Crate training help!
Hi! First time Reddit poster and puppy dad here. My partner and I got a Westie pup who is now 9 weeks (got him at 8 weeks).
We did lots of research beforehand and knew the basics of crate training to start, buying a portable smaller plastic crate we intended to have beside our bed and a daytime crate (slightly larger he would grow into).
We started by trying to some positive association with the smaller plastic crate, he initially fell asleep, then suddenly bit at the “door” and almost got his teeth stuck (thank god he was fine it was mostly just panic).
We didn’t want to push any negative association with it, so we instead have been using the larger crate for naps/bedtime. Eventually we will try the smaller crate again when he is big enough that there is no risk of locking his jaw.
In the evening he has been surprisingly good. He generally only whines for about 10 mins then passes out until we get him up for a pee, then he is a landshark for 5 minutes before going back to sleep.
The issue has been more in the day. He will go into the crate to play with toys, eat his food, and sometimes without fuss to sleep. But then sometimes he can be a DIVA and scream for 20 mins.
For context, we live in an apartment and (apparently) the noise travels downward very easily. I had to remind the downstairs neighbours that thankfully he is only loud sometimes during the day.
Just looking for some “swear by it” eureka moments some other puppy parents have had for crate training to try and help him along.