Sheepishdog Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I'm getting a baby border collie in a few weeks and my question is about how long should I expect him to whine and howl when I leave him alone in his crate? As in days/weeks/months. Generally, when does this initial settling in period stop? I would like to have some kind of timeframe so I know if it takes longer than normal. I will be doing all that I can to make things go smoothly, but if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it. I live in an apartment building with upstairs neighbors which is mostly my concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 My 8-week old pup never cried. He was started on crate training at the breeders. Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 My pup cried for a very short time at bedtime, some nights - just a protest, maybe a minute or less. During the day, he did not cry at all. He was, like Jovi's pup, started on crate-training at the breeder's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Mine came crate trained too! That was really nice. At night with other pups I would keep the crate right next to the bed and if they were whinning I'd stick my fingers in the crate so they knew I was close. Made for some uncomfortable arm positions but they were much happier nuzzling my fingers so whinning was mimimal. I only had to do that for a few nights. Make sure you make the crate a happy place. I still feed in mine and every time I ask Faye to go in I have a treat ready to give. She races into hers. Since you have a couple of weeks why not ask the breeder to help get your puppy started. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynthia P Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 My last one wasn't crate trained and it took about 4 -5 days until he was completely quiet at night. I try to crate train any puppies I have (although with this litter of 10, i'm not sure i have enough crates!) Cynthia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4ever Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 The first night we put Scooter in his crate, he slept through the night; so sound and so long, I thought maybe he had died! He never minded being crated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I don't remember Lewie ever being fussy in his crate. And like Kristen, I've always placed crates near my bed so new puppy can smell, hear, sense that I am close. Makes it easy peasy to flop an arm over the bed for contact and reassurance if necessary. And, that's pretty much where said beloved dogs have continued to sleep throughout their lives, along side my bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 The best pup, never. The worst pup, 5 months. An average pup, generally no more than a week or two at most if you are doing things right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 I'm temporarily fostering a 7 week pup. First night separated from his litter, he cried for a few minutes after being put in the crate on the other side of my bedroom. Cried @ every 4 hrs to let me know he had to go potty. I let him outside and then put back in crate where again he cried for a couple of minutes and then settled in to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheepishdog Posted May 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Awesome. All of your responses are reassuring! Hopefully my little guy will not be too noisy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted May 28, 2012 Report Share Posted May 28, 2012 Gideon never cried at all. Micah whimpered, whined, barked, howled, and screamed for about an hour the first night. I never heard so many sounds out of one animal before. The second night, it only lasted 15 minutes. After that none at all. Though he is still a noisy expressive pup in so many other ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 My most recent pup (almost eight weeks) wasn't crate trained but cried all down the driveway leaving his breeder's. (Less than five minutes total). Thereafter we heard a few whimpers in the car on the way home. (Poor guy was carsick, and threw up once). Nothing but a whimper or two at night the first couple of nights when we got home. A littermate reportedly cried piteously all the way to his new home (an hour's drive). Different puppies, different results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Cressa Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Just to terrified you although its not common i think... my boy, although he was used to a crate at his breeder house(i dont think he was even kennel alone though) threw a temper tantrum(it could of also been separation anxiety but correcting the behavior seem to help along with putting my girl with him) for the 1st 6 months of his life if left alone in a crate. And being next to the kennel didnt work with him. He wanted out to be with me and the big dogs. **he would go to his kennel on his own free will and if the door was left open would sleep inside. He just hated being shut in!** For the first month of his life we lived in an apartment where having a screaming puppy was a big no-no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 My new puppy never really cried at night in his crate. He slept 8 hours from Day 1 at night. Now during the day when I left, he screamed off and on for about 30 minutes. My husband was still home so I know how long. After about a week he pretty much stopped that as well. At night, his crate is within easy reach of me as I did sleep with my fingers hooked to teh crate door and Trip would snuggle up against them and fall asleep. He is now 11 weeks old and this past weekend he was in his crate in the back of the trailer and never made a peep. Knock on wood, he has been a dream crate training and being a social butterfly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 I have to admit I don't know... Because I am an extreme softy and gave up the second night. We still crate trained him, as he was never out of his crate when we were gone the first two years and he still eats all meals in his crate, and spends several hours a day crated in my office art work, but he has slept in our room, with no chewing mishaps, since night 3. He also was about 10 weeks when we got him and about 80% potty trained already, always was fine overnight, so this option worked for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 ... Different puppies, different results. My littermates were completely different. Brodie at 3 still objects strenuously (and loudly!) to being crated if we're moving about the household - i.e. I'm done eating LET ME OUT! and is very reluctant to crate - moving backwards might describe it best. He's quiet overnight but turns into a rooster at the first crack of dawn. Robin was and is very sanguine about it. I tell him "crate", he goes and stays even if the door is open. He'll even independently wander down to the mudroom to take a snooze in his crate. I don't think I did anything differently between them. We brought Brodie home a few days before Robin but neither pup had been crated. To me it shows the basic differences in their personality - Overall, Brodie is a bit nervy and wants to be right on top of you all the time (he's on my feet right now as I "work"); Robin quite relaxed and just goes off in a corner if nothing interesting is going on. At the moment he's guarding the door to the driveway - just in case someone might be leaving the house, he'll be the first one to volunteer as a co-pilot. Try to not leave your pup crated too long at first. Taking him (her?) in and out will demonstrate that yes, someone does know I'm here and will come to get me. I had my boys in the study so even at night they were handy though not in the same room and even now I keep a bone in there for them to gnaw on if they get bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 I have never had a puppy who cried during the night (knock wood!) but, at least for the first week or so, I always place their crate close to my bed. That way, they know they are not alone and I can even reach into the crate for a quick touch of reassurance if they whimper or are restless. And since I usually get up during the night to use the bathroom, I just make a habit of taking the very small puppies out at that time so they can also pee. I am big into not having my sleep disrupted and this has worked well for me over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban Borders Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Just a thought, but...is there somewhere you can plan to go to for a couple nights of crating bootcamp, if the little one decides he hates being kenneled? My girl (now 4) had never been kenneled before I picked her up. At the time, I lived in a highrise apartment in Philly, with lots of neighbors and thin walls. Brought her home, stuck her in the kennel for the night, and she wailed like a banshee. Nonstop. Gave her one night of freedom, then packed her in the car the next day and spent a weekend at my parents' (to whom I will be ever grateful for helping to prevent my eviction). She cried for several hours the first night, for maybe an hour the second, and could henceforth be kenneled anywhere (except in view of dogs running agility :-) without making a peep. So a backup to the apartment might be a good Plan B. Alternatively, asking the breeder to help you out sounds like an awesome idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyberdog Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm getting a baby border collie in a few weeks and my question is about how long should I expect him to whine and howl when I leave him alone in his crate? As in days/weeks/months. Generally, when does this initial settling in period stop? I would like to have some kind of timeframe so I know if it takes longer than normal. I will be doing all that I can to make things go smoothly, but if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it. I live in an apartment building with upstairs neighbors which is mostly my concern. I've had one that whined for a few nights in a row and stopped. The next pup whined every night for 2 weeks straight (ugh!), and a third pup that didnt whine at all. Seems like it varies quite a bit. I like these stories of buying pre-crate trained pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleming Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I would not expect the pup to whine past the two week mark. Usually you will have any of the difficulty that you will be having during the first two nights, (if any at all). Above all else please make sure that your Border Collie gets pleanty of exercise and then you should have a friend that will exceed your wildest expectations. If you are unable to provide enough exercise, companionship and stimulation for this breed I would advise you to get a breed type that would be better suited to the lifestyle that you enjoy. You will have to make adjustments around your Border Collie, but if you understand and appreciate the breed it would be most easily compared to making adjustments around your child. These dogs are the absolute best, but just know what to expect. What your Border Collie will need from you is a loving commitment. Anything less would shortchange each of you. Please enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiga's_mom Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 We got Annie on Sunday. She's about 12 1/2 weeks old and had never been crated until she came to us. The first 2 nights we didn't have a crate (she was unexpected). We now have one and she has spent 3 nights in it. The first 2 night she cried for a few minutes when first put in there and last night for a bit longer. When she went out at 5am this morning, she pretty much cried the rest of the morning in there. She's been super itchy and we think that's why she's crying. Unless we're doing something wrong. She's now on a bunch of meds (she has a UTI, roundworms, had fleas and now the itching). I'm hoping this will calm down. I'm wondering where to go from here as far as crating in the daytime. So far, we've just left the crate in our living space in the daytime with the door open and let her go in at will. She gets treated and we say "kennel" when she goes in. We've been feeding her in there with the door closed and we open it when she's done. At night it goes in the bedroom with us and the door is closed all night. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. We did not crate train Tiga so this is all brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Jessee Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 We got Annie on Sunday. She's about 12 1/2 weeks old and had never been crated until she came to us. The first 2 nights we didn't have a crate (she was unexpected). We now have one and she has spent 3 nights in it. The first 2 night she cried for a few minutes when first put in there and last night for a bit longer. When she went out at 5am this morning, she pretty much cried the rest of the morning in there. She's been super itchy and we think that's why she's crying. Unless we're doing something wrong. She's now on a bunch of meds (she has a UTI, roundworms, had fleas and now the itching). I'm hoping this will calm down. I'm wondering where to go from here as far as crating in the daytime. So far, we've just left the crate in our living space in the daytime with the door open and let her go in at will. She gets treated and we say "kennel" when she goes in. We've been feeding her in there with the door closed and we open it when she's done. At night it goes in the bedroom with us and the door is closed all night. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. We did not crate train Tiga so this is all brand new. Sounds like you are doing everything right. My guess is that she is crying because she doesn't feel 100% especially with a UTI. I got Maggie at 4 months and she was not crate trained. She never cried from day one and now she only fusses if something is wrong: needs to go out, not feeling well, etc. And now that I think of it, she went thru an itchy stage when the pollen was really high and that was one of the times she was fussy--as if she couldn't get comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiga's_mom Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Yeah that's how she was last night and this morning. We did put her in there for a few minutes a couple of times this evening with the door closed. Not for long and I waited until she was calm before I let her out. Lots of treats both for going in and coming out calmly. I think crating will make our lives so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Get some kongs and load them with something she likes and freeze them. Then you put them in the crate for some down time. Maybe get some bully sticks or some other chew and put those in the crate when you can monitor the pup. At night, you can also try putting the crate on something higher and sleep with your fingers through the crate door. Take an old shirt you don't care about, wear it all day and then put it in the crate. Never punish the pup by putting in the crate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiga's_mom Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 We've been talking about kongs. Tiga gets one almost everyday frozen with kibble and yogurt. I'll try that. I like the shirt idea as well. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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