Crate training is destroying me! HELP!

HannahBanana · Feb 3, 2016

Hello there! We are brand new parents to a wonderful 13 week old male Frenchie! He super rambunctious and we absolutely adore him but we work 4 days a week and live in a small BK apartment with no choice but to crate him during the days and nights. Don't worry, we have a walker come 2 times a day to help with potty and play breaks!

We are on our third week of crating him and he is still barking/howling/crying. We did a pretty decent job of familerizing him with the crate and he knows that's where he gets fed and is always popping in there to check for treats (because Mom is always tossing them in there when he's not looking) but once we close the door the heart breaking water works start! At first he calmed easy but now he seems to do it for longer and longer and wakes up more times during the night. Unfortunately we can't have the crate in our bedroom due to thin floors and neighbors directly below but he is just right outside the door when we sleep. We take him out once in the middle of the night so all good there as well.

We have a firm policy of not negotiating with puppy terrorists in our house and never take him out when he's loud and try to praise him when he's quiet before we take him out.

I guess my question is: WHEN WILL IT END?!? When will my sweet baby just accept that mommy and daddy are always coming back for him and his crate is a safe and cozy place? How long did it take you guys to crate train?!

hannah · Feb 3, 2016

Aiko was like that when we first got her
Now she sleeps through the night. She is 16 weeks old

Sounds like you are doing the right things, so just have to be patient

Welcome to the forum!! Another Hannah!

hannah · Feb 3, 2016

Also maybe one suggestion, have you looked into an xpen? Maybe he wouldnt fuss so much if he had a little bit more space. We put aikos crate in the X-pen with the door open and in her pen there is a pee pad and toys and water

Schimpfy · Feb 3, 2016

hannah said:
Also maybe one suggestion, have you looked into an xpen? Maybe he wouldnt fuss so much if he had a little bit more space. We put aikos crate in the X-pen with the door open and in her pen there is a pee pad and toys and water

This is a great suggestion and something we did as well, had to reinforce it so he would not push it around.
You found the place to be for answers and support :hiii:

eekaboo::welcome: look forward to seeing some pics and reading about all the fun growing up. Some familiar questions does he have a tail pocket, do you have pet insurance, what do you feed him and how much?
Enjoy each other they are unlike any other breed and feel free to ask questions we all like to help and share :yes:

davidh · Feb 3, 2016

He will accept it before you know it. The x-pen around the crate also helps.

HannahBanana · Feb 4, 2016

hannah said:
Also maybe one suggestion, have you looked into an xpen? Maybe he wouldnt fuss so much if he had a little bit more space. We put aikos crate in the X-pen with the door open and in her pen there is a pee pad and toys and water

I'm wondering if we should do that before he gets a bit more hang of potty training? We tried that one day last week and the walker would come in to pee on the floor and we would also come home to it after work?

- - - Updated - - -

Should we let him roam in the pen before he is potty trained? We did it last week and he seemed to pee more on the floor than outside I n his walks.

- - - Updated - - -

We tried this last week and he did push and pull it around but also ended up going potty on the floor more than outside on his walks?

Smarty · Feb 4, 2016

Hi, simple answer is don't crate. I'm from the UK and I've noticed in America you all seem to be obsessed with "crates".
I used one with my jack Russell when he was very young and he hated it, took it away and within days he was happy and contented in a "bog standard" dog bed. Every dog I've had since has never been crated not even when recovering from surgery. Regards, Smarty.

HannahBanana · Feb 4, 2016

Schimpfy said:
This is a great suggestion and something we did as well, had to reinforce it so he would not push it around.
You found the place to be for answers and support :hiii:eekaboo::welcome: look forward to seeing some pics and reading about all the fun growing up. Some familiar questions does he have a tail pocket, do you have pet insurance, what do you feed him and how much?
Enjoy each other they are unlike any other breed and feel free to ask questions we all like to help and share :yes:

I don't quite know about a tail pocket? He has a nubby little tail that pokes out.
We just got pet insurance! We are cover through Healthy Paws!
We feed him Marick grain free for puppies! About a cup a day. Half cup in morning and half at night! Does that all see right?

Sorry if the picture is wonky! Using this site on my phone is not so easy!

Cbrugs · Feb 4, 2016

HannahBanana said:
I don't quite know about a tail pocket? He has a nubby little tail that pokes out.
We just got pet insurance! We are cover through Healthy Paws!
We feed him Marick grain free for puppies! About a cup a day. Half cup in morning and half at night! Does that all see right?View attachment 7971

Sorry if the picture is wonky! Using this site on my phone is not so easy!

1 cup a day may not be enough for a growing puppy. I can't remember how much I fed Jax when he was that young but I remember it was more than 1 cup because when he hit 1 year (I believe) is when I started giving him 1 cup a day.

As far as crate training, I failed at it. Jax hated being in there so I gave up. When he was a pup he was confined to an xpen in the kitchen when he was home alone and as he got older, we took that away and now he is confined to just the kitchen.

Schimpfy · Feb 4, 2016

Tail pockets are not fun and some dogs like mine have a gay tail and no pocket. Under the tail - once he is older around 6-8 months check to see if he has a tail pocket. This is a gap that collects dirt, yeast and feces under the tail. This needs to be cleaned - if your dog is boot scooting on the floor or rugs could be that the tail pocket needs cleaning. On the top right hand side of this page is a search engine enter tail pocket and it will bring you to things related to tail pockets for a better description and how to manage. Puppies should be fed 3x a day from a 1/2 cup a serving depending on food, not sure where Marrick food is on the chart for feeding once again the search engine can help enter feeding puppies or what kind of food. I used Fromm puppy food and love it still use Fromm to this day as do many others here. Ps. what a good looking boy.
Hope this helps look forward to seeing Finley grow and you should also look up shark phase

HannahBanana · Feb 4, 2016

We are so going through the shark phase right now. We are pretty much just telling no to the things he can't bite/chew and replacing it with one of his many toys. We also have a shaker that is just a small jar with a few coins in it and when he starts to chew something like the floor or rug we shake it and say no. So far it has worked but we hear as he goes through teething we just have to deal. That's another reason our vet and trainer are very strong supports of the crate. I actually just called to confirm with them and they think Fin should be crated until he's at the very least potty trained before we even introduce him to the pen while we are out.

hannah · Feb 4, 2016

HannahBanana said:
I don't quite know about a tail pocket? He has a nubby little tail that pokes out.
We just got pet insurance! We are cover through Healthy Paws!
We feed him Marick grain free for puppies! About a cup a day. Half cup in morning and half at night! Does that all see right?View attachment 7971

Sorry if the picture is wonky! Using this site on my phone is not so easy!

Awee a blue Pied! Aiko is a blue pied too, with one blue eye like yours

hannah · Feb 4, 2016

HannahBanana said:
We are so going through the shark phase right now. We are pretty much just telling no to the things he can't bite/chew and replacing it with one of his many toys. We also have a shaker that is just a small jar with a few coins in it and when he starts to chew something like the floor or rug we shake it and say no. So far it has worked but we hear as he goes through teething we just have to deal. That's another reason our vet and trainer are very strong supports of the crate. I actually just called to confirm with them and they think Fin should be crated until he's at the very least potty trained before we even introduce him to the pen while we are out.

Frenchies can take a while to potty train... more so than other breeds. They are stubborn!!

Squishy Walnuts · Feb 4, 2016

Welcome! As much as they are fun, they are also a handful. It sounds like you're doing all the right things but it takes time with Frenchies. Stubborn little dogs.

We had no problems with crating. We did it with both dogs to keep them safe so they wouldn't wander around the house, we have a lot of stairs. Wally took to the crate right away and would go in there even when he didn't have to. Good luck!

Jakeyjake · Feb 4, 2016

Jake was crate trained with the crate inside of a x-pen so he could feel comfortable roaming/playing and then resting in his crate when he wanted. Once he learned to like his resting place and could hold his urine all night, we began to close the door. He was really good about it and then after a couple of months I pulled him into bed with us. Stella hates being confined or feeling trapped so crate training never happened with her. Every dog is different.

HannahBanana · Feb 4, 2016

Twinsies!

hannah · Feb 4, 2016

HannahBanana said:
Twinsies!

I know! we are Both named hannah and we both have blue pieds! haha!

Nu2frenchie · Feb 4, 2016

HannahBanana said:
Hello there! We are brand new parents to a wonderful 13 week old male Frenchie! He super rambunctious and we absolutely adore him but we work 4 days a week and live in a small BK apartment with no choice but to crate him during the days and nights. Don't worry, we have a walker come 2 times a day to help with potty and play breaks!

We are on our third week of crating him and he is still barking/howling/crying. We did a pretty decent job of familerizing him with the crate and he knows that's where he gets fed and is always popping in there to check for treats (because Mom is always tossing them in there when he's not looking) but once we close the door the heart breaking water works start! At first he calmed easy but now he seems to do it for longer and longer and wakes up more times during the night. Unfortunately we can't have the crate in our bedroom due to thin floors and neighbors directly below but he is just right outside the door when we sleep. We take him out once in the middle of the night so all good there as well.

We have a firm policy of not negotiating with puppy terrorists in our house and never take him out when he's loud and try to praise him when he's quiet before we take him out.

I guess my question is: WHEN WILL IT END?!? When will my sweet baby just accept that mommy and daddy are always coming back for him and his crate is a safe and cozy place? How long did it take you guys to crate train?!

We cover our crate with a thin sheet. Make sure there is still airflow so that he doesn't over heat and that he can't pull it in with him. The sheet allows them to feel more secure. This has always worked for crate training for us and family members of mine as well. Best of luck!!

WeeDex · Feb 6, 2016

It really is very tough to start off with! But as mentioned, it does get better and is a great way to keep them safe when we can't be with them. Dexter also travels in his in the car which is great. It's his safe place.

We also cover all but one side of the crate at night. It makes it like a little den that he's quite happy to snuggle up in.