# 8-Week Old Vizsla Hates Crate



## MG_Vizsla (Sep 8, 2020)

Hi, all! 

I have had my little girl for a few days now. I introduced her to the crate day one. Food and water are in the crate, as well as a towel, a shirt of mine and some of her toys. She'll get in the crate no problem to get food/water, to play with her toys, or when I lead her in there. Closing the door makes her freak out though (yelping, barking, howling, pawing at the crate, sticking muzzle between crate wires), so I have taken her out. When she's fallen asleep next to me on the couch I've take her off and stuck her in the crate, where, depending on how tired she is, she'll either go back to sleep or start freaking out. If she does fall back asleep in the crate, when she wakes up in the crate she start yelping almost immediately. 

The longest she's been in the crate while not sleeping was for ~20 minutes where she freaked out the entire time. I'm reading conflicting information on the Internet. Some websites suggest taking it slow, others suggest to tough it out while they scream and bark throughout the night. I'm very conflicted on what to do. She's only been home with me for 2 nights and I've allowed her to sleep next to me on the couch because she was simply too loud/panicky to be let in the cage, but I really need to go back to sleeping in my own bed lol. Should I just shock her system and force her to stay in the crate all night long in my bedroom or should I continue sleeping with her on the couch while I try to get her to like the crate more/wean her off slowly from sleeping next to me. 

Thank you for your thoughts/suggestions.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

I have always spent the first week or so, sleeping next to the crate.
I put the puppy in the crate, toss a cover over the front, turn off the lights, and wait.
Typically they start to get agitated very soon. When this happens, I lightly tap the crate door and talk to them in a very soft murmur.
I want to try and have them realize that they are not alone. Someone is there.
I do this each time I put them away, day or night.
It has an added benefit for house training. I am right there when they need to get out. Every time they wake up, it’s out the door.
Finn was essentially done house training in a week, and only pee’d once in his crate. He was very,very, easy to house break.


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## QueenTilly (Jul 7, 2020)

Our little girl also hated the crate at the start. Similar to the advice above we put the crate next to the bed for the first few weeks actually. The first few nights when she would cry my mom would put her hand in the crate and offer comfort. But we never have in and let her out unless it was obvious that she needed the toilet. She stayed in the bedroom for a few weeks, then moved to the hallway outside the bedroom and now sleeps downstairs in the hallway. 

Indeed feeding her in the crate is a great idea. Another tactic we use is to lead her in with a treat and then release her and let her come back out. We do this 5-10 times and you’ll realise they get kind of bored of it, eventually when you then lead her in the last time you gently close the door. This takes out the feeling of being locked away and usually reduces the panic. This really helped us and now (18 weeks) she no longer has issues going in her crate.

Be patient and try to make the crate as cozy as possible for her she’s only a little baby!


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I tried the tough love overnight crate thing exactly once. I awoke to find the crate and my very distressed puppy covered in her own feces. I'm not saying that's a normal occurrence, but it certainly put me off the idea. 

What did work was feeding in the crate, using it in the car to go to fun places, doing fast paced crate games with the door propped open–basically just throwing treats or toys into the crate and having her retrieve all while excitedly praising her–and also spending time right next to her while she was shut in the crate. For that last one, I'd get a bowl of treats and I'd get comfy with a book or something next to the crate. When she whimpered I would just ignore it and when she was quiet, if only for a second, I'd give her a treat. Even with all of that it still took a lot of time, so be patient.


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## rchik43 (Apr 12, 2020)

Hi MG_Vizsla,
My thoughts, for a few days just focus on making her crate a happy place. Keep the door open sit with her around it, treat her in the crate, may be something frozen, may be a kong with some peanut butter & banana frozen so she can be at it for a a while basically make a party for her to be in the crate. Always when she come out of the crate be relatively neutral, when she goes in the crate...make it a party .I think if you do this a few times, may be some hours or a day or 2 , she will start seeing the crate as a place she wants to be in..Keep the door open so she can walk in and out initially. as far as crate space, make sure she has just about enough space to turn around and be comfortable but not too large ( may be use a divider or a smaller crate to achieve this)...sometimes if they have too much space they may go potty on the other side of the crate. I really like the idea from the previous post about feeding her in the crate. and keeping treats/toys ( safe ones) in there...I think its just a game of patience...

My boy did whine and bark the first night for 30 - 60 minutes at night...it was difficult but I let him...after that he went to sleep ...he did this for a couple of days...then the barking whining reduced to 10 minutes or so...then over a week or two he was perfectly fine.


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## MG_Vizsla (Sep 8, 2020)

I moved the crate into my bedroom and she only whimpered a little bit when I went to sleep at 10:30 the night before last. She woke me up at midnight, 2, 5, and 6:45AM . I slipped on the leash and took her outside to potty and then placed her back in the crate where I comforted her each time to go back to sleep. Her whimpers became progressively longer, but it was only at 6:45AM that she didn't stop after just a few minutes. Last night I was able to sleep from 11PM to 6:30AM without her making any significant amount of noise to wake me up. So great success on that front.

She still needs me to be on the bed next to the crate for 5-10 minutes before she'll nap during the day, but I think if I give her positive reinforcement for getting into the crate and play/learn new commands in front of the crate she'll become more attached to it and she'll learn to love it. 

I'm surprised she's somewhat house trained already... I have a Porch Potty in a corner of the house and I've given her treats 20-30 times for going potty on it and now she's headed over there herself a half dozen times to relieve herself. I hope to get a potty bell/button that I can teach her to use whenever she needs to relief herself.

Thank you so much for your replies/help! I'm sure I'll be back asking a bunch more questions soon enough hah.


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## unacat19 (Sep 3, 2020)

I am hoping to pick up my l little boy, Duke, from the same litter next week. Have his crate ready. Yes, after loosing their siblings, they don't like to be alone. We just have to tough it out with them. My previous dog, a Puli, had no problem with the crate at all. Hope it will work out with my first Vizsla puppy.


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## KatieSchweitzer (Nov 29, 2020)

Yes, maybe lay down next to the crate and stick your fingers in so she can touch you. Make sure she’s fatigued and has pottied before she goes in. I’d take water out of crate and only feed her in crate as a positive experience without shutting her in, at first. Does she have billy sticks, those are great. But making it dark and getting her tired should be good starts.


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## The Leo (Oct 19, 2020)

My pup hated his crate like yours does too till 3 weeks ago, my sister bought him a bed before that he just sleep with blankets, towels as bedding.

He now even sleep through the night most of the time, everytime I open the crate he roll over and want belly rub, petting instead of run right out like before.

One thing is days ago he starting to chew and dig his bed so I removed it but that night was horrible he keep barking waking up, end up I had to put his bed back in at 4am then he sleep through the night. He still does chew the bed behind me sometimes, but I just let him be I rather have a good night sleep.


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## ana19 (Jun 26, 2020)

Watch crate training games on Simpawtico dog training youtube channel and also what helped with Aron is not closing the door. I slept in the room next to his and the doors on the room he was were all closed everything was moved out of the way so he couldn't cause any harm to himself. In a week the doors on his crate were closed and now he's great. The first 2 nights the crate doors were open widely, next 2 nights closed 1/3 of the way, next 2 nights 2/3s of the way and then the doors were closed but not locked and from then they were locked. Just go at your puppy's pace. Maybe it will take longer or maybe even less time but you will get there. Good luck.


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## John N (Sep 11, 2020)

Vividus said:


> Wow I have had 6 doggs in my life and never have I treated them like prisoners.
> All your tactics sounds training a prisoner to like his cell.
> 
> And it just makes me think your new found puppy is just another object of possession put away until you are ready to use it.
> My opinion and until Jan 21st I can say what I want,


OK! I can't hold back any longer as my curiosity got the better of me!  


What happens on Jan 21st????


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

John N said:


> OK! I can't hold back any longer as my curiosity got the better of me!
> 
> 
> What happens on Jan 21st????


John 
Sorry I didn't see that post sooner.
I will be removing it, and any future post that have a condescending tone.


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## Olive Love (Dec 21, 2020)

Give her treats in the crate.


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## John N (Sep 11, 2020)

texasred said:


> John
> Sorry I didn't see that post sooner.
> I will be removing it, and any future post that have a condescending tone.


Texts,
No need to remove the Post, I was being Facitious and Nosey at the same Time!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

We try to keep the forum friendly. 
It's a place to share stories about our Vizslas, and owners need to feel comfortable asking for help. We don't always agree, or do things the same way. But snide, snarky remarks keep owners from getting advice. It makes new owners leery, of even asking for help.


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## John N (Sep 11, 2020)

texasred said:


> We try to keep the forum friendly.
> It's a place to share stories about our Vizslas, and owners need to feel comfortable asking for help. We don't always agree, or do things the same way. But snide, snarky remarks keep owners from getting advice. It makes new owners leery, of even asking for help.


I was being friendly! I know that differing opinion can sometimes be misconstrued and cause offence, I was being very careful in that Sense!


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