We adopted a puppy about 3 weeks ago. She's a lab/German Shepard mix, and the family we adopted her from said they found a litter of puppies abandoned together. They felt she was born sometime in February. So, still very much a puppy...
We crated our first dog 15 years ago, but we remember that experience was different--it seemed easier for her to acclimate to it. She would whine for awhile at night but would eventually fall asleep. She died 3 years ago, so we're really out-of-touch when it comes to how we dealt with puppy stuff. Naturally, I thought I'd turn to you fine folks for help.
We have a crate/cage, and I made a cover for it where she can only look out the front (where the grate is) because we read that it can help the dog feel secure. We put her there when we're at work then let her out when we get home. We've had it in our laundry room then moved it to our bedroom. However, and this is probably a sh*tty move on our parts, we let her sleep in our bed because she would whine, cry (sometimes for as long as 2 hours) which would keep us and our kids from falling asleep. I know--the puppy won that battle--we gave in.
Today, my wife went home at lunch to let her out, and she puked 5 or 6 times when she was let out into the yard, and my wife had to chase her down to put her back in the crate. We thought the puking was due to anxiety, but she may have also eaten something that didn't agree with her. Nevertheless, she obviously hate the cage. We read that we need to have it more out in the open, possibly feed her, put treats in there, and not just have it as a place she goes when we leave or when we lay down at night.
So, I know we screwed up by letting her stay in our bed, but should we return to putting her there at night? Just endure the whining, crying regardless of how long it takes? Anything we can do to ease her, such as the aforementioned suggestions of making it less of a punishment? I would appreciate any suggestions you all may have!
We crated our first dog 15 years ago, but we remember that experience was different--it seemed easier for her to acclimate to it. She would whine for awhile at night but would eventually fall asleep. She died 3 years ago, so we're really out-of-touch when it comes to how we dealt with puppy stuff. Naturally, I thought I'd turn to you fine folks for help.
We have a crate/cage, and I made a cover for it where she can only look out the front (where the grate is) because we read that it can help the dog feel secure. We put her there when we're at work then let her out when we get home. We've had it in our laundry room then moved it to our bedroom. However, and this is probably a sh*tty move on our parts, we let her sleep in our bed because she would whine, cry (sometimes for as long as 2 hours) which would keep us and our kids from falling asleep. I know--the puppy won that battle--we gave in.
Today, my wife went home at lunch to let her out, and she puked 5 or 6 times when she was let out into the yard, and my wife had to chase her down to put her back in the crate. We thought the puking was due to anxiety, but she may have also eaten something that didn't agree with her. Nevertheless, she obviously hate the cage. We read that we need to have it more out in the open, possibly feed her, put treats in there, and not just have it as a place she goes when we leave or when we lay down at night.
So, I know we screwed up by letting her stay in our bed, but should we return to putting her there at night? Just endure the whining, crying regardless of how long it takes? Anything we can do to ease her, such as the aforementioned suggestions of making it less of a punishment? I would appreciate any suggestions you all may have!
