Hell!

[BobnDot]

It may help to keep in mind that the majority of COL members have raised a cocker puppy, usually very successfully and have managed, in most cases, to retain their sanity   

We've always had dogs, usually labradors, but decided that a smaller dog would be more appropriate when we reached retirement. We decided to offer Milly, a seven month old rescue cocker, her forever home and were amazed at the fun and happiness she brought into our lives.

Two years later we decided to get another cocker but this time we went for a working strain puppy….Chaz.  On his first evening with us he managed to open the door to his crate in the kitchen, drag his bedding into the living room and set up house in the middle of the settee    Much to Milly's consternation 

Chaz's puppyhood was challenging to say the least and he frequently reduced us to tears of frustration and laughter in equal measure.
He's now coming up to three years old and has developed into the most loving, intelligent and obedient dog that we've ever had  He and Milly are now the best of friends and the two of them really enhance our retirement and help to keep us young at heart.

Your puppy may well be a complete pain in the posterior at the moment but stick with it and the rewards will be well worth the effort.

Bob.

[WPB]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement. I have 2 another questions.

1. My puppy goes into his crate voluntarily leaving the door open for a sleep in the day. I close the door at night. I sleep downstairs currently and get up to let him out a couple of times. So far with no fuss. He was waking up at 5am however and would not go back to sleep so the last few nights I have put him in his crate about 3.30am and decamped upstairs coming down at 6am. He still wakes up at 5 and goes mad in the crate- crying, barking and messing- either pee or poo or both. I can't get up at 5 every day. That will really finish me off! Any thoughts?

2. As I said my puppy is ok with his crate with the door open. I want to be able to go out during the day for short periods. The 'advice' is to put him in the crate. I know that he will go bonkers but should I persevere? At the moment I feel a bit housebound.

Thanks in advance for words of experience.,

[Londongirl]

Have you tried building up the time the crate is closed EXTREMELY slowly and with distractions? I've seen advice to do it literally for a few seconds, then a few more, then a few more...

If he goes in happily, what does he do? Lie down to sleep or start to play? Also, when does he start to cry? When you put your hand on the door? When you close it over? When you move away? If you can isolate what it is exactly that starts the protests you can think about how to distract and desensitise.

With the early waking - sometimes it's just the way with young pups, like babies! One suggestion I've seen is to set an alarm for just before he normally wakes for about a week - an alarm he can hear. Then move the alarm forwards by a few minutes every few days, in the hope that he starts waiting for the alarm.

The thing I've learned about Henry is sometimes he puts two and two together and gets five, and I have to work out exactly where his thinking diverges from mine. If I can pinpoint the trigger or associations with the behaviour I don't want, I can work on changing it. For example, our next door neighbours' dogs bark a lot. If Henry is in the garden and hears them, he joins in. At the moment I'm consistently calling him in when I hear the other dogs starting up, and giving him a yummy treat for settling down quietly. The hope is he'll start to assosciate other dogs barking with him getting something nice indoors! The key with dog training I think is to make sure to offer them a behaviour you DO want as an alternative to the one you don't.

I should add that as a first-time dog owner it's taken me a long time to realise I need to think how he is thinking and change his thinking to get what I want. I made huge mistakes in the early weeks. I wasn't on this forum in the early days and so wish I had been. You've given yourself a real advantage by tapping into the experience of all the lovely owners here.

[Blueberry]

Hello  I'm reading this thread with great interest, as although I have not got my boy yet, I think we may experience some similar issues come next week!
I'm also fairly newly retired, and my husband is 'not a dog person' either.   My desire for a puppy came up against a lot of resistance and so I'm very keen for it all to go well, even if that means me getting up at 5 am!
I have a crate, and the crate is in a pen.  I figured I will put him in the crate with the door open at night, so he can still come out into the pen and be contained there.  Hopefully any tolieting mistakes will be made in the pen and not the crate.  (Although I may just be extremely naive ...)  It takes up loads of room, I must admit, I wouldn't want that arrangement in the long term, but I think it will be necessary for a few months - at least  until the chewy stage is over.. 
I think your pup is probably panicked when he realises he's locked in and, as far as he can tell, there's no-one around.  I'd be concerned that the experience of being locked in his crate would then make the crate a place he doesn't want to go?  I wonder if you could come down just before he panics, and then very gradually make it a minute or two later each day, until you achieve your desired getting up time?
(Sorry for sticking my sneck in - I hope I am not talking a load of guff!)

[Geordietyke]

Monty's crate has a puppy pen attached to it and he sleeps with the crate door open but secure within the pen.  He'll do his wees etc  in the pen part.  Is this an option for you?  Also, his crate has a divider so his sleeping part is only large enough for him to turn around and not use it as a toilet.  Can't help with the early waking as Monty stays silent until I get up at 6.30am, although he's waiting at the pen door for me though 

[lescef]

I don't have the answers, but these are things I have read that you can do.
There are crate games you can play so that he associates the crate as a good thing. I don't have any links but you can Google them.
Some people put them in the crate then sit on the floor next to them, talk calmly then gradually move further and further away.
I would persevere (somehow) as I think you need to know he is safe when you are out.

There is a good facebook page called Dog training advice and support. There is lots of helpful advice on there including crate training.

[bizzylizzy]

All excellent advice, so nothing more to add, but hang on in there......!,😌

[EmmaRose]

As bizzylizzy said lots of brilliant advice already, can't offer anything further as my two never used crates but instead had a bed in the 'puppy proofed' kitchen with a baby gate across the door to the living room.  But here's a link to a video by Victoria Stilwell on building positive association with the crate:

https://positively.com/video/?video=Positive-House-Training-With-a-Crate-9WQy018q&search=crate

If you think he's waking early for food you could always try slightly increasing his last meal at night (reducing another) or make it slightly later, so maybe he wouldn't be as hungry in the early morning? The early mornings do get better with age, my two now get up with me, pop outside for a toilet and then take themselves back to bed (How lucky are they...!).

[Ambler54]

My little 'angel' is awake at 5 am, my fault as I was setting my alarm to get up before Her ready to catch the wee/ poo moment. Would get up, let Her out, and if She didnt perform would settle down on the settee waiting for Her to get restless then put Her out......She can now go all night BUT at 5am We hear Her trot into the hall, wooden floor, and She walks up and down until I come down, She jumps onto the settee and looks so sad that I settle down onto the settee and We both go back off to sleep until OH gets up.She doesnt go out until then.Have tried going down a bit later but She just paces up and down.It is so light by then and the birds / seagulls are going mental so to Her its day time. And I must confess I like that cuddle time, but hopefully We can break the habit once the mornings are darker.I think She has me well trained.

[Archie bean]

My little 'angel' is awake at 5 am, my fault as I was setting my alarm to get up before Her ready to catch the wee/ poo moment. Would get up, let Her out, and if She didnt perform would settle down on the settee waiting for Her to get restless then put Her out......She can now go all night BUT at 5am We hear Her trot into the hall, wooden floor, and She walks up and down until I come down, She jumps onto the settee and looks so sad that I settle down onto the settee and We both go back off to sleep until OH gets up.She doesnt go out until then.Have tried going down a bit later but She just paces up and down.It is so light by then and the birds / seagulls are going mental so to Her its day time. And I must confess I like that cuddle time, but hopefully We can break the habit once the mornings are darker.I think She has me well trained.

  Sorry, I shouldn't laugh! That is exactly the reason I never used a crate though. I always feared I would end up being trained to get up early!

Sorry, no advice to you WPB as I don't crate train. Lots of excellent things for you to try from others though. I had the puppy from hell too and even he is (mostly  ) brilliant now.....nearly 5 years later. Feel free to read my earliest posts to see the state I was in. It may give you some hope! 

[minimoo]

I have had 5 cockers altogether I have 3 at the moment  ,so know abit about crate training. I always put mine in the crate with a frozen kong or some kibble or treats to make it a positive experience, and never ever put them  in as punishment (not saying you do of course ). maybe you can start feeding him in the crate with the door open with lots of praise at the end. You haven't had the pup long and remember it has been taken from its mum to a totally alien place and understandably wants to cling to someone.  please do not to get stressed as cockers are super sensitive on picking up negative vibes, you may have quite a few times ahead (teething for example= cockerdiles) but you will be rewarded with the most loyal funniest lovable dog ever .

[minimoo]

Hello  I'm reading this thread with great interest, as although I have not got my boy yet, I think we may experience some similar issues come next week!
I'm also fairly newly retired, and my husband is 'not a dog person' either.   My desire for a puppy came up against a lot of resistance and so I'm very keen for it all to go well, even if that means me getting up at 5 am!
I have a crate, and the crate is in a pen.  I figured I will put him in the crate with the door open at night, so he can still come out into the pen and be contained there.  Hopefully any tolieting mistakes will be made in the pen and not the crate.  (Although I may just be extremely naive ...)  It takes up loads of room, I must admit, I wouldn't want that arrangement in the long term, but I think it will be necessary for a few months - at least  until the chewy stage is over.. 
I think your pup is probably panicked when he realises he's locked in and, as far as he can tell, there's no-one around.  I'd be concerned that the experience of being locked in his crate would then make the crate a place he doesn't want to go?  I wonder if you could come down just before he panics, and then very gradually make it a minute or two later each day, until you achieve your desired getting up time?
(Sorry for sticking my sneck in - I hope I am not talking a load of guff!)

So far you are thinking along the right lines just make sure the crate feels like a nice place to be 

[Ambler54]

Crate went out the window by end of week one.Puppy proofed kitchen etc, at 7 months She has the run of downstairs . Tried restricting Her to one room but She hates it so decided better to just go with the flow.Very good re chewing...now.....I think every puppy/ owner is different, have to do what works for you.I am a lark so early morning wake up is not an issue, although would like to stay in my own bed a tad longer.

[BobnDot]

It may help to make the crate more of a "den". Chaz's crate has always been covered with blankets to keep it nice and dark inside with another strip of blanket draped over the doorway at night.
Some of the members on here have found that the lighter mornings have caused their dogs to wake earlier but covering the crate seems to help.

The door to his crate was removed when he was a few months old so he uses his crate whenever he chooses. We've developed a night time routine of out into the garden for a run around and toilet, a gravy bone as an overnight snack, then told "night-night" and into his crate with the strip of blanket being pulled down over the doorway.

In the morning we're greeted with a head pushing the blanket up while his tail plays the Anvil Chorus on the sides of the crate. Out of the kitchen door into the garden for a check that nothing's been moved overnight, then a toilet and back into the kitchen for his breakfast.

Most of the day he's with us around the house and garden but likes to head back into his crate for a snooze after his morning walk of about an hour and a half, and after his afternoon/evening walk of a similar time. He usually disappears into his crate mid evening but keeps a sharp eye on any kitchen activities that could possibly involve food or trips into the garden 

Bob.

[lescef]

My two have always had crates and never really minded going in them. They just had fleece in the bottom of them. Then out of the kindness of, my heart  I bought thick dog cushions to put in them. Now they prefer their crates to their beds in the lounge with us!