# Puppy Blues/Only crate training my Vizspa puppy in the day?



## destroycreate (11 mo ago)

Hi all! Forgive me for this post that is a little bit all over the place; I've been a bit of an emotional wreck the last few days (sleep-deprived, exhausted, scared I'm going to fail at this), so could use some words of support/encouragement. My partner and I have wanted a V for 3-4 years, and we finally took our first home with us last Saturday (He's 9 weeks old now). He has been a handful to say the least, I love him so much and he's beautiful, *but I underestimated how hard it was going to be to be quarantined with him until he reaches 16 weeks due to not having the final rounds of vaccinations.* Not being able to take him on walks, play at the park or go on hikes has made us completely apartment-bound (despite living 20 steps from a wonderful big park) and he has so much **** energy we have a hard time expending inside with some fetch and games.

Anyway, I've been stressed out because while my partner and I both work from home, we still have demanding jobs and just wish we could exercise him properly (not to mention we'd ourselves LOVE to have fresh air and take him out and about) for a few hours. You know, play/walk/run for a 2-3 hours a day and then have some chill time. Instead, our puppy is demanding every waking second of our attention LOL (I know, that's to be expected).

*I've been researching so much and it seems like folks are absolutely hellbent we crate train him and that if we fail at this, we could be in a world of hurt*. We tried crate training him at night a few times around bed time and he went absolutely ballistic - shrieking, moaning, intense barking - you could hear it everywhere in our home and it was unbearable. I stepped outside of my apartment on the street to hear (it's a fourplex) and it was def. apparent - my downstairs neighbor is a pretty mean and unfriendly woman and I know she'll end up complaining at some point.

*Here's the thing though - we don't mind having him sleep and cuddle with us at night in our bed (kind of the point of getting a Vizsla). Is it ok that we DON'T want to crate train him to sleep overnight? The only room we can put a crate in (far from our downstairs neighbors bedrooms) is on the other total end of the apartment, and it just doesn't feel right to have him so far away.

That said, where we could really use help from the crate is when we have important work meetings or need to run to the grocery store - he's too young to be allowed to roam free (he'll get destructive) and I'm scared he'll get hurt. Is it fine that we start training him to be in the crate during naps/set hours of the day (i.e. 4-6 hours max spread out in the day)? That would be ideal so we can have a slight break, focus on work and not be paranoid he'll be getting into trouble. It will also mean that he's not disrupting our neighbor's sleep. Or are we totally setting ourselves up for failure not making him sleep overnight in a crate?*


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## Sloane (Jun 17, 2021)

I completely understand where you're at. I have an 11-month old, Poppy. When I got her last May, I thought I was losing my mind even though I was prepared for a puppy. I'm not sure anyone is ever prepared for their first vizsla puppy, but that's ok. It DOES get better and it gets better quickly - I promise. You should do whatever works for you and your dog as every one is different. I'll share my experience with Poppy for the first few months of her life and hopefully that will help. 

Crate - I got Poppy a Diggs crate because I wanted her to have something I also liked (I know they are expensive, but I think they are worth it). It's also easily movable, so I could move it around the house as needed. 

Nighttime - I crated her at night for the first five months. I set up her crate next to my bed so she could see me at night. She cried and made an alarming amount of noise for the first week. Luckily, I don't have close neighbors, so I bore the brunt of the noise disruption at night. She started sleeping through the night in her crate after the first couple of weeks. I made sure her crate was comfortable with a nice bed and some pillows and blankets so she felt snug and secure. Eventually, she learned to tolerate the crate, but it was terrible at first - and that was with her in my bedroom. If you can't put the crate in your bedroom, then I probably wouldn't use the crate at night time either. 

Daytime - I also work from home and I set her crate in my office where she could see out of the window. I took her out every half hour to potty train, but if she was inside and we weren't training or playing, she was in her crate. It worked for us and she potty trained very quickly. She stayed in her crate during the day time for the first few months I had her and it was definitely more than 4-6 hours. After a couple of months, we then graduated to a play pen with a waterproof mat. 

Now, she pretty much has free reign of the house while I work and she sleeps in the bed with me (she's an awesome snuggler). I still keep the carpeted bedrooms baby gated off so that she can't go in there without clean paws. We go for 2 - 3 hours of walks/outside play per day and that seems to be her sweet spot for now. She's only crated when I leave the house - I still don't trust her while I'm gone. 

I know people have differing opinions about letting puppies be outside without having all of their shots. I have a yard, so that made it much easier with Poppy. However, as long as your puppy isn't coming into contact with other puppies or dogs who aren't fully vaccinated, I think the benefits of getting them outside outweigh the risks - this is just my personal, non-vet, dog mom opinion. I also tried to get Poppy to meet new people every day. I took her to any stores she was allowed into - like hardware stores, etc. I set up meet and greets with my friends and their fully vaccinated adult dogs. She's very well socialized, so I think this approach worked for us. 

I hope that helps! Keep us updated on your progress and maybe post some puppy pics.


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

No matter how prepared for a V, you are NOT!  
We have crate trained all of our V's (3).

The first week or so one of us slept on the floor in front of the crate. We would stick our fingers thru so they could touch us. It would take some time but they eventually wear them selves out and fall asleep. The time got shorter quickly. We then would sneak out of the room to bed. When they awoke it was time to go out for a quick pee then back to crate and floor. Exhausting but they are babies. 

We really don't crate ours any more except at night. They know that 10:00pm is bed time and will get off our bed to go out for the last time. When let in they race to their kennels as they know there is going to be cheese. 

As far as sleeping in bed ours tend to get up/roll around /move. So it interrupts sleep. Kennel works best for us.
They know wake up time is 5:30 so I get up get ready for work then let them out and they beeline to the bed to snuggle for a while with my wife.

My wife latest kitten (Bengal/ holy smokes another high energy beast) has also learned the cheese trick and will run to the room to get her treat.

Good luck. It will get worse before it gets better!


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## rsarvis (Nov 16, 2021)

I think you are over-worrying and it’s stressing you out too much. You can take your puppy for walks. Just avoid other dogs for the time being, try to find cleaner less-traveled areas if you can, and police him sniffing and eating bad stuff. Get some fresh air and enjoy him outside a little bit.

One thing that our puppy loved and would tire him out is the “Outward Hound Interactive Training Toy and Agility Kit” on Amazon. Only $17, or I’m sure there are equivalent products or you could prob also make one. Basically a long stick with a rope tied to the end dangling a fake hamster. Endless fun! Indoors or outdoors with a little pup, outdoors once he gets bigger and faster.

We also got a play pen on Amazon that he could be awake in near me while I worked. We put a bunch of toys and some puzzles with hidden treats. And tied a rope toy to one of the walls to play tug of war with. It worked pretty well when he was little. 

Tire him out then hide some treats throughout the crate and get him in.

Re the crate, I’m of the opinion you have to let them cry it out and not give in, and you have to do it early. Just like getting babies to go to sleep in their crib without you having to be there. The first time is hard to hear them cry but if you give in they’ll learn crying works and if you don’t they’ll eventually tire out and fall asleep and they’ll get used to it.

I think it’s def worth getting them used to the crate so you can get work done, have a reprieve from the chaos, etc. And boarding houses often want to see that your dog can handle a crate.

That’s my $0.02.


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## TrumpetBlast (Jun 27, 2020)

It was difficult in the pre-vaccinated stage, trying to juggle safety with the importance of good socialization. Some things that worked for us: I bought a sling so I could take her with me to places that otherwise wouldn't be 'safe.' Home Depot allows dogs, and all the new sights and sounds were great. She had lots of car rides to see new things out the window- a passing train, construction equipment, an ambulance. Of course having different people over is also good- older folks, people with beards and hats and umbrellas, etc; 
I would let her out to play in areas not frequented by other dogs- the outfield of a softball diamond, big yard by the firehouse, etc; She didn't require a whole lot of real estate at that age, just enough room to run and tire herself out. How I dreamed of the day when we could just walk out the front door! And it came soon enough, believe me.
We did not crate train, but used moveable baby gates to set the appropriate limits. At 9 weeks, it was one room. Tile-floored because age wasn't potty trained yet. The older she got, the more trust she earned, and thus, more autonomy. I slept with her from the first night on. Never regretted it once. And for the record, at 16 months she is fine to be left alone for several hours now, although it isn't in a crate. 
It really will be over before you know it. Doesn't seem like it at the time, but puppyhood goes sooo fast. Keep up with your training and one day it will all just click and you'll have an awesome companion that loves you forever.


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## summervizsla (Nov 7, 2021)

I have a 9 month old V and I absolutely understand the pain of crate training... but in my opinion, it will *save* your sanity. My boy hated it in the beginning. Sobbing, crying, shrieking. But since the first night I had him sleeping in a crate, and eventually he would tire out and give up. We did put a blanket on the crate initially which I think helped a bit since he couldn't see us. But my boyfriend and I also WFH and we had to take meetings, which is when the crate training really came in handy. 

Our routine evolved over the first few weeks as I figured out what I needed. We would wake up and he would get his breakfast, and then I would play with him for an hour. Tug of war, puzzle games, short walks around the neighborhood – just whatever I felt like doing for an hour. After that, I put him in the crate around 8:30am and would get him out around noon (or later).* Every time* he went in the crate during the day, he also got a kong filled with peanut butter or greek yogurt. I still do this today. It is the _only_ time he gets a kong, so when he sees it, he goes running with excitement into his crate because he loves that dang kong. I don't give him a kong before bed, but I guess it wouldn't hurt anything if you wanted to do that. 

I swear by that routine and highly recommend you give it a shot. Now, he doesn't need to go in the crate in the mornings but he knows it's time to chill out. He sleeps at my feet and is lazy in the morning, so I'm able to get a great start on my work and he's happy to be near me.


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