Kingdom of Pets

Posted by sgurganus
Aug 11, 2009

I have a 9 week old Shiba Inu, and she whines really bad when she is in her excercise pen. We have taken the front door to her crate off and that is in her pen to sleep. The pen has more room in it so I would think she could enjoy the extra space at night when we are asleep. The only problem is she will whine and wake everyone up in the house.

I take her out shortly before we all go to bed and wear her out! We run all around the yard until she is panting and is obviously tired. I then take her back in and put her in the excercise pen with her crate and some water. She will eventually go into her crate and go to sleep without much fuss since she is tired, but within a couple of hours she is up whining and howling. We have tried ignoring her but she will not stop. I eventually have to get up and put her in her crate and close the door. I also have to put her in our laundry room and put a towel over the crate. She will continue to whine and howl in the laundry room but at least it isn't as loud and we can all get some sleep.

Posted by LetsPlay
Aug 11, 2009

Hi there,

if your dog is only 9 weeks old you might find that she has trouble holding on all night, especially if she has a lot of exercise before going to bed and then has a big drink.
Have you tried taking her outside to the toilet when she starts whining?
You should not talk to her apart form the "toilet command" that you use. Make no fuss, just be matter of fact and let her do her business.
When she is done take a back inside into her crate and ignore her whining.
She will get used to sleeping alone at night, but remember that she is still a little baby and has to learn how things work.

Does she still have accidents in the house?

Posted by sgurganus
Aug 12, 2009

Thanks for the reply Letsplay! I have tried taking her outside, and when we come back in she still whines. When I normally give the "toilet" command should I praise her when she urinates and deficates or just when she does both? She has had a few accidents but not many, but sometimes she will only do one or the other when we go out and not both. She has seemed to do a little better today in her pen since I have started ignoring her whining. I have been waiting until she either lays in her crate or on the floor in the pen before I say anything to her. Is this a good way to go about it? Thanks for your help!

Posted by CuddlesandHugs
Aug 12, 2009

[B][SIZE="4"]Something I did with my Shorkie when he cried at that age was put a teddy bear in the crate with him and also a wind up clock and he cuddled up to it and went to sleep...He is eleven weeks old now and sleeps like a baby...one night I forgot to wind the clock and now he cuddles up with his bear...I also put him in the crate and moved him into the porch so I couldn't hear him after I took him out to potty...good luck.[/SIZE][/B]

Posted by LetsPlay
Aug 12, 2009

Hi again,

in regards to the potty training, I would definitely praise her when she goes, no matter what she does.
They don't always need to do both (just like humans) and the main thing is that she does it outside and not inside.
Having a ticking clock and a soft toy is a good idea. Remember that she would have slept with her mum and litter mates every night and now suddenly she is all by herself.
Ignoring her is good, keep it up.
You will see that she will get used to sleeping by herself.
Let us know how you get on
John

Posted by KOPsarah
Aug 12, 2009

hi sgurganus, and thanks for your post
It sounds like your puppy is doing really well with its toilet training for its age. Keep up the praise for all outside toileting, dogs usually need to urinate much more frequently than they need to pass feces. When you give the toilet command you are asking the dog to empty out whatever needs emptying be it bladder, rectum or both.

I agree with the advice the other members have given, giving her toys and gentle sound will help her feel more comfortable in her crate, however if you feel she is happier just closed in the crate rather than with the door open you may like to try just closing her in at night for a while until she gets a little older. Having the door closed may may her crate feel more like a safe little den.

Keep up the good work, I'm sure your puppy will soon be sleeping peacefully through the night.

Help with puppy whining while in her excercise pen