No Love For The Crate?

[obsolete]

Hi all,

Our puppy has been settling in relatively well, all things considered. My biggest concern at the moment is his crate. I did everything I could do make it a "happy" place for him - put toys and other comforts of his in there, feed him in the crate, give him treats in the crate and for the first day or so it was great. He would lie in there with the door open and walk in and out during the day very comfortably.

The problems started when I would close the door. I mainly crate him when it's bed time and the crate is in my bedroom. At first he would go in there willingly and then cry most of the night. Now, he will only go in there and stay in there while he is eating his food, if I put toys or treats in there he will usually duck in, grab it and run out. I've been trying to make it as positive a place for him as possible but he just seems to be weary of it now all the time and I'm forced to close the door when he runs in. He will sleep most of the night now in it (cries maybe twice in a 6 hour period) but will start crying like mad once the sun is up.

The crying is not toilet related because he has slept in my other room with me (on a futon like mattress) on some occasions and has not needed to go toilet for over 7+ hours. I don't think it's preferable to close the door on him like that but am stuck for ideas, so am looking for suggestions or ideas on how I can get him to love his crate.

Thanks!

[fuzzy82]

Have you tried covering the crate with a sheet or blanket? Made all the difference for my puppy.

Also, youtube 'crate games' and expirement with that, might help in reinforcing it as a pleasant place to be.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think you have to teach him to love being in there when the door is shut.

Susan Garrtet crate games is good for this.

I give my dog some treats every morning for going in the crate of her own accord. She's less thrilled when I close the door on her at training when I'm setting up stuff. But I go give her treats for being quiet, and I don't go over to her crate until she's quiet. She's slowly getting the idea. It took her a little while to get used to being in the car when she could still see me through the window (winter hockey games).

[Stitch]

I have recently tried DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromones) spray and have found it works wonders for teaching crate training.

Of course there will always be puppies that don't respond but my experience with it has been very positive with pups settling down within minutes of it being sprayed in the crate.

[Scarlett Dog]

a cover made a huge difference when we were crate training. We also found that with the cover on it gets a bit warmer so make sure your puppy isn't too hot/cold.

Have you done much in the way of closing the door besides when it's bed time?