want him to learn to like it and be content until he is let out - not the other way around. Some advice Ive been given is to just let him bark until I am ready, and that in time he will get it and not flip as soon as he hears footsteps. Another person said they would hit the side of the crate and say "quiet" until it stopped? Not sure about that one. He sleeps in it every night and sometimes willingly lays in it for naps. Another person said feeding his meals in there would be good but I dont know if that would confuse him too much at 3 months. Thank you!!


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## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Please don't hit the crate. If it's important that he use one, than it should be a secure space. And that would create the opposite. 

What a smart boy. He has learned that footsteps are equal to freedom. Total Pavlov's dog. Extinguish behavior is hard. But you may be able teach him that people come to him when he's quiet. After he's done a potty break,so you know he doesn't need to pee or poop, have him go back in his crate, and the walk a bit away. Wait for quiet or if he's already quiet start walking toward him. As soon as he barks, stop. Kinda like a game of freeze. Stops barking take steps. Starts, freeze. Right now he's learned that barking gets footsteps to move faster. You just need to help,him learn the opposite is true. 


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## MHDDOG2016 (Jan 2, 2016)

Jasper is 10 months old and we have the same issue. I just get up and take him for his walk and don't leave until someone is up. I am up at 6am, take him around the block to pee/poop, then feed him breakfast and have my coffee. My son comes down around 6:30 for breakfast. Once he's up I go upstairs and get dressed (Jasper isn;t allowed upstairs). My point is that if someone is awake, the dog is awake. He does fine in his crate at night but if someone is home he won;t stay in it quietly.


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## Annabellam (Nov 3, 2015)

I think he'll wake up either way when he hears you're steps or someone awake at that time. I'd suggest taking him out to pee or poo. If he goes back to the crate after that he'd be calmer.


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## Girasole75 (Jan 7, 2017)

Annabellam said:


> I think he'll wake up either way when he hears you're steps or someone awake at that time. I'd suggest taking him out to pee or poo. If he goes back to the crate after that he'd be calmer.


Sunny (4 months) does it exactly how you described it. Once one of us is out of bed she want`s out of her box and whines and scratches. We have to take her immediately out to pee or poo. Usually we are still in deep sleep 
After going out she is calmer and sometimes goes into the box again.


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