Deaf Pup SCREAMS in crate and more

[Kayla Dawn]

So we brought home a white boxer pup on Saturday whom is deaf. I'm aware of the work with a boxer being as I have a 5 year old boy and also was aware she'd need special attention since she can not hear. First night we didnt crate her (yes my mistake) day two we crated her. SHE SCREAMS in there. She has a blanket, kong and I inticed her into the crate even with treats. As soon as the door shuts she freaks out. I have to work so this isnt good for her nor the neighbours.

I seem to be able to get her to calm down and go to sleep at night time when her crate is next to my bed and I dangle my hand in there and pet her for awhile but during the day is a whole new thing... I'm not here to do that for her and I'm sure she cries herself to sleep but I'm also sure when she wakes up she freaks again.

I feel terrible for her, myself and boyfriend and the neighbours.

Tonight for example we went and got groceries, she freaked in the crate and I came home and she was sleeping. So what I did was let her sleep but opened the door to her crate so she could wander out when she woke up. She did so just as happy as a pig in well you get the picture. But I also feel that because we are crating her she is angry at us. She is peeing EVERYWHERE just little puddles (she is on a going out schedule and I have 2 training pads that she can get to as well, but isnt using them even tho I know she knows about them because she used them at the breeders and day one she used them here)

Any ideas as to what I can do about this issue. I obviously dont want her to be stressed out so much nor angry at us for crating her.

Any ideas would help. Thanks

[HostelDog]

Congratulations on your new pup!

I think the peeing everywhere is normal, as she is probably just a bit stressed with being in a new place. The first week we had our pup she used to get in the shower with me because when i left her in the other room she would howl! After a week or so she was fine by herself. I think in time she will start to use the training pads again, so i wouldn't worry about her being angry at you!

When she's in her crate, where is your other dog? Can she see him or is it not possible to keep them in the room together?

[gmacleod]

This is a problem that many people have with their puppies - it is normal for a pup to become upset when separated from their pack, and to express their distress with crying/screaming. The extra challenge you have with a deaf puppy is that she has no concept of volume

Therefore, you're going to need to be extra careful about what she learns about getting a response from you. ALL puppies learn very quickly that crying gets a response from you - either by bringing you back, or by letting them out (and in the case of a hearing pup, responses also include verbal) - if it does indeed get a response. Naturally, that means that they continue to do it - who wouldn't?

As above though, your puppy doesn't have any idea of just how loud she is yelling. In order to get her to stop then, you need to be VERY careful not to respond to the noise. If you do, she will keep screaming. That's just natural, since she will be truely distressed, and if screaming means that you return or let her out, then of course she will continue to scream (volume always on full - not related to actual level of distress).

The quickest answer is that you need to ignore it, and take great care only to come back/let her out/engage in any way when she is quiet. But if it's impossible to ignore the screaming, and this is causing problems with neighbours, etc - then its probably a good idea to be a bit more inventive about when and where she is crated. That is, try to avoid crating her at the times / in the situations that get her most upset. Instead, continue to crate her at night by your bed (where you can easily reassure her) and otherwise in the same room as you - for example, in the evenings when you're watching TV and she's conked out for a nap anyway. If you can gently aclimatise her to her crate in this way, then you should avoid the worst of the tantrums. This may seem like "giving in" to you - but actually it isn't. It's just giving a baby a gentle introduction to the crate, and AVOIDING teaching her that screaming can improve her situation

[Kayla Dawn]

I got her from a breeder and she had a puppy room, with a crate in it but her mother and the other pups where in there too.

At night we put her crate next to our bed and I pet her to sleep. She wakes up at 3am daily and I take her out and I put her on her pee pad. She goes on the pad and then back to bed we go. She then wakes up again around 5 to 5:30ish which is fine because that is when we get up anyways. It takes her about 5 minutes to calm down at night and she's fine at that point once the light is out.

My older boxer is not crated no. He hasnt been since he was a year old because he was fully trained at that point and basically now being 5 he just sleeps all night. Lotus (the new baby puppy) her crate is in the spare room during the day. We tried something new yesterday however. We put her, a puppy pad, the big boxer and his bed into the bathroom and she wimpered and screamed for only 5 minutes before we left for work and when we got home she was quiet as a mouse. Today I had to leave for about 1/2 an hour to drive hubby to work and did the same, when I came home she was sleeping on a towel lol and no worse for the ware. I think she just doesnt want to be alone and being with the big dog makes her a big calmer. This might be our solution to the problem.

I dont respond to her however when she screams in the crate, I left her there but I did feel terrible lol. I know from Apollo that you cant give in. Just like kids haha cant give in or they expect it. Right now she's conked out on my lap with the big dog on the couch next to us lol.

I'll try the making the crate a toy thing, seems like a good idea! Thanks guys. The support and words sometimes are needed when we get frusterated. This site will prove to be a helpful tool I know this

[Kayla Dawn]

I figure as she gets older she will not have to stop and do little tinkles on the carpet anymore. That is when the steam cleaner I guess comes into play lol ... Its bound to be that she is going to have to be in her crate, like at night but I do pet her until she falls asleep threw the bars. I think during the day tomorrow for work Im going to put both dogs into the bathroom again so she doesnt feel so lonely. Today I had to crate her for a bit so I layed on the ground with her and pet her again threw the bars until she settled in for a nap. The peeing thing is more frusterating than anything because she seems to piddle everywhere lol... I cant keep taking her out every 1/2 hour. Its not even like she is "peeing" like she does when I take her out.. its like "ah I have 1/4 of a tank full I'll just let it out now, screw waiting" but I guess that will slowly change in time.

The screaming is just unbearable however. It makes me feel sad and like she is terribly upset with me. I'm aware and knew of the training issues would arise first being boxer puppies are "fun" to train lol but a deaf one would be a challenge. Its hard to remember when I'm telling her "no" she can't hear me.

If she jumps I've been putting my hands on her paws and pushing her down. When she bites I've been blowing lightly on her head (not her face don't worry) and it changes her attention elsewhere from biting. Slowly but surely she will start to learn

[MonaC]

I agree with all of the suggestions about getting her used to the crate that've already been posted. Since she is deaf you might want to put something you've worn, like an old t shirt, in the crate with her. The smell might just be reassuring to her and make her feel better. Also, keeping her with your other Boxer in the bathroom is a great idea. I hope it continues to work. I've read some information about deaf Boxers and the articles have said that having a another dog, a hearing one, really helps with the training. There is a great deal of information on Boxerworld on deaf Boxers as well. Try a search.

[livers25]

My deaf boxer Lilly is about 2 1/2 years old now, and I will not lie to anyone by saying crate training her was easy. It was not.

We started crate training Lilly from the first night she came to us. The screaming/crying started the very first night and it was bad. It was really really bad. I would take her out to the bathroom around 9:30pm and she would then go into her crate where she would sleep until about midnight. She would wake up about midnight and I would take her back out to the washroom, bring her back up to bed and put her in her crate. Then the screaming would begin and it would sometimes last 3 to 4 hours at a time. And she wasn't just keeping me up, but my whole entire family.

I remember laying in bed awake at 3am as still as I could because it appeared that even if I moved to rolled over or adjust the covers it was acknowledging the crying and she would just scream more. After trying to deal with this on my own for a couple of months, I contacted out vet whom reconfirmed my decision of not acknowledging the crying as hard as it was, confirmed that there was nothing medically wrong and also suggested installing a nite light in my bedroom. We discussed the concept that because she cannot hear us in the room that having a nite light allowed her to see that we were still in the room. It did work, however it did take some time.

As for during the day, my solution was daycare. We recently reduced it down to two days a week and find that she is so tried from the previous day at daycare that all she wants to do is sleep. I know that daycare isn't feasible for everyone, so maybe a long walk before going into the crate might help make her more tried and she will sleep.

I also agree with the others that her crate needs to be someplace where she feels safe and doesn't feel like it is a prison. We also crated Lilly while we were in the room reading or something and gave her a kong with peanut butter which allowed her to get used to it, while giving her a great treat and knowing that being in her crate didn't mean that we were leaving.

It did take months but she is now use to being in her crate and doesn't fuss hardly at all.

As for housebreaking with our other boxer Chester, he had accidents in the house for months, we would take him outside he would walk around do nothing and as soon as we brought him in the house, he would pee. We found bell training worked great, we made him touch a bell everytime we took him out and after a couple of weeks he would run to the door and ring the bell himself (it was like a game). When Lilly came home she watched him do it and just followed along. We never attempted to teach her, but when she wants outside she rings the bell (Even though she can't hear it, she knows that it causes the door to open). If it is possible I would recommend bell training to anyone.

As far as hand signals , we have one for no, it is touching the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb (it took Lilly a couple of months to learn what this meant, but she knows now), as well as we make a fist with our right hand and twist it side to side, which to Lilly means "go bathroom". Making up your own hand signals for different things will also work.

A great site with alot of information is Deaf Dog Education Action Fund.

Good luck and remember that the outcome is well worth the sleepless nights, she will eventually get used to her crate and the crying will stop.

[gmacleod]

Originally Posted by Kayla Dawn

IThe peeing thing is more frusterating than anything because she seems to piddle everywhere lol... I cant keep taking her out every 1/2 hour. Its not even like she is "peeing" like she does when I take her out.. its like "ah I have 1/4 of a tank full I'll just let it out now, screw waiting" but I guess that will slowly change in time.

For a puppy of this age, every half hour or so is quite normal. Until she (a) develops a larger bladder and more control of it, and (b) starts to understand the need to hold on until the door opens - well, of course, she is going to pee at the moment her bladder tells her it needs emptying.

What you need to do is actually take her out slightly MORE often than she needs to go. So that she always goes outside, and therefore starts to learn that that's the right place. It is only when that starts to filter into her head that you have any hope at all of getting her to hang on longer.

Just one thought that comes to mind from your description though - whilst needing to empty her bladder every half hour is quite normal, only having a small amount to pee frequently isn't... I just wonder if this little pup might possibly be suffering from a urinary tract infection. That's something you really should have checked out quickly by a vet. IF she does, then its going to get worse not better Plus, it's not nice for her. And it will frustrate completely your attempts to toilet train. So for many reasons, very much in your interests to have her looked at and treated if necessary.