Step by Step crate training

I have had my Bichon Frise puppy for 5 full days now and am planning to start crate training him. At present he will go in the crate of his own accord for a sleep when I am near by. It is placed in the kitchen. He will also play quite happily in another room, and we can walk away when he sleeps, but he will whinge if I am not there when he wakes up.

Today I put him in for 1 minute with a few tasty treats but he did whine, so I said 'no' a couple of times and he settled down. I am planning to increase this time and start to go out of the room but I am finding mixed ideas on what is best practice.

If he whinges when I leave do I say 'no' or ignore him?
I have a puppy kong but really don't know what people mean by filling it with peanut butter or natural yoghurt and freezing it. This is my first puppy and I am dueto go back to work in 3 and a half weeks. When I go back to work he will be left between 8 and 12 and then 1 til 4.30 most days. Hopefully parents etc will visit during the day aswell.

I really do need to be able to leave him and am desperate to do it the right way.

Have a read of this article

http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=15552

8.00-12.00noon and then 1.00-4.30pm is an awfully long time to leave a puppy or an adult dog on a regular basis. Will you keep him in a crate whilst you are away.

The Kong is a great versatile toy and you should Google Kong recipes for some ideas. With peanut butter you don't fill the Kong, just smear it around the inside then freeze it. Same with yoghurt or cream cheese. You can also block the little hole at the end and fill it up with stuff e.g. Wet puppy food which will last for ages. Can also be frozen. Try not to overfeed puppy, you can feed a meal from a Kong

here's a link to get you started
http://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/200...a_kong_toy.php

Thanks for advice so far.

He will not be on his own every day for that length of time as my dad works shifts as does my mother-in-law so they both plan to come in and take him for a walk, feed etc, but this will not be able to happen every singe day. It is likely he will be alone for those times at the most twice a week.

Hopefully he will have free run of the house in the future but was planning to start with the crate, then extend to the kitchen with a baby gate and then to the downstairs.

I hope all goes well for you and your pup and that your dad and mum-in-law are committed to going round regularly. Puppies get very bored and can be very destructive when left on their own. You may also find that it also takes longer than you hope before he is trained and reliable (and I don't just mean house-trained). Puppies need a lot of input during their first year, but again I hope all goes well for you both.

Hi I recently decided to get another dog to make my twosome a trio after losing my oldest boy a month ago, I was intending to rescue a dog who was older so that I didn't have to go through the house training, chewing etc etc (I know I may have had to deal with some of this having a rescue dog but not as much as having a puppy), anyway to cut a long story short I never made it to the rescue centre I got a 9 week old pup and my first investment was a crate, and i've been really lucky with Jack hes taken to it like a duck to water he slept in it from day one overnight and I never heard a peep from him. I have two other dogs who normally sleep in the kitchen overnight but as my kitchen isnt big enough to have the crate in there too the crate is in the lounge and my older dogs beds are next to it so although Jacks enclosed in his crate hes still got the company of my other two. I think what ur doing is the right way to go Jacks crate is never intended to be a long term thing in fact ive only had him a couple of weeks but if I go out for a couple of hours he is put in the kitchen with the other two so he still has a little freedom and theres not much he can chew even if he wanted to! (apart from toys) seperation anxiety can be really stressful for a dog as said before they can become destructive so going out of the room for certain amounts of time and then coming back with a treat is a good idea IMO.
Oh and the kong stuffed with puppy food which has been soaked in water is a great way to keep them occupied but don't forget they will need to go out as soon as possible after eating!