New pup whining

[Ralph Wiggum]

We just got our first dog this weekend. He will be sleeping in a crate/kennel. Any tips to help ease his anxiety? Once he gets to sleep he's fine, but he whines and whimpers for quite a while before he nods off. He's 11-weeks old.

Thanks.

[Nate McVey]

When we raised labs, we would put an old wind-up alarm clock in the crate, under the blanket. It was suppose to imitate the "heartbeat" of the mom, it seemed to work pretty well.

The only thing that really works is to let them get used to it and cry themselves out. Once they get used to the crates, the majority of dogs that I have had loved it and would sleep in there even when they weren't told to.

Good luck!

[Ralph Wiggum]

The only thing that really works is to let them get used to it and cry themselves out. Once they get used to the crates, the majority of dogs that I have had loved it and would sleep in there even when they weren't told to.

That's what I figured. We'll just suffer in the mean time

He actually doens't mind the crate. He'll go in and lay down on his own, but if I close the door, he starts the sobbing.

[Ole54868]

You might want to try covering the crate with a blanket when you put him in it for the night. It worked for a friend of mine that got a puppy from me. They all go through it and it won't last long.

[WaveWacker]

I've put a radio in the room and at times that seemed to help some. Other then that. Just let him do his whining. You don't want to go in and calm him as he'll catch on that is how to get you to come in the room.

[jeff042479]

Yep, we went through it too. We covered the kennel with a blanket, and put a talk radio right outside the door so she could hear it but we couldn't. Most of the time that worked. Some times she would whine or bark in the middle of the night. I let her outside once to go to the bathroom and then back in the kennel. If she continued to whine, I picked the whole kennel up (with her in it) and carried it to a room in the basement and closed the door so we couldn't hear her. Don't let her think that if she whines she can get out of the kennel. It took 3 or 4 weeks for us before she would sleep through the entire night without a problem.

[Tom7227]

Which talk radio station? Don't you run the risk of having a seriously screwed up dog if you put on jason Lewis or some other goofball.

I built a whelping kennel about 4 x 8 in the garage. If you put some shavings down on one end the dog will go and do it's business in the shavings. An old towel or blanket to sleep on is also needed, water as well. With the dog in the garage the noise wasn't an issue. I used a combination of NPR and Soucheray to allow the dog to develop a more balanced view of life.

[LABS4ME]

NPR to Souchie eh? Now that's a swing...!

Actually NPR to Lewis would be a beetter way to balance... ultra hard left to ultra hard right... Souchie is almost in the middle just a little right of center... much like most of America.

NPR would be a great way to get your dog to heal on the left! hehehe, but I'd fear he'd let all the birds scurry away and and I prefer that he'd pee on a tree rather than hug a tree!

Good Luck!

Ken

[WaveWacker]

You could solve that with a little Rush Limbaugh!!

[tealitup]

Warm the blankets or whatever you put in with him in the dryer. Get it warm - some have used a hot water bottle for the pup to cuddle next to

[blongtin]

My lab did that too. I remember having to move her from a different room, to a farther room, then the basement, then the garage one night because it was so bad. It wasn't that she needed to go to the bathroom, just didn't want to be left alone. I tried the clock thing and don't think that it worked. But I personally think that the way you handle it now makes a big difference for the rest of their lives. Don't give in, it'll get better by day and eventually won't be a problem at all.

[Ralph Wiggum]

He is getting much better. His whining is usually very short-lived now--even non-existant if he's really tired. Ear plugs help a ton