My Chihuahua is 3 months old and I have been trying to crate train him. I work during the day 8-5 and go home at lunch to let him out. He no longer has accidents in the house while I am home and does not squeal as long as I am in sight. He does pee and poo outside frequently, but even crating him just to take a shower is long enough for the screaming to start and usually followed by me coming back to find he has gone (most of the time poo). And it doesn't matter if a bone and toys are in the crate at all. To him all that matters is the doors closed and he is in there.
By Brad J
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I know what the problem is. You are forcing a baby dog to spend 9 hours a day alone in a crate. Puppies require companionship, socialization, and lots of love. This is WAY too long for your puppy to be alone even with a lunchtime visit. All you've managed to do so far is make him afraid of his crate.
When my kitten was 3 months, I left her home only long enough to go to the grocery store. Eventually I worked my way up to more hours until now that she's 9 months I can leave her the whole day, but I only do that very rarely if it is unavoidable.
You do not have time to properly care for and train a puppy, and apparently there is no one in your house that stays home. Please return the puppy.
I am curious as to why you would crate the puppy to take a shower. Given that he is crated while you are at work, why crate him while you are at home? You are really asking too much of this puppy. Keep the crating to the minimum, and spend a lot of time enriching this pups' life. Seems to me if he tolerates crating while you are at work, he is doing more than most puppies would do. Make sure your expectations for this puppy are realistic or you may have more problems coming.
He doesn't "tolerate" crating while the owner is at work. He is in puppy jail and can't get out.
If you Google "crate training" it will take you all of 5 minutes to get the correct instructions from reputable websites. They will tell you: 1. Start with short training sessions, like 15 minutes per day. 2. Don't shut the door at first and 3. It is very important that the puppy never feels like it is being put in jail.
A 3 month old puppy is an infant. You wouldn't put a human baby in a playpen and then go to work, stopping back in at lunch to feed it and change its diaper.
A baby dog needs socialization with humans of all ages and other animals (including dogs and cats), play, exercise, and affection. It must never feel like it's been abandoned or is unloved. If you don't have another person at home while you're at work, you can't care for a baby, human or otherwise.
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