I need my sanity, help!

MistRiver · 08-04-2008, 09:37 AM

So our little chi mix rescues are still guests at our house. I really need help with this problem though. We have them in crates when not interacting with them or at night. The one chi will literally cry all day long. If you try to wait until he stops crying for .5 seconds to reinforce quiet is good the instant he hears your step or sees you he starts up again. Then the baby chi, who I've been calling Charlie, is mostly okayish until this morning. My fiance lets the dogs out when he goes to work at 6:30 then crates everyone back up until I get up. This morning when he put Charlie back up he did this super high pitched squeal for 2 1/2 HOURS. I have the worse headache and I'm dead tired. By the end of it I just waited for a quiet second and let him out. I'm going to go crazy with the high pitched yipping and squealing at this rate. What can I do?

Criosphynx · 08-04-2008, 09:41 AM

ah ha! This is one of the reasons i just can't do what your doing anymore. (admirable as it is)

Even with positive reinforcement it can take the dog a while to get used to the crate, or no time at all. Just be prepared for either. Unfortuanetly you don't have the option of getting them "used" to the idea of it slowly.

I think you need to perhaps up the ante and start asking for longer periods of quiet before you reward the dog.

MistRiver · 08-04-2008, 09:48 AM

heh thanks. I'm still trying to get him to stop for .5 seconds

Off topic but, still no contact from any owners.

I wonder if that means they likely aren't looking very hard or what... I mean the first place I would call is the pound, right?

Anyway, yeah. I mean I had a minor problem with this with Daphne, the crying in her crate thing, but it was only when I left the room so I was able to kind of manipulate her to be quiet and she learned really quick. These two are presenting numerous challanges.

staghound · 08-04-2008, 11:18 AM

There are a couple of things that might help with crating at night. First, where are the crates? If you can keep them in your bedroom with you, this may help. If they can hear you breathing and maybe even see you, this may calm them. Second, what kind of crate are you using? If it is wire, you may want to cover it with a towel or sheet to make it more denlike. Even if it is plastic, a cover might help and be more soothing.

When I brought home my newest pup, we had two bad nights with her. I then chose to cover the crate and gave her one of my t-shirts -- nice and used, not fresh and clean, to use as a pillow. I do also give her a kong with food/treats/peanut butter that has been frozen, to work on every night. She hasn't hardly peeped since. She is only 8 weeks old, so she goes out right before I go to bed (around 11) and is then let out when my boyfriend gets home from work (around 1-ish) and then when I get up (5-6 AM). Are your guys peeing in the crate? Could it be that they need to be let out more?

Also, are your dogs getting enough exercise? Even little guys need to get that energy out. I have a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix that I take on daily 3.5 mile walks. We also run around in a baseball diamond in the late evening to tire out both dogs (but mostly for the new Staghound puppy).

The two nights that Chloe howled were quite terrible. I feel for you and hope it gets better soon.

MistRiver · 08-04-2008, 11:30 AM

We had them in the spare room next to our bedroom but moved Charlie to our room and Ratagin to my 10 year old daughters room. Ratagin actually did really well last night, he just freaks during the day. Charlie's crate sits next to Daphne's and Scoobie sleeps on the floor on the other side of the bed so there is plenty of breathing in our room LoL. It also smells like a den sometimes

Charlie slept through the night but just freaked out after my fiance put him back in the crate from being let out at 6am. Everyone but my fiance was still in the room sleeping. They have plastic crates. Maybe I will try some pieces of clothes with my fiance's smell on it. Charlie seems to really like him. I did try covering the crate this morning for Charlie when he was squealing but it only shut him up for about 2 minutes. I'll try the kong thing too. I tried treats but they ignore them to cry instead. Maybe peanut butter will distract them.

They are not peeing in the crate and seem to be okay holding it until my fiance gets up.

Excess energy could be part of the problem... I've never dealt with little guys like this. I've always been a big dog person and my retrievers and I go to the park and play endless games of fetch.

I can't really take them out because considering how they aren't potty trained or neutered I've got a feeling they don't have their shots done either. What can I do to exercise them from my house/yard?

staghound · 08-04-2008, 09:29 PM

I do the same thing with my little girl as I do with my big girls. Tug, fetch & especially when they are young -- chase. That is, have the dog chase you, not the other way around. Getting a dog to chase is a of good way to teach "come". At least it has worked for me. You can make obstacle courses for your little guys to crawl under, over and through, too.

I spent a lot of time training my Rat-chi to do tricks and this helped to burn a lot of energy!

Hope this works for you...