I've had my puppy, Jetta, who is an aussie mix at 9 weeks old, for 2 nights and 3 days so far. My mother wants her to be kennel trained but when I put her in it she whines and cries non-stop. I know you're not suppose to give them attention because it shows they can whine and get what they want. (So I've heard...)
I've tried putting her in my room so she can see me but it drives me mad! I also tried the ticking clock thing and it didn't work.
Will she eventually stop whining once she's used to the kennel?
She whines sometimes even when I'm standing right next to her. I've been reading up on dog books and I'm not sure what to do. Is she whining because she misses her brothers and sisters? Do I give her attention even then?
Also, ANY advice on kennel training would be great! Where we bought her from, the previous owner had her sleep in a kennel but it was with her brothers and sisters.
2007-07-27 05:47:12 · 6 answers · asked by Poe 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
You're doing the right things. The first week with a new pup is really hard for them and you. Stick with it... Try a kong in her crate, feeding her in her crate with the door open, and when she starts barking when you're in the room with her tell her 'no'. It's okay to block the anxiety with a no, or a tap on the cage provided you get the right response (a reaction of downward anxiety).
On night four you should see some improvement, and in a couple of weeks you'll have a whole new set of questions.
I know it's tough- just stick with it, a few more nights you'll be glad you did.
2007-07-27 05:58:59 · answer #1 · answered by c.j. 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Puppies and babies are the same - they are both conditioned and learn behavior based on the responses from a stimulus.
Puppy whines, you do something = whining makes things happen. So if you keep doing anything to try to stop it, the puppy will continue whining. The funny part about conditioning is the less frequently you do it, the more rewarding it is to the puppy and the more difficult it is to "unlearn." So if you pay attention to the puppy only once in a blue moon, it is worse than paying attention every time. Don't believe me? Look at people playing the slots....they keep pulling and pulling and pulling the lever because something is bound to happen soon!
You must either totally ignore the whining puppy, or you must provide a negative response that the puppy will not want to happen (e.g. shock collar or loud scary noise). When you do the negative response, it has to be right away when the puppy whines or it will not correlate it to the behavior. That is the critical part.
As harsh as all the above may sound, it really isn't all that rough and the puppy will eventually be kennel trained.
Edit: I should have mentioned you do want to attend to their bodily needs (have water, let them out for "potty"). Smurf covered this well in his or her answer.
2007-07-27 05:56:01 · answer #2 · answered by rhyno 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My dog is kennel trained. My dog is a hound dog so she would bark alot. She would bark when we left her for a little while and at night too. The dog wants to be let out and you should never give into that. You have to let them know that they won't get what they want that you are in charge. The best thing that worked for me was using a blanket to cover over the cage. That way she couldn't see us and would settle down. It did take a little while to get her used to the kennel but now that she is my dog loves it and will stay in it with the door open just to hang out. When she would bark I would say "no Bark" or quiet and that is it. Also make sure your dog gets lots of walks and stimulation during the day and that will help get her energy out. Your puppy is still young. My dog slept in a kennel with her 7 sisters before we got her and she is doing fine alone. But she does have to have a blanket in there with her to wrap her self up in.
2007-07-27 06:02:45 · answer #3 · answered by walkerhound03 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Are you just shoving your dog in there and closing the door?? Dogs don't normally just like being stuck in a box...if she's not willing to walk in there on her own than she needs proper crate training.
To crate train..put treat at edge of crate, let dog run up and grab it, once it has treat say crate or other command word for the box, keep putting treats down and letting the dog eat them USE command word consistently each time...than after 4-5 of those place the next treat a little further into the crate, repeat 4-5 times, keep doing this over and over and with every cycle put the treat further in the crate. KEEP in mind this is not something that can be usually trained and loved in one training session so give it time and do it each day..several times a day until she's willing to walk into the crate..when the treats can now be placed at the back of the crate when she walks in, shut the door. Give her alot of treats through the closed door. And random times of the day as you walk past the crate throw some treats into it so your dog learns the magic box contains treats and this will encouage her to go in there on her.
And yes once she's in the crate for the nap or bedtime don't respond to her whining (unless it's time to be let out to potty, remember puppy's need to void often-average hold time is one hour for every month of it's life IE 2 month old 2 hour hold, 4 month old 4 hour hold) or else it will teach her to continue. If it's really bad whining and you can't stand it...training method to stop whining is get squirt bottle and fill with water. When dog whines squirt dog in face with stream of water DO NOT worry this won't harm it but it will startle her and she'll associate the water with her behavior and should stop. If she likes water in her face than add a little bit of vinegar to the water.
2007-07-27 07:27:00 · answer #4 · answered by smurf 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
She's probably bored. Give her something to do. A Kong with some peanut butter or a treat inside will give your puppy the perfect distration. A hollow beef bone with the marrow still inside works well too.
Also make the cage dark. Cover the top and sides with a blanket so she feels safe and secure. A nice pad for her to sleep on is a good touch as well.
Give her a treat everytime she goes in there so she is more willing to go in the cage without being forced.
2007-07-27 05:58:47 · answer #5 · answered by shortstop42000 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
put a big stuffed toy for her to cuddle up to. she probably is missing her Mom and litter mates. this helped me with my new puppy
2007-07-31 03:17:48 · answer #6 · answered by cheri h 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋