The Hardest Lesson

Jeff and I tend to believe that Cooper may be the smartest dog alive (kind of bias, I know). He learned how to sit on day 2, how to "lay" (lay down) on day 3, and today, on day 5, he is able to independently walk up and down the stairs. Needless to say, he is a quick learner. That is, except for one little task....the dreaded crate training.

People told me how much work a puppy was, how much time and effort was going to be needed, and how to keep a puppy safe. I read 2 books and numerous internet articles about Golden Retrievers (lame, I know!) and they all made crate training seem like a breeze. "Puppies love their crates. It gives them a sense of security...they look at their crate as if it is their den." Really? Really? Well, not our dog.

I will say one thing, he does pretty well at night in the crate. There is a little whining initially, but as long as Jeff or I are there, he will quickly fall back to sleep. He wakes up after 1.5-2 hours, but just to check if we are still there. Once he realizes we are, he falls right back to sleep. He wakes up again a little later to go outside. Repeat the "check in" one more time, and then sleeps until about 7am. Not too bad. But, God forbid you even think about putting him in that crate during the day! That is when the real action happens!

He will gladly walk into the crate when being enticed by a treat, he will lay down and fall asleep if you are in the room with him, but the moment you walk out of the room and he notices you are no longer there, that is where the howling, and the growling, and the barking, and the digging, and the whining, and the strangest noises I have ever heard begins. I've tried talking to him, I've tried ignoring him, I tried tough love. Each time, the same result. A puppy who completely melts down and only calms when it's time to get out. I left the house for 15 minutes (15 MINUTES!!!) today and when I came back the crate was covered in poo and God knows what else. Seriously Cooper?!?!?

One thing I know for sure, is we WILL NOT give in and let him sleep with us. He needs to learn that he is a dog and he can survive in a crate alone for an extended period of time. We will keep trying. We will get our dog crate trained. We will succeed.