I need all of your help!! I don't know what to do and it is starting to affect my work concentration, and really driving me nuts!
My dog is a 10 month old female, spayed Bichon Frise, who is well on her way in her housebreaking and crate training - only had 1 accident in the past week, woot!
I have been doing heavy duty crate training with her, and she knows now to go in there on cue, and I always leave treats in there for her. A couple of days ago she even voluntarily rested in there for the whole 30 seconds. She often visits her crate to see if there are any treats in there.
HOWEVER, at night time, she growls to pee at least 1-2 times a night, and sometimes will even poo. If I don't let her out, she pees herself immediately, and then growls a bit louder to let me know she's now standing in her pee. Her crate is very small (only big enough for her to lie down in it, and she can't move from one side to the other), and it's right next to me in bed (I can put my fingers through the wires, which only sometimes calms her down). She goes bathroom at 11pm, and then we hit the bed.
Usually, she needs to pee at 2am, and maybe at 4 or 5am (she is an early riser). I get up at 8am so you can see how this really disrupts my sleep.
At 2 am, I take her out to pee, and she does immediately. Then I bring her inside without talking, and without a fuss, and place her back in the crate. She will growl and whine, and would not settle back to sleeping. This has caused me a lot of sleep deprivation. She does this 99% of the time. One time she did settle down, only to find an hour later she needs to poo, and because I ignored her growling thinking she was just faking it, she pooed in her crate.
I clean her crate very thoroughly each time with Enzymatic cleaner, and a good hot water wash, and I put my head in there to smell the floor and see if I can smell anything just to triple check, and it's good. There is no bedding in there as that makes her more likely to pee in the crate. Just the floor pan, and a blanket draped over the top to make it more cozy.
My coworker is suggesting I ignore her every time, as she is supposedly training me to open to the crate door every time she growls and is rewarded by being let out. She told me that after she realizes she will not get out of the crate just for soiling it, that she will learn to hold it in/sleep through the night. What do you all think about this? I have a feeling no one would agree with this method, But I'm so desperate I'm willing to try anything.
She gets a walk around 5:30pm EVERY single day for at least an hour, and sometimes 1.5-2 hours when I take her to the park after to play with some dogs. She does several training sessions with me in the evening to teach her crate, and all the other commands.
I just want her to sleep through the night from 12am - 8am. That is all I am asking for.
What should I do???? I am at my wit's end, and this is really killing our relationship as I'm less tired and active, and less motivated day by day...
I need help!!!!
(Please be kind, I love her very much and just want the best for both of us).
Thank you!!!
My dog is a 10 month old female, spayed Bichon Frise, who is well on her way in her housebreaking and crate training - only had 1 accident in the past week, woot!
I have been doing heavy duty crate training with her, and she knows now to go in there on cue, and I always leave treats in there for her. A couple of days ago she even voluntarily rested in there for the whole 30 seconds. She often visits her crate to see if there are any treats in there.
HOWEVER, at night time, she growls to pee at least 1-2 times a night, and sometimes will even poo. If I don't let her out, she pees herself immediately, and then growls a bit louder to let me know she's now standing in her pee. Her crate is very small (only big enough for her to lie down in it, and she can't move from one side to the other), and it's right next to me in bed (I can put my fingers through the wires, which only sometimes calms her down). She goes bathroom at 11pm, and then we hit the bed.
Usually, she needs to pee at 2am, and maybe at 4 or 5am (she is an early riser). I get up at 8am so you can see how this really disrupts my sleep.
At 2 am, I take her out to pee, and she does immediately. Then I bring her inside without talking, and without a fuss, and place her back in the crate. She will growl and whine, and would not settle back to sleeping. This has caused me a lot of sleep deprivation. She does this 99% of the time. One time she did settle down, only to find an hour later she needs to poo, and because I ignored her growling thinking she was just faking it, she pooed in her crate.
I clean her crate very thoroughly each time with Enzymatic cleaner, and a good hot water wash, and I put my head in there to smell the floor and see if I can smell anything just to triple check, and it's good. There is no bedding in there as that makes her more likely to pee in the crate. Just the floor pan, and a blanket draped over the top to make it more cozy.
My coworker is suggesting I ignore her every time, as she is supposedly training me to open to the crate door every time she growls and is rewarded by being let out. She told me that after she realizes she will not get out of the crate just for soiling it, that she will learn to hold it in/sleep through the night. What do you all think about this? I have a feeling no one would agree with this method, But I'm so desperate I'm willing to try anything.
She gets a walk around 5:30pm EVERY single day for at least an hour, and sometimes 1.5-2 hours when I take her to the park after to play with some dogs. She does several training sessions with me in the evening to teach her crate, and all the other commands.
I just want her to sleep through the night from 12am - 8am. That is all I am asking for.
What should I do???? I am at my wit's end, and this is really killing our relationship as I'm less tired and active, and less motivated day by day...
I need help!!!!
(Please be kind, I love her very much and just want the best for both of us).
Thank you!!!