New puppy and house breaking.

[ronwifey 0]

Hi, we got a new boxer puppy and we are having the hardest time house training her. At first we let her roam as she pleased downstairs at night when we went to sleep but man was that a mistake so our vet suggested crate training. So my husband thought it would be "nicer" if we just put her in the laundrey room at night, he said, "it's like a big crate". UMMM OK! Well she has her toys and blanket and bed but she cries and scratches at the door for at least a couple hours. It breaks my heart . Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, she will be in the laudrey room for about 5-6 hours during the day. So will she cry the whole time???? :eek:

Thanks so much.

P.S> I love her to death already but my other 2 dogs didn't go through this (I guess I was VERY VERY lucky) so 1) I'm not used to it and 2) I'm wondering if I'm in over my head.

[Kat817 19]

I have friends who just inherited a 10 month old boxer, and say he is a handful!!! He ripped apart one of the metal wire cages---he despised being caged, or crated---but gets into massive mischief if left out! His latest escapade was tearing a hole in one of those micro bead squishie pillows...when my friends come home there were itsy bitsy styrofoam beads all over everything, including the dog! The static electricity in them, had them from floor to ceiling! They have taken to putting him into a room like you are....not sure if he cries, he has however scratched the heck out of the inside of the door I know. They keep hoping he will settle into a routine.

Is there any way to enclose him somewhere with the other dogs for companionship?

They bought a book on Boxers and have gotten a lot on info on line about him as well. They are having problems with him losing weight---he is soooo thin---is yours?

Good Luck, if they hit on a magic answer I will let you know!

Theirs is a male named Diesel---what is yours?

Kat

[luluc 6]

I luv puppy breath!!!

I breed Labs (one litter a yr - nothing crazy) and I would go with a crate in the beginning, in a room away from everything else (can be the laundry room too). Problem leaving her in the laundry room is she can do some damage, in a crate by herself - no toys for a while, she'll learn to make it her own.

Be consistent - each day put her in there for a set time, even if your home so she learns to use it like her own "house/bed".

Kat - How's DD pup doing??

Lulu!

[Kat817 19]

Hi!

Thanks for asking about Sienna--she is making progress, she is just such a happy thing, she has trouble controlling her joy! She tries to follow her commands...she knows what she is supposed to do, but her whole body shakes with excitement, and then she gives in to it, and leaps on people still. They have begun turning their backs on her when she jumps, and it breaks her heart, she wants to be IN their face!! But it is slowly improving....as she ages it will help. She is smart and knows.....just has impulse issues!!! I had a nephew the same way! I tell my DD that her dog has ADHD---like her cousin!!! He would do really well, and then some impulse would hit him, he could be taking a spelling test, doing great--then lose it, scribble on part of the page, and then go back and just ace the test---he just HAD to get rid of the energy surge he would say----I see the same in Sienna. You tell her to sit, and she does....then her tail starts wagging, then in travels up, and her butt is leaving the floor and she begins wiggling in excitement, then soon her whole body is wagging and she is up and jumping again! Raising your voice does no good. So they have begun turning their back---ignoring her and repeating sit, and not facing her until she minds. So far it is helping!

Is like raising kids!!! You do your best~~~ and sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't!!!

As for her in comparison to the OP's dog, she is fine with her crate, she does see it as her bed, she goes to it, even when she has to be put there to contain herself, without issue----but that is getting to be less frequent! And her crate is in my DD's room....so the only ones ever in that room, and that is usually only at bed time are her and her BF. So it is a quiet, cool, serene space---nothing distracting. Unless Dozer the chihuahua is in his crate (shoe box?!!) too!!! Then they "talk"!!!

Kat

[marathinner 1]

Congrats on the new pup!! Crate training will be your saving grace! I agree with Luluc!! Many people feel "guilty" because they feel they are confining their dog in such a small space. The truth is, dogs respond best to consitancy. It makes then feel safe and the crate becomes their own little sancuary. I went thru the same thing with my Golden Retriever puppy. I used to agonize at the thought of leaving her all alone in her crate. After a week of putting her in, I would come home and she would be so relaxed and happy to see me. BUT...she would also be excited to go to her crate every morning!! I noticed immediately this helped with her rascally behavior and she grew up to be the most awesome dog ever!! It may be hard at first....but it will pay off. Just stay consistant!! Congrats again on the new addition to your family and post pics if you can!!

Amy

[missy4gordon 0]

We just got a new puppy back in October. I was so scared that we wouldn't be able to train her properly and life with her would be miserable, but all is well. We immediately bought her a kennel just big enough for her to stand up and turn around in, also so there was not enough room for her be able to go potty without having to sleep in it. She never once went to the bathroom in her kennel. I read that they feel more secure in an enclosed kennel than being in a room that seems huge to them, like they are protected and safe. She definately whined and cried but we remained steadfast because we have to be successful with this. We would put her in her kennel and the kennel was in our laundry room, and we would shut the door so that would muffle the crying a little. I was very frustrating and made for some long nights. Yes it is heartbreaking to listen to them but it is for their own good in the long run and makes for a happy household later. They have to learn routine and until she can start being left on her own little by little.

Our little girl is 5 months old now and she sleeps on our bed with us now. She is fully potty trained and when we leave the house, now we keep the laundry door open but put a gate at the door so she doesn't feel closed in but also can't get out. Her kennel is still in there too, but we don't force her in anymore. I do catch her going in there still alot, I think she really finds comfort in there when we are gone.

I am so thankful that things worked out because for a while it sure felt like, what the hell did we do!! Good luck!!! Believe me I know, it is challenging but it will get better with consistancy.

[Ang1982 4]

My girl friends black lab from pretty much puppyhood had to be crate trained and as much as it seems "cruel" to have them in such a small space she does much better when she's in her crate (her crates a reasonably big size). It's her "comfy place" and her "home". They've tried letting her run free in the house to this day when they are out and it ALWAYS ends badly (she's 2+ now). Her crate is somewhere that she is comfortable with and doesn't cry in when she's knows its time to go there.

[sfeiner 2]

My dog Sophie, doesn't know she's a dog. She has always slept with me. Our cat gives her a kitty bath every morning and she loves it. She loves the snow and comes in all covered with little snowballs. She was hard to house break and was a yr old before she was trustworthy. Oh well, I love all 8 pounds of her.

[luluc 6]

My dog Sophie, doesn't know she's a dog. She has always slept with me. Our cat gives her a kitty bath every morning and she loves it. She loves the snow and comes in all covered with little snowballs. She was hard to house break and was a yr old before she was trustworthy. Oh well, I love all 8 pounds of her.

Ohhh I had a Sophie..she passed 2yrs ago. Loved that dog!

I'm the biggest sucker for pups - yours is quite beautiful..Spoiled much??...LOL

[trish5713 2]

My first piece of advise would be to get a crate. Get a larger one then you need now and create some kind of barrier so that your puppy can only turn around and spread out a bit (if it's any bigger she'll poop in one side and sleep in the other). She will cry and whine and scratch and bark but this is normal. Do not let her out when she's carrying on. Trust me. I know it's hard but it's for the best. If you respond to her crying she'll learn that that's what she needs to do to get you to do what she wants. She won't cry the whole time. She'll probably fall asleep in a little while. It's not mean in any way to crate a dog. They crave warm, cozy places and they like having a little place of their own. If possible, put an old piece of clothing in there with her so she'll have your scent with her. With my puppies, I've gotten a cheap fleece throw and slept with it for a few weeks before they got here. Also, you can play a radio at low volume. That can be very comforting. A crate is much nicer than being in a room where she can have accidents.

As far as being confined for 5-6 hours a day, is there any way to avoid this? Keeping her in the crate/small room for this long is setting her up for failure (failure = accidents). Can a neighbor take her out? Can you come home durring the day from work to take her out? I always tell people that a puppy should only be kept in a crate for as many hours as they are months old. Like if your puppy's 2 months old, she can only be crated for 2 hours. The exception to this is sleeping at night. When you let her out of the crate, don't make a big deal about it. I always had the hardest time with this. Just quietly take her out and then make the big deal about when she poops/pees outside.

I've raised 2 seeing eye puppies, my own dog, and have basically heard it all from fellow puppy raisers, friends, family, and clients. Once someone finds out you're a veterinary nurse the questions just come out. If you need any help with any thing please send me a message. Seriously. Good luck with the little darling!:cursing:

[juliegeraci 7]

Crating is the only way to train your dog. I would invest in a nice size crate and start with that. Good luck.

[munchkin392 1]

I just wanted to chime in that I have crate trained all four of my labs, which range from 4-8 years old. Even in their adulthood they still love their crates. They will crawl in their "house" on their own when they want to sleep or have some alone time. They view it as a safe place to this day, even the 8 year old lab.

Good luck!

[Pix 4]

I have crate trained all my dogs too. Now, I only have the one dog, and his crate has long since been recycled. He is such a goober headed baby. But, BUT he has no problems with the crate even though his was happily donated long ago. We still have his airlines crate and he loves it. It is 'halved' out back with a sheepskin 'blanky'.

Crate train crate train crate train!! I buy different sized crates for them to grow, and then donate them to the humane society if I know I am not getting a pup anytime soon. Its a "happy expense" as I call it. Makes me happy and the dog too!

[Wheetsin 714]

We crate-trained our dog. It was heart-breaking at times, but it worked. It's truly not "mean", even though you will feel mean. In the wild dogs will seek small & confined spaces because it's what lets them feel protected. (Ever notice how most of the time when dogs lay, they lay up against something? That's not coincidence!)

Crate training works because - long story short - dogs do not like to mess their living areas. Once the dog can associate the crate to its living area, accidents will become fewer and fewer. But you have to be patient. Some dogs get it in 2 weeks, and some (like ours) took 5 - 6 months. It was frustrating. It got to the point that we quit lining the crate with the woolen pads, and just went out and bought some towels and would use those instead. Everyday like clockwork he would have one pee spot when we got home. Then suddenly he didn't and it progressed quickly from there.

One mistake we made was -- change of direction. Our house is a tri-level. I *rarely* set foot in the lowest level, other than to walk in the house from the garage. This shows, because if our dog is going to sneak away and have an accident, he will do it in this room. It's fairly clear that he does not have the same sense of that room as his "turf" as he does the others. With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I'd spent equal time here to help him develop that sense.

As for crying the whole time, probably not. At first, yes - eventually they will go to sleep. Maybe cry more when they wake up. But over time they will learn it as a routine. We took a stepped approach after the crate. So he went from crate to a small area of the hallway, to the whole hallway, to the hallway + a room, to a full level of the house, etc. I can remember when we first started doing this, as soon as the gates went in place he would BAWL like there was no tomorrow. We heard it until we were in the car and backing out of the driveway. It was a very gradual transition away from this. Now, when we pull out the gates (for reasons not related to housebreaking we keep him in the kitchen during the work day, if it's a day I have to be in the office), we don't even have to touch the gates for him to automatically go into the kitchen and lay in his bed. All it takes is me stopping by hubby's bathroom and turning out his light (which he always leaves on). Dogs are very keen to routine, because routine is nothing more than repeated behavior. This is enough to cue him to go down and get ready. In fact, he knows pretty much my entire morning routine, and will do different, predictable actions based on what, exactly I'm doing. So long story short - you will feel like a bad person, and you will feel like you're somehow abusing your puppy, but you aren't -- just be tough, hang in there, and it will get better over time.

[Skinny_Jill 36]

I did not crate train my 1st dog and I wish I had. I now have a 9 month old Cockapoo and she is crate trained. When I am not home she is in her crate. She did not like it at first and would cry but now when I am getting ready to leave she gets in the crate on her own. She even goes in there when I am home. It is her safe place. Be sure to never use the crate to discipline your dog. It must be their space.

Good luck!