Guest pinky425 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I've been working with Crash since I brought him home Saturday on crating, staring with just a minute and then working up. He's getting a little better during the day but when I crated him last night he howled and cried and barked for hours. I wouldn't crate him at night if I could get him up the stairs, but we're working on learning the stairs too. Is there anything I can try to get him to just settle in his kennel any easier? I thought he would cry it out eventually but just got louder and louder. I live in a townhouse and my neighbors aren't going to be happy about this if it goes on too long. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I would teach him stairs and move the crate into your bedroom so you (and your neighbors) can sleep. When I foster, I end up having to move the crate in my room for my sanity. I can't stand barking Good luck Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinw Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 what do you think would happen if you didn't use the crate? Quote Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Teach stairs, definitely, but I would try sleeping downstairs with him until you can get him upstairs.y guess is the barking has more to do with isolation than the crate. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pinky425 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 That's what I ended up having to do after 5 hours of continuous crying by 2 this morning. He is crate broken but not house broken so when I tried that the fist night I woke up to him peeing 2 different times. No accidents yesterday but almost had 1. He's getting better with the house training though. Ultimately I want to only crate him while I'm at work and let him sleep on his bed in our room but I have to get him to do the stairs first. Hard as I've tried, so far he won't go past the 2nd stair on our staircase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I would try a long, brisk paced walk before bed or a play session in the yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbbuzby Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Sleeping alone is something he may never get over, and if you don't intend for him to ever need to, I would probably sleep downstairs with him until he learns the stairs (should only be a little while, right?). I don't think that's spoiling him. Also, since he got what he wanted last night of you coming downstairs, you can bet he'll carry on ten times as long should you try again tonight!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Ultimately I want to only crate him while I'm at work and let him sleep on his bed in our room but I have to get him to do the stairs first. Hard as I've tried, so far he won't go past the 2nd stair on our staircase. That's where we are at now with my new girl. However, we do have an xpen blocking the hallway so she cannot venture far if she gets up during the night. Eventually she will get free run, but it's too soon now. You'll get there. Just feels rough right now. How are you trying to teach him stairs? Just from my own dogs & the fosters we've had it seems each dog needs a little different approach. Coaxing, luring, clicker training, modeling (manually placing their feet on the stairs one after another), etc. have all been tried for one hound or another. Will admit that for a few when teaching them to go down the scarey basement stairs we actually did something like back chaining. Physically picked their tuckus up & put their back feet one the bottom step so they were facing down. The then just stepped down off of it. Next we put them on one step up from that. Repeat until they are having to either step down or jump. We stayed there for a bit to make sure they were really comfortable. Then was the hard work. Took two of us for the big boy or the reluctant little girl but we picked them up & carried them partway down the stairs & set them down. Nothing for them to do except come down on their own. Once they were more comfortable coming down, even if we had to get them started, it was an easier process to get them to go up. Hopefully you'll get it in the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GryffinSong Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I'd sleep downstairs with him until he learns the stairs. And if he's not housebroken you've got several options. Use an ex-pen with a potty pad in it, or sleep with his leash around your wrist so you'll notice when he gets up and can take him out. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smiles329 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Our beautiful boy had issues with stairs also. He was used to going up & down only a few steps in his foster home, but wouldn't go up our full set of stairs. Our adoption coordinator gave me two great suggestions that worked for us! First, work with him on a smaller set of stairs, and second use two people and lure him with hot dogs up the full set of stairs. So, I took him to a building in town that had only 6 steps (there were no people around and plenty of room). He was hesitant, but we were able to get him to go up & down several times and rewarded him with treats. Then the next day, my teenager & I worked with him on the stairs at home. With one in front and the other in back, I lured him up a couple steps with his front paws using hot dog slices, then my son lifted his back paws to the first step. We continued this all the way up the stairs. Going down was a bit more tricky. My son stayed in front and lured him down slowly by placing hot dog slices on each step while I walked next to him holding his collar and guiding him down slowly. We repeated this 4 or 5 times. Afterwards, our grey was able to go up stairs with no issue. Going down took a few more tries with our guidance, but this time without the hot dogs. Now he races up & down with no issues! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Do you have any other pets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 No advice here. Just relating about Annie Bella and stairs. I adopted Annie Bella in July of this year. She will do the 9, uneven blue stone slab steps to the back door with no issue but won't do the stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor. She has done them with great fear and shaking, while I do the paw-paw-push-push, many times, but no amount of tempting foodies has changed her mind that they are unfriendly (they are carpeted). Since she can do stairs, I know she'll go up to the second floor if she wants so I don't push it, and until then, she sleeps downstairs by herself. She came to me housebroken, and I didn't crate her after the first night (for which she was glad 'cause she HATES the crate). I felt bad at first, for me and her, leaving her alone down here (on her very comfy bed with warm blankets and stuffies), but then stopped transferring my people emotions onto a dog. It is her choice. It may be that once your boy is housebroken, you'll be able to do the same: leave him alone downstairs without issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytpups Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 What are you using to teach stairs. They've never been an issue here, but I know some people use really yummy treats like hamburger, etc and it has helped. Quote Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field. Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pinky425 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I have another dog, a chihuahua that I crate right next to Crash. I've been using milkbones and tried covering it in peanut butter last night and that didn't work. I'm hoping once my husband gets home next week we can attempt the one in front, one behind approach. He's been better about crying at night but while I'm at work my neighbor said they can hear him off and on all day. Someone recommended a Kong with peanut butter to give to him only when he's in his crate so I'm going to try that tonight and see how he does. I have to work on some alone training with him but won't have the opportunity unfortunately until the weekend. Thanks for all the suggestions! No advice here. Just relating about Annie Bella and stairs. I adopted Annie Bella in July of this year. She will do the 9, uneven blue stone slab steps to the back door with no issue but won't do the stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor. She has done them with great fear and shaking, while I do the paw-paw-push-push, many times, but no amount of tempting foodies has changed her mind that they are unfriendly (they are carpeted). Since she can do stairs, I know she'll go up to the second floor if she wants so I don't push it, and until then, she sleeps downstairs by herself. She came to me housebroken, and I didn't crate her after the first night (for which she was glad 'cause she HATES the crate). I felt bad at first, for me and her, leaving her alone down here (on her very comfy bed with warm blankets and stuffies), but then stopped transferring my people emotions onto a dog. It is her choice. It may be that once your boy is housebroken, you'll be able to do the same: leave him alone downstairs without issues. That's ultimately our hope is that he'll be okay to wonder. I would just baby gate him in the kitchen so if he did have an accident it would be easy to clean up, but he can jump the baby gate as I found out the other day when he jumped it to finish Riki's dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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