# Crate training / Barking... PLEASE HELP!



## NovaG (Jul 10, 2011)

Hello everyone, New to the forum and new to puppy ownership. Recently recieved our 16 week old Newfie puppy 2 weeks ago.. We have been trying to crate train her as my wife and I both work.. she started out pretty good at first and even started goin into crate on command... the first couple nights she barked for about an hour straight.. She would also bark when placed in the crate when we went to work but not sure how long since we would leave the house... My wife comes home during lunch to let her out and feed and water so she is only in there 4-5hrs max at a time (excluding at night) then after shes placed back in im home within 3 hrs... After the initial sleepless nights of prolonged barking she cooled down and would only bark 10-20 min before quieting for the night and would not pee or eliminate all night till i got up at 0530.. one night she didnt even bark once : ) Anyways we felt we were making progress till 4 days ago.. she stopped wanting to go into the crate and would not even put her whole body inside to get treats... she started waking up in the middle of the night and bark continuosly.. the first 2 nights we went to her (only after 30-45 sec of quiet) to let her out as she has was having soft stools while transitioning foods and we thought she had to eliminate which indeed she did and ran outside to go.. however she continued to bark for an hour - 2 hrs after being placed back in... last night she started barking again at 0330 so i took her out to eliminate but all she did was pee and there was no urgency to her at all.. Im thinking she wised up to the game and thinks she can get out whenever now.. I put her back in and she proceeded to bark for 3 hrs straight.. I only let her out after she was quiet for 5 min.. then proceeded to make this post.. Any suggestions.. please help...


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## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

When we were crate training Kodi we had a "No party" rule. If he barked in his crate, he was brought straight outside, no talk(not even a "go potty"), no praise (even after a potty) , no nothing outside and, no play! (that parts a biggie, no parties.) After your puppy potties, its straight back into the crate. 
Kodi also had a hard time because we were giving parties in the middle of the night after he would potty outside. If he potties outside, he got praise and lots of friendly words and learned that if he barks, he gets out of his crate and gets a "party". I know that its hard not to praise for potty, but soon your puppy will learn that its no fun to go out of his crate because he doesn't get a party.

Another thing we did was when he started barking or whining, I tipped his crate a little bit, not to scare him though, it was just an unpleasant feeling for him not having his balance. Just a quick tip and then as soon as he stops barking (he would stop immediately because he was trying to figure out what was happening) then the crate was back on the floor. We haven't had a problem with him since. It took about a week of no party and crate tipping, but hes 10 months old now, and no problems at all.

For her not wanting to go into the crate, maybe she has grown out of it? Kodi grew out of his first crate (a small crate that my small dog uses for traveling) very quickly, and was very hesitant to go into it. The crate didn't look too small, he could stand up, turn around and lay down with no problems, but we moved to the bigger crate we had and the problem was instantly fixed. Just an idea.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Try feeding her earlier if you csn & taking up water about an hr before her bedtime. After her last potty break, if she barks do not let her out again til the normal time. She will get it eventually, some pups take longer then others. Luckily mine only whined when she had to potty lol.


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## Nerobella (May 23, 2011)

putting the crate right next to the bed, throwing his favorite toy and blanket in there with him, and covering the crate made all the difference for my moms 1.5 year old chihuahua. to cover the crate, make sure that you use something dark colored and thin, so that it doesn't trap heat in. if all you have are thick blankets then leave a small section of the back uncovered, not enough for him/her to be able to see out but enough for his/her body heat to escape and fresh air to get in. maybe an inch. inch and a half max.


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## Lovemytessapoo (Feb 1, 2008)

Agree with dog dragoness, also, I would put the crate in the opposite end of the house and ignore his crying and barking. Eventually he will figure out that his games are not working to get attention and he will go to sleep. Put some favorite toys in there so that she has something to entertain herself until she goes to sleep. Change the toy frequently but make sure it is one that interests her during the day. Again, ignore, ignore, ignore. Remember they are truly like children in that they do learn what gets them what that want and they repeat that behavior if rewarded with it.


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