Puppy whines, and cries while in crate?

Question

I just got a 12 week old 1.4 lb teacup maltese puppy. I am trying to get her adjusted to her crate but she doesn't like to be confined to any one place. I thought she was lonely so I sat beside her and she still cried. Her crying has gotten louder and it hurts my ears[I can't even block it out with my ipod!] She's not comfortable in there at all. She paces and scratches the bottom of the crate and bites the metal door. I've tried everything. She doesn't like to play and doesn't have favorite toys or favorite treats. I feed her in her crate[only when the door is open because other wise, she will be too busy whining and not eat. I've even tried rubbing my scent on a blanket. Even when I know she's exhausted she never falls asleep. She crys continuously. I don't think she's getting any sleep at night because she never stops crying. She might fall asleep for a minute or two but once she opens her eyes and sees that she's confined she starts crying again. She sleeps by my bed at night and most of the time I can sleep through her crying. She's only happy when she's not confined. I'm trying not to stress her out so much because she's so tiny and can die really easily. I just don't know what to do. But once she's potty trained and I can trust her not to wander around in the middle of the night, she doesn't have to be confined in a crate anymore.

Answer 1

my dog was like that at first, shes a shiba but i didnt use crate training, but my dog is housebroken . the first few days you bond with her but after a while you have to learn to ignore, digs usually whine/cry for food or a place to pee/p**p. does she sleep on a cushion or something comfortable, is the crate big enough and keep a toy in there to keep her company. if she crys/whines when she is ignored it should last for about 10 mins but dont give attention, dont even speak, just make a loud noise using something not recognized by her, but if she barks or whines for like hours when ignored then maybe she is ill, consult a vet for more accurate information.

Answer 2

first off no such thing as a teacup they are sickly poorly bred dogs... also you shouldnt feed the dog in its crate move her water and food bowl outside of the crate.. shes a puppy shes going to cry but she will get used to it, all you can do is stick with it and dont give in, before you put her in there let it outside to potty make sure it has something sorft to lay on and toys to play with.

Answer 3

I have a puppy chihuahua who is now 15 weeks old.. and she was terrible at first but i had to just ignore her... she still cried a bit now when she has to go in there.. but then she calms herself down and has a little play then falls to sleep.. just ignroe her as hard as it may be it will be worth it .... if she cries everytime and everytime you go and comfort her she'll learn that you will do this everytime she cries!! So therefore she will cry mrowe often!!  They are clever little things!! lool

My chihuahua doesnt sleep in her crate .. she only goes in there while we are out for an hour or two... but she sleeps with me (i kno naughty) but shes so happy when shes getting redi to go to bed .. so i dont see no harm in letting them sleep with you in bed... !! I also only feed/water her in her crate when we go out other than that she eats in the kitchen .. !!

Good Luck Hunni !!! Be Strong!! xx

Answer 4

As hard as it is, you have to ignore her cries (don't give her any attention, don't talk to her, don't pet her, don't give her food, etc). The worst thing you can do is let her out when she cries, this will teach her that crying will get her what she wants. Put a comfy mat or blanket (you can buy mats made for crates at most pet stores) and a stuffed animal or 2 in the crate. She will cry for at least the first few nights, sometimes longer, but will eventually get used to being in there. Another thing you can do is get something that makes a slight ticking noise and put it somewhere in the crate (a small alarm clock inside of a sock or under the stuffed animals works well). This will remind her of her mother's heartbeat. The stuffed animals can help remind her of sleeping with her litter mates. Both of these things are comforting for most puppies. Because she is so young and small, she will probably have to potty at some point during the night, so you should take her out to go potty, then put her right back in the crate. It is good that she sleeps close to you as this provides comfort too. One more thing, if it is at all possible, get a toy or blanket from the breeder that has her mother's and possibly litter mates' scent on it and put that in the crate with her.

I had to do this with my Havanese puppy (similar in size to a maltese). I got him when he was 8 weeks (about 2.5 lbs) and he cried for the first week, then started to sleep through the night, except for the potty breaks. Once he started to sleep through the night, he loved to curl up next to his stuffed animal that his breeder gave us (with his mother's and litter mates scent).

This takes patients, but she will get used to the crate.