# Hates his crate and some pictures too!



## Vizslalover925 (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I got my V, Jax, on Saturday so it's been 2 days. He HATES his crate. I put a blanket over it and he sleeps right next to my bed. If I put him in there he'll cry for who knows how long. The only thing that works is letting him fall asleep next to his crate by me and then I put him in there while he's sleeping. One hour later (his naps are typically 1 hour) he starts crying nonstop. I give a firm "no!" which does not work. I then ignore which hasnt really worked either, he cries at the top of his longs for like 45 mins or more. It's really stressing me out to hear him cry like this, and I'm also waking up every hour (because that's when he cries) to go potty and then put him back to sleep before putting him in the crate. I just don't know what to do anymore because the crying is never ending. Please help me!


----------



## Murray (Jul 7, 2013)

How old is your Viszla? When we got Murray I was off for the summer. I only put him in there when I leave or at night when he fell asleep. I let him nap if I am home anywhere he wants to I never put him in for napping. I would typically put him in at night when he fell asleep on the couch. I would do a last minute potty round then put him in. He would wake up around 1:30 am and I would take him potty. He would go right in and back to sleep. After a month and a half of this we let him cry himself at night which lasted two nights and he slept all the way through. At this point he was almost 4 mnths. During the day I would time my errands around when he fell asleep. Again a potty run put him in and go but not stay out long. I always give him a cookie when he goes in and I associate it with a certain name "scoby snack". When I say that he runs right in his crate for it. I put an ortho crate pad down plus a big pillow and blankets. Also he has a crate toy plus a nyla bone. All I can say is have patience but remember this breed of dog wants to be with you. 

Murray's Mom


----------



## AmandaW (May 23, 2013)

We got our V-puppy a month ago and had the same story for his first three nights. That period was simply one of adjustment. Your little one is adapting to his new home, away from his litter mates and sleeping in a crate (if that's new). Perhaps consider moving his crate to a different location, like a laundry room or living room. This way, he gets acclimated to sleeping away from you and it's not quite as disruptive to your sleep pattern, outside of the hourly potty breaks. 

Our now 13 week pup only goes out once a night (after about 4 hours) and many times we are waking him up to go out. 

Just our experience, and I'm sure lots of folks will have additional thoughts for you. Best of luck!


----------



## AmandaW (May 23, 2013)

Murray makes a good point. Short stints in his crate while you're home will help him adapt at night.


----------



## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

I have been reading this wonderful book "BEFORE and AFTER GETTING YOUR PUPPY" by Ian Dunbar, because we are preparing for our new Little Guy.
He suggests giving pups KONG chew toys stuffed with food, kibble, treats, biscuts, all mixed in. Putting the pup in the crate with these at all times. He believes this teaches the pup several things,. To like being in the crate, to learn to chew only appropriate things ( the chew toys) and to be relaxed and occupied (with chewing) when alone. 
He suggests other chew toys as well, like the Nyla bones, but strongly believes in the food stuffed KONGS.
OH... he says put a special treat in the bottom (freeze tried liver) that the pup cannot get out, but will continue to work at.
Then when you get home, or are ready to take the pup out, pry the treat out and give it to them (makes them think you are awesome)??


----------



## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

It's an adjustment for both of you. Remember, he's used to never being alone, being part of a litter. Why wouldnt he cry being left alone? And why wouldnt you stress?

There are two options....and in all fairness, i have to admit to preferring the latter. The first is to do what you're doing now, eventually he'l adjust to the physical separation. The second is to just let him stay with you.

I'm a big fan of sleeping with the V not only b/c it's utterly delicious, but b/c it;s a real bonding experience, it's meeting their needs for security and closeness while simultaneously not making any demands on each other. In the pack, they sleep together (yeah, even alpha picks a partner), and as we know, a V that's bonded to it's owner will do absolutely anything for him/her. This can be accomplished with the crate, for sure...but if it doesn't work for you or the dog (for whatever reason), there's no harm in doing what both of you want here.


----------



## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

We got Baja when she was 8 weeks old. We put her crate in the kitchen which is on the other side of our house from our bedroom. 3 nights later, I could not take the constant crying & howling. We tried everything; music, tv, lights on, lights off, blanket over the kennel, etc. She just wouldn't sleep (neither did my wife or myself). 

On the 4th night I was getting ready to head over to my neighbors house and crash on their couch. I needed some rest, but thought I would try one more thing... So I moved her crate right next to our bed. This worked for a couple nights, and then she started all over with the crying. 

By the 6th or 7th night, we put her in bed with us. She slept like a baby! She now sleeps 1 of 2 ways, either between my wife and I... or she crawls down under the covers and curls up by our feet. 

My advice; buy a king sized bed and let him sleep with you.


----------



## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Normal!! We went through it with Miles and Chase was much easier!! My best advice is keep the puppy awake for 2 hrs before bed. Walk him in the house, play tug, retrieve, whatever it takes but don't let him sleep. Once it's time for bed he will be ready to sleep! We've had minimal crate training issues with Chase, keep his mind active and take advantage of puppy's need to sleep!


----------



## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Yep, sounds typical vizsla to me.  You need to stay calm and be very very patient. Some take to their crate better and sooner than others. It's early days, and there are lots of new sights and sounds for your puppy to take in. I am sure you are aware of how sensitive and vocal the vizsla is. It will get better, and jax will soon get used to his new routine. The time between potty breaks will get longer too, and you will eventually get a normal nights sleep. Trust me, we have all been there. I thought I would never get a full nights sleep again. our V Ester was a little monkey with her crate. It took a long time, and boy could she cry :'(, but we got there eventually. I am sure you will get lots of practical advice from others on here, and if you search, you will find lots of others have been through exactly what you are going through right now. Good luck, and let us know how he is gets on


----------



## solefald (May 16, 2013)

What a small world. I think Jax is our Dre's brother from Vicki!  
I am posting his pictures right now. And Ruger (another brother) is here too.


----------



## Desmond (Jul 28, 2013)

We have had our V Desmond for 2 weeks now. He's 10 weeks old. For the first couple of days, we let him fall asleep with us, then moved him into his crate while sleeping. We also made sure we fed him in his crate. 

He also sleeps between us in the bed in his crate so he can see us if he were to wake up. At night, he might whine for 5 minutes, and then he passes out.


----------



## datacan (May 15, 2011)

caution>>>  Hobbsy may hate this post... but LOL, probably will hate you for reading it also ;D ;D ;D 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUzF0g0PwY4 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLGFNkouakU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxhcb-itO4&feature=youtu.be

*How do I teach my dog to love his crate?*

The basic premises to crate training is teaching your dog that all good things come from the crate. As with all training, set your dog up for success in your crate training sessions. Most dogs are food motivated, so this means associating the crate with not only your dog's regular meals but also high-value treats that your dog DOES NOT GET FOR ANYTHING ELSE (probably dried fish, LOL ;D).

If your dog is familiar with the crate and will enter it willingly for a treat:

1. Feed all meals exclusively in the crate. Feed him with the door closed, wait until he finishes, then open the door. If he won't eat with the door closed, you can work up to closing the door for the duration of the meal by beginning with him eating his entire meal with the door open.

2. Leave treats in the crate for your dog to find randomly. Early on in his training, you can drop treats in the crate every 10–20 minutes without him seeing. He will start entering his crate to look for magically-appearing treats. The time can be varied and extended once he is used to this.

3. Once your dog knows the "crate" command, you can make this a game for him and play several times a day. Have him enter the crate for a treat, obey other commands while in the crate (sit, stay, etc.) for a treat, and exit his crate on command for a treat.

4. Command your dog into his crate. Close the crate door, and immediately treat him and open the crate door. Close the door again, and immediately treat and open the door. Slowly increase the time the door is closed in varied intervals with shorter (easy) times periodically, making sure your dog is calm during each step. If your dog whines or barks, go back a step and lower the time

5. Command your dog into his crate, and give him a special treat that will take him awhile to eat. If he exits the crate with his treat, command him back in or put his treat back in the crate. If he continues to exit with his treat after three tries, take the treat away. The idea is that your dog is making a choice. He can choose to have a delicious treat (in his crate), or no treat.

6. Crate him with a treat WHILE STAYING IN THE ROOM, so that he doesn't associate the crate with you always leaving. Time can vary.

7. If you are leaving your dog in the crate for a long period of time, your dog should be given a high value treat that will last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. A Kong stuffed with peanut butter, cheese, or other high value food is good for this. Visit www.kongcompany.com for Kong recipes.

8. If you are leaving your dog in the crate for a long period of time and the dog is familiar with you, leave an item with your scent, such as an old t-shirt, in the crate with him.

9. Your dog should be crated with a few crate-exclusive, safe toys/chews along with his treat. If you have several of these toys, they can be switched out from day to day. These toys should be taken away and hidden when your dog is not crated.


----------



## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Hate is a strong word.....

Agree with a number of your points, not sure about dried fish!!

Please enjoy the above post.

Hobbsy 8)


----------



## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

the ? should V how do I get them out of the crate & in 2 the house without having no house left - a simple answer - run them till they drop off lead - put them in the field - a tired V is a happy V - adopt 2 what a V was bred 4 - not your needs !!!!!!!!!


----------

