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Crate training 16 week old pup

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  erinedavis 
#1 ·
We have a 16 week old who has been crate trained since we got her at 7 weeks. She has never been super great in the crate but has gotten good at riding in it in the car and staying in it during the day while we are busy or gone for an hour or two at a time. It's also where she goes for time out when she's being too wild.

Recently she grew out of her first crate (faster than we expected) and we bought one online but it took way too long to arrive. She ended up in bed with us midway through the night because she was winning and crying, and eventually gets crazy and bites the crate and howls. This was our temporary fix until the new crate arrived, but now we are afraid we can't go back to the crate all night.

We have the new crate that fits her well, she is fine in it during the day and at the start of the night but now she just wants to sleep in bed with us. It's not ideal, she moves a ton and nobody gets good sleep. Tried to let her cry last night in the crate, but it went for 3+ hours. We would like to have her sleep in her crate during the night.

Should we move her crate to the living room where we can't hear her? Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or if there is any other advice out there on getting her back in her crate all night.

Thank you from two new V parents who are just trying to get some rest!
 
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#2 ·
I would treat it the same way as if i was just about to start crate training. the only difference is that pup is older and smarter, can hold it longer etc. i am not a fan of removing the crate to a different room, pheromones play a big part in their nerve system and smelling us helps calming/reassuring that the world is still ok. if needed, i would lay next to the crate, covering it, etc all these known technics. your puppy is young and will relearn the crate, you just need to be consistent now. also in case her current crate is not yet the final size, i would ensure to have the next size available already, they grow super fast.
 
#3 ·
I can attest that they are very witty and will revert to whining, barking, crying if they think it will get them their way. Recently our 18 week girl had some gastro problems where we would get up at 3am to a mess. This caused us to get up anytime she whined to do a potty break at the witching hour. Now that she is over it and is fine, she thinks barking and throwing a hissy fit will get her out. Back to crate training 101. Was up at 5:30 to let her out, then put back in and she carried on for an hour before settling. Can never give in to it especially when you know they are OK. Needless to say it has been a rough 18 weeks. These pups are amazing and exhausting at the same time.
 
#4 ·
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it's good to hear what others are doing and that we aren't alone and we haven't totally screwed her up! Still working on this whole process, she whines A LOT. Like laying down in her crate at night and just whines. All night. She's fell asleep on her bed in the office this morning before 8 am because she was up all night winning. I guess we will keep trying to be consistent, but the lack of sleep is not good for anyone. Her new crate is huge with a divider, so we should be set forever, as we don't expect her to get too big, she was a little gal from the start.
 
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