# X-pen Settle after 45 minutes, What Next?



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

So I after playing and feeding and a 10 minute training session, I put Elroy in his x-pen and left the room. He always barks and whines and generally has a hissy fit until I come back. So today I wanted to see how long it took him to settle down (as if I left the house). After 45 minutes he settled for 5 minutes, then started up again. Is this a proper way to get him to settle. He's going to tire himself out eventually. Once he's settled and sleeping (for now I'm just in the other room, no making a peep). What should I do next?


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

I think you’re trying to move too fast. I wouldn’t leave a 2-3 month old human alone to cry for 45 minutes, and I feel the same about puppies. They know they need you to survive. You really don’t want to fight that instinct; it’s a good one! I put puppy in the pen and stay right there. At first, as soon as they stop crying, reward and start with tiny increments, like 1-2 minutes. The first week I have any animal, I’m all about building trust. I am here for you, pup. You can count on me. If you have that base, everything else falls in, IMO.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

What @Starla said.  I started out rewarding Peggy for something as simple as a sit in her pen. The reward? Freedom! One second of silence? Freedom! All four paws on the ground? Freedom!

For building detachment duration, I recommend following Dunbar’s tethering method. Basically, you tether Elroy just out of reach with a tasty chew while you watch TV. Slowly you progress to leaving the room for a second (literally) making sure it’s always no big deal at all. My goal with this is that the puppy never has a chance to feel anxious about my presence or lack thereof.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Your right! Thanks for pointing that out to me. I didn't even notice I was trying to go too fast. Everything else has been going so perfectly, I lost sight of the reality of things. This is the first time I've tried this. I have to do grocery shopping tomorrow and was wondering how he'd handle it while I was out for about 45-60 min. I have been doing brief departures with him in the pen, but I guess I jumped from seconds to this 45 minute test. I'll work on increasing it in smaller time increments. He settles MUCH quicker in his crate than in the larger expanse of his x-pen. If I sneak out while he's asleep, I can do it without him getting anxious, but that probably doesn't count for much. Just to put a happy twist to this thread, he's still SOOOOO GOOD at EVERYTHING else. He does sit really well, and down, stay, and come he's getting the hang of. He's asleep in his closed crate now. I'll take him out after an hour to stick with Dunbar's techniques.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

To be clear, he loves both his x-pen and his crate. All fun things happen there. I play with him in there whenever he's in there. All his toys and (stuffed) chews are there. It's only when he loses sight of me that he gets anxious (anywhere, not just pen or crate).
When it's (my) bedtime, and I want him to sleep and he doesn't, I lay down on the floor next to him (his crate) and then he'll settle and go to sleep in about 5 minutes. Then when he's asleep, I sneak away to the couch (10 feet between him and my head) and sleep there until he wakes and wants to go out. Is giving him this kind of attn to get him to sleep a good thing, or am I training him to be dependent on me always being there?


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Your doing great, just keep doing what the poodle Mom's say to do lol. Elroy will be a top notch poodle for sure.

You're still calibrating your expectations with reality. It's a learning process. It's normal. 

Are you practicing his name? 
Example: 
1) "Basil" 
2) She makes eye contact with me 
3) "Yes" or click 
4) Treat or praise/love

*Bonding*
How's that going?

I'm not sure how much digging into bonding you've done. It's a priceless and valuable part of building a connection with Elroy.

Peggy made this thread about it a while back and it's a good discussion.









Did you bond quickly with your poodle?


I just want to put this out there for anyone who needs to hear it: I tolerated Peggy for much of her first year. Horrible, right? Cute little puppy, wholly dependent on me. But it’s the truth. Between her behaviour challenges, the gaps in my poodle knowledge, and the grief I was still...




www.poodleforum.com


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

Great advice given. We used a combo of babygates, carrier and graduating to a wire crate and tethering. I definitely would go slower and use the ideas given in previous posts. We had to train fairly quickly for Bobby to get used to being alone as we both work. Looking back he learned pretty quickly but we did start small and work up to it.

In general, we kept him in the same room with us using baby gates and tethering. He spent a big portion of time in the gated kitchen as it’s tiled. In the other rooms he was tethered to us.

When we had to leave or a break was needed and as we trained him to be alone, he was put in his crate/kennel with safe toys and a Kong with puppy food and a touch of peanut butter. If we left we put on music or the tv. We found that covering his crate so he didn’t see us helped immensely and calmed him as we trained him to be alone.

It all takes time. I think you will fine what works best for your situation. We live in a pretty small house so an Xpen wasn’t an option. The gated kitchen was essentially the X pen.
We are here for you! 😊


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Basil_the_Spoo said:


> Your doing great, just keep doing what the poodle Mom's say to do lol. Elroy will be a top notch poodle for sure.
> 
> You're still calibrating your expectations with reality. It's a learning process. It's normal.
> 
> ...


Yes, I've been practicing his name with him. "Elroy", eye contact, Click & treat! He's getting better already. I haven't read that thread just yet, but yes we're bonding. I'll read it later today.


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

IMO, thats a great way to get night sleeping started. I’m of the opinion you can’t “spoil” a baby animal; you are meeting their needs, and you can evolve your approach as they feel more safe, secure, and confident.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Spottytoes said:


> Great advice given. We used a combo of babygates, carrier and graduating to a wire crate and tethering. I definitely would go slower and use the ideas given in previous posts. We had to train fairly quickly for Bobby to get used to being alone as we both work. Looking back he learned pretty quickly but we did start small and work up to it.
> 
> In general, we kept him in the same room with us using baby gates and tethering. He spent a big portion of time in the gated kitchen as it’s tiled. In the other rooms he was tethered to us.
> 
> ...


I have three rooms on the 1st floor. Living room (x-pen and crate), dining room (carpeted, attempt at off limits), and kitchen (linoleum floors, nice wood cabinets...white). I spend most time in the living room, then the kitchen. I have a door between the kitchen and dining room so once he's it the kitchen with me, I can close it, and the whole kitchen becomes available to him. I don't leave him close up in the kitchen alone because he'll probably chew on the wood cabinets. We're doing really well on everything except when I go out of sight. So per PF advice, I'm going to go slower. He's a little bundle of joy!


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Starla said:


> IMO, thats a great way to get night sleeping started. I’m of the opinion you can’t “spoil” a baby animal; you are meeting their needs, and you can evolve your approach as they feel more safe, secure, and confident.


Thanks @Starla. I value all input here on PF. I'm a green sponge!


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## Piper 2020 (Aug 16, 2020)

I'm the exception here. 

Why not have your dad or someone else babysit while you go to the grocery, etc? They can continue potty training while you are out.

I'm getting my mini in 4 weeks. I'm putting a water proof pad on the bed to protect a new mattress and the pup will sleep with me starting on night one. Probably curled up next to me. We both sleep. No drama for either. Historically, my toy pups, with the smallest bladders, have slept through the night with no accidents. I'm not a light sleeper, but I'll know if the pup moves during the night and let it out.

I've never found separation anxiety to be a problem and I've lived with a Boxer, 7 Poodles, a Bichon and a neurotic Sheltie. As the pup grows older, it will acclimate. The Bichon eventually preferred to sleep on a chair next to my bed, the Sheltie and standard Poodle on the floor. As they got older, I would exercise them and when they crashed, I went out. Worked well. No separation anxiety. When I worked outside the house, I kept 2 litter mates in the house and followed the same drill with no problems.

I also do not use pee pads. I do not want to confuse the pup. From minute one, I want it only to go outside. If there is an accident inside, I pick it up and put the poop or soiled wet paper towel outside where it normally goes as a reminder. 

There is a group of monks in the northeast that are famous for raising German Shepherd pups for sale. Each monk keeps their designated pup by their side 24/7, training it as they go along. Good luck getting one of their pups. 

Every puppy parent has an opinion on how to raise a good companion dog. This is mine and it's worked for me. FWIW.


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## buddyrose (Jul 27, 2011)

Hi, I always get great tips from preventivevet.com 
Scroll a ways down until you see the heading: How To Crate Train Your Dog and read Step 3. Work on Duration; Step 4. Increase Your Distance From the Crate and Step 5. Duration + Distance









Crate Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog: Everything You Need to Know


Wondering about the best way to crate train your puppy or adult dog? Learn how by following these easy steps to help your dog love being in their crate.




www.preventivevet.com


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Two of my thoughts.
One, I use the x-pen as a way to keep the pup out of trouble while I'm within hearing distance. I don't like to leave a pup unattended in an x-pen, particularly not an anxious pup. I think the chances of the pup trying to go up and over, with dire results if the pup gets hung up, are too great. I put the pup in a crate if I need to leave the house.

Two, I think it's helpful to get the pup thinking of the crate as a place of comfort and safety before leaving the pup alone in it. Ritter's current crate is in my office, where I also have a twin bed. I introduced him to it by taking him outside for a good hard play session. Then I brought him in, put him down for his morning nap, and logged onto my computer to start work. He fell asleep comforted by my presence and woke up to find me still there working. I took him out for a potty break and snack, then put him back in the crate. We continued in this vein all day, alternating puppy naps in the crate with potty & play breaks in the yard. At the end of the evening I tucked him into the crate, climbed into bed, and turned out the light. He made a few tentative whines, so I read him a few interesting passages from the Internet. He fell asleep to the sound of my voice.

I've now been working on increasing distance and duration. He knows the crate is where puppies go to sleep, because we have built this habit over the past week. He thinks I will come back, but he isn't 100% sure. So, I stick him in the crate just like always, and I go brush my teeth. I call to him from the bathroom, so he knows I'm still there. He gets upset, but it's not an over the top screaming meltdown. I come back into the room before he hits full yell, go to bed, and read to him until he falls asleep according to the habit we've built.

Over the next few weeks, as he gets accustomed to me leaving the room and returning, I will gradually increase the delay and distance between putting him in his crate and going to bed myself.


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