Crate Training/Home Alone Help

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#1
I need some help with my crate training.

Before I explain, I want to let you all know that even though I have posted more than once today regarding issues with my new pup, we have conquered many hurdles together already: she lets me know when she needs to go out, there are no accidents, she sleeps in her crate silently, after some suggestions she ate a full meal this morning, she plays appropriately without mouthing or biting and she's catching on quickly to training - she's a great dog!

My issues isn't as much my dog as it is my neighbors. I live in a house that is split between two units. I live upstairs. Dispite the fact that my downstairs neighbors blast music until 3am, they complain and pound on the ceiling (my rooms floor) when I try to crate train her to be alone. I have left her once for a full hour and she cried and barked when I left, but when I got back she was silent. Sunday I went outside and talked with a friend and heard her barking for maybe 5-10 minutes before she settled.

I continue to build a positive association with the crate. Several times a day, i work with rewarding her for going into her crate and sitting/laying down in there. She has her blanket from her foster home as well as some of her favorite toys: PB Kong and a nylabone.

I also been picking up my keys or putting on my shoes throughout the day so she doesn't associate certain acts with me leaving. I don't fuss over her before she goes in, I ignore her actions when she is in and don't approach her to let her out unless she is settled. I've heavily worked her out before crating her as well.

My neighbors are pounding on my floor if she barks even once! They've even said that they'll go to the managing company and complain.

I'm fully confident that she will eventually be comfortable in the crate. Her foster family crated her - up to 10 hours even once - without issue.

I'm just not sure what I can do to appease my neighbors while I properly train her. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

Elrohwen

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#2
Bake them cookies?

It sounds like your crate training is going fine and it's the neighbors who are the problem. Not much you can do about that except apologize and hope they try to be more understanding.
 
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a dozen donuts and a friendly letter explaining where delivered. She cried/barked when I left and was still doing it when I got home about 20-30 minutes later. Hopefully it passes Quickly.
 
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I do cover it. I went out for 75 minutes yesterday and left my laptops Webcam on facing the crate. It took her a minute to realize I had left. She barked/cried for 2 minutes and then for 10-15 seconds two other times while I was gone. She's doing better than I thought.
 

milos_mommy

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It sounds like crate training is going great!

Do your neighbors have a predictable schedule? If so, is it possible to time your leaving as much as possible with them being out? (Example....if they always leave their house at 7:30am can you wait to crate her until they're gone?)

You can always do something like bring them baked goods or even a gift card for coffee or something and say the puppy's training is going well but for a few more weeks she may cry for a minute while she gets used to it and you're sorry...if they're decent people they'll be understanding.

Is her crate on a carpet/can you get area rugs to muffle the noise?

I don't know about your area, but here, if other tenants complain to management about noise, they can't do anything without proof (multiple complaints from different people or if the neighbors record her incessantly barking).
 
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They don't really have a predictable schedule. They're in and out throughout the day. I try to leave the crate training activities until after 11 right now just in case.

I'll get a mat to put under the crate. That'd a good idea. It's an old house so the floors don't do much to muffle noise.

I'm trying to work her up slowly because I will be gone for 8 hours at a time in the fall. Luckily my roommates moving in in August are in love with her and will take her out several times during the day.
 
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#9
Today I left her for 44 minutes and she cried and howled for about 26 minutes. The downstairs. Eighties have been particularly loud today so I left some music on, but didn't help.
 

milos_mommy

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26 minutes is a little while, but it's not HORRIBLE.

I can get neighbors getting irritated if the dogs is howling and whining during weird hours (11pm, 8am on a sunday, etc.) or ALL day long, and I get some people work at night or whatever, but...seriously.

Most people have had dogs, or their family's have had dogs, at one point or another. Dogs make noise sometimes. Puppies especially. IMO, if you're *THAT* against having to hear a dog bark for a few minutes throughout the day, pick an apartment that doesn't allow pets. It's not like they're hard to come by.

I wouldn't worry too much about her crying for that long, especially if it was just regular whining/barking and not really frantic or anything.

Do you give her a kong or bully stick in the crate, and does she get a lot of exercise before you leave her?
 
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Today was really rainy so she wasn't interested in going outside for anything other than potty time. I got her running and fetching items for about 30 minute beforehand and yesterday she played with the daycare dogs for about 4-6 hours which usually gets her nice and beat for the next day. I give her a stuffed Kong and a bully stick. Which are very highly valued by her, but she interacts with them for a moment before crying.

Any suggestion of a schedule I could try? Should I be doing this multiple times a day? Should I increase duration each time or just mix it up?

This my first time crate training and I know that all dogs are different, but right now she's seems to be going backwards rather than making any improvement.
 
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#12
I think periods several times a day should help. My pup didn't really accept being in his crate alone until I was crating him, without fail, a minimum of 3 times a day, for between 30 minutes and an hour each time.
 
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I totally forgot about crate games. I love the opportunity to voice this stuff because I'm reminded of things I knew about or researched, but had forgotten.

I'll start working on that and adding more opportunities inside the crate.
 

Beanie

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One thing you need to remember is being happy with going in the crate/being in the crate when you are home is not necessarily the same thing as being happy with separation when you leave. Crate Games will address one (or two) of those things and not the other, which is the thing you are actually having trouble with.

I would not continually increase duration, I would ping-pong it as I do everything in training. Real life isn't always going to mean ever increasing crate time anyway.
 

Elrohwen

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One thing you need to remember is being happy with going in the crate/being in the crate when you are home is not necessarily the same thing as being happy with separation when you leave. Crate Games will address one (or two) of those things and not the other, which is the thing you are actually having trouble with.

I would not continually increase duration, I would ping-pong it as I do everything in training. Real life isn't always going to mean ever increasing crate time anyway.
Agree with all of this. Watson will go into his crate happily and he's fine if I'm there, but it's being left alone that he has always hated. Crate games didn't help with that. I barely did crate games at all with Hazel and she's fine being left alone just because she's more independent and doesn't have the minor SA Watson does.
 
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#17
Yeah that is seeming to be my problem. I took a nap this morning and woke up to her munching on a long inside the crate. I'm bringing her to work with me. Hopefully some time having fun away from me will help her realize that being away from me isn't a big deal. Do you think I should have her sleep in the kennel as well or keep her routine of sleeping in a crate in my room?
 

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