Crate Training is a Difficult Must...

I'm back everyone! Apologies for the unexpected week off. For those of you who have ever dealt with Mental Health you can understand those moments that just pop up when you are forced to put things on pause and take some days to yourself. Well, that was me this past week after a BIG life change suddenly came my way but, anyway... enough about me! This is Athena's blog... not mine. I just wanted to start our time together by letting you know that we have not forgotten about you, this blog, or much less our valuable conversations here on Simplyathena.

As I was brainstorming some new topics for you, I began asking myself what first-time pawrents would like to learn about and/or be prepared for or what topics current pawrents and/or animal lovers would like to read about from a first-time dog-mom's perspective. One important topic that came to mind that we have yet to cover is that of crate training.

Ah, yes! Crate training. A critical part of a puppy's first weeks of life that are very necessary but impactful enough to bring even the strongest pawrent to guilt and tears! This is one experience I can say I am TRULY grateful to have had my husband for. I highly doubt it would have been as successful as it was with Athena had I tried to do it alone or without his guidance and strength. When I say the struggle is real, I mean the struggle is REAL!

You see, before bringing Thena home, the main topic of conversation between my husband and I was where she would sleep. As I mentioned before, we currently live in a small apartment which does not leave many options for a doggie bed that were near to us. To top it all off, my husband is allergic to dogs... yes, my husband, a pawrent of MANY dogs himself is allergic to these furry companions (I'll expand on this in a later post). This was another limiting factor as he was a bit hesitant to let Athena sleep in our room. Anyway, when I brought my little one home, I decided that she would sleep in a crate right outside our room before the landing of our stairs. This would allow for her to be close enough to us so that my husband and I would be able to hear her throughout the night should she need us, yet far enough away where my husband would have some distance for a bit for his allergies. Little did I know that the first weeks of her getting used to sleeping alone in the crate would be some of the toughest. For both her and I, it was definitely a process to get used to and, until I saw the results, was most certainly not fun.

Crate training Thena meant she would have her set bedtime anywhere from 9:00-10:00 p.m. I would make sure she had eaten well, that she had gone to the bathroom enough times throughout the day as well as close to her bedtime, that she had her training puppy pads lining her cage mattress should she need to use the restroom throughout the night, and that her cage was extra warm. I would also make sure to wake up promptly at 5:30 a.m. to take her out to the restroom once or twice before heading off to work. Now, as soon as I would put her in her crate in the evening the emotional struggle began. As we all know, dogs are pack animals. Thena being separated from her sister, getting used to a new home and family, and also showing her that her new environment and sleeping quarters were safe was a STRUGGLE. My poor little one did not enjoy those moments and I would hear her little puppy cries as she got herself tired. I was unable to make myself fall asleep until I would hear her calm and could make sure that she was asleep first. I remember asking my husband multiple times throughout the nights if I was doing the right thing, if Thena was going to end up hating/resenting me for crate training her, and if she was ever going to get used to it. My husband had forewarned me before bringing her home that this was not going to be an easy or simply process. He had told me that, to make sure I did it right and that it was beneficial to Athena, that I would have to be emotionally strong. During the process, he would stay up with me until Thena fell asleep and remind me that we were both there keeping an ear out if anything got out of control or if we could tell she was in severe distress. He taught me that those cries would not last long and that, eventually, she would learn that she was safe and sound.

Fortunately, my husband was absolutely correct! Every night that passed the crying got less and less AND to my amazement... there was even one day where Thena went to her crate on her own when she got tired and fell sound asleep. I was so proud of her and so proud that I had stuck it out! To my amazement as well, my husband saw how much I had bonded with her and how much I truly loved her, and he slowly started changing his mind about Athena sleeping near us. I remember him telling me that he wanted her crate removed after about 2-3 months of her coming home. When the day came to remove her crate and I had bought her a proper and comfy doggie bed, I asked him if he would be ok with us having her near our bed inside the room. To my surprise he agreed! The bed is the one you see in the picture where she is sleeping as the furry princess she is, and I made sure she had two extra personalized blankets to keep her warm and toasty as she slept. I was so proud that first night when I saw how quickly she acclimated to her new bed. Since she had been crate trained, she got used to sleeping in one place all night. Also, I'm sure her knowing that mom and dad were literally next to her helped her get some great rest as well... and mommy was NOT minding having her little one even closer by at all!! ;)

I'm happy to report that the beginning struggle of her crate training and my focus in keeping calm throughout the process was worth every minute. I almost let my heart get in the way, but I realized with my husband's help that this was something I had to do for her benefit and her future. Now, with the crate far behind her, we are able to take her anywhere with us and no matter where we lay down and place her bed, she is able to rest there peacefully and comfortably the entire night.

To all my pawrents to be, know that this process is more than worth it. To all my ladies out there, I speak to you all because I know how easily we can let our heart get in the way of things that are beneficial to our little ones (no matter what the species) ... allow yourself to push through. If there's one thing I learned from my husband, it is that the few moments where they may be a bit whiny, or crying are not harmful. They will begin to understand little by little that they are only going to be there for a short period of time and that they will be playing with us and cuddling with us in the morning. Also remember that the crate is not forever! The crate is only to be used as a tool to teach them to remain in one comfy spot for the night and to help them recognize when they are assigned their sleep area.

I'm not going to lie and say that hearing her cry for those moments was fun or pleasant... definitely not and, as I said, had my husband not taught me the consequences of backtracking the process I would've broken the first night. What I can say now that I look back on this experience is that those short few weeks were absolutely necessary and worth the bit of hard work on both of our parts. I am extremely proud of Thena for learning so quickly! I now also understand when parents say that sometimes they have to do things they don't want to do because it is for our own good. This was the first time I got to live this experience in person with my furry companion. I'm happy it's over and I'm happy with the results that we obtained. Would I ever like to do it again? Certainly not, however, if I ever get another puppy and absolutely HAVE to repeat the process, I will remind myself of what I lived with Athena and do my best to push through once again.