parrotpea Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have a new pup - he only came home yesterday, so I realise he is just settling in and getting used to us, but he HATES the crate. He slept in it alright last night, where I could put my hand through and settle him off to sleep, but today he does not want to be in there at all. I I have spent lots of time playing with him, and then fed him in there - he munches down his chicken frame then starts screaming. I have left him for about half an hour - with me in the room, while he cries, but I am worried that this is not good for our bonding, especially when he's only just arrived here. What should I do? Put up with the deafening noise until he gives up? Or try some more gentle methods..... This is a new problem for me - Ruby would just go in after being played with, eat her food and pass out and that was that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Take it very, very slowly. I had a boy who would cry all night who now LOVES his crate. Give him a big treat in the crate. Don't close the door. Repeat as many times as necessary. Then use a cue as they go into the crate (I use "crate time" and say it in a very happy voice). Then fade out the luring (ie ask them to go into the crate then give then the food). Then you can close the door while they eat it. Make sure you let them out before a tantrum starts. Repeat this many times until your dog runs to the crate when he hears "crate time!". If they do throw a tanty, ignore. Only let them out when they stop whining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Susan Garrett's Crate Games DVD I've found to be a useful resource as well - Ziva wasn't a fan of her crate at first but is slowly getting better using the games on the DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) Um he won't hate you if you leave him in there screaming. But he might hate going in the crate. My Evil Hound is getting steadily better. She knows she's not getting out while she's screaming. And I'm going to go further away not back to her if she is barking her head off. The occasional, "hey, I'm here" bark is ok with me but it's up to you to decide what is and isn't ok. So she knows what I want, I follow the crate games as per Susan Garrett ie when I shut the door, she doesn't get out until she can behave nicely. A quiet sit is good, barking and lunging at the door is not. And every morning to build warm feelings for the crate we play "promite on toast", ie to get a bit of her favourite food, she has to go in the crate. And she gets a bit of toast as a reward. And she gets another bit of toast for staying in there, and a bit of toast for coming out when I call her, etc. Shutting the gate on her is a different matter. So I start with short gate shuts (a few seconds), and treat through the roof/sides for her being quiet, so she knows if she's quiet she might get a treat. And I build up from there. When she was a puppy, I would just shut her in when I needed to go out, or wash the dishes or cook. Sometimes you just have to put up with the heart rending screams. I did draw the line at trying to sleep through it tho and she sleeps on a mat next to my bed. Quietly. Oh and it won't happen over night, you have a puppy, please be patient. Edited May 12, 2011 by Mrs Rusty Bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrotpea Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 Thank you. That is the advice I wanted to hear For his other meals today I have put him in the crate with the door shut so Ruby couldn't get in there and just kept an eye on him so i could let him out when he was finished. I will put Ruby outside or in her own crate in future so that I can leave his door open, and try some of those other positive associations too. It sounds like he's not doing too badly then having made it overnight in there with not much fuss at all :D Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I'm not really sure I can offer any advice, but I can defintiely sympathize with you. I had a similar experience with my pup, except she was ok during the day but hated going in at night. I actually failed in the whole crate training thing and after a month let her sleep on her bed in my room instead. BUt she's always been ok to crate during the day when needed. Interestingly, we have recently bought a new soft crate which she seems to have taken to much better than her previous wire crate. I am not sure if it is maturity or training or she just prefers the soft crate more and finds it more comfy? She's had to sleep in it on some occaisons and was really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) Dogs need to be crate trained before they'll happily accept the crate. I reccomend Crate Game: http://www.agilitycl...com/prod157.htm I did Crate Games with the pup I have now and can confidentaly say I believe most people who are actually committed to getting a result will have a pup that readily accepts that crate within a week of Crate Games and then if they continue the process and do Crate Game everyday they'll have a dog who LOVES their crate shortly. Edited May 19, 2011 by MEH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'm not really sure I can offer any advice, but I can defintiely sympathize with you. I had a similar experience with my pup, except she was ok during the day but hated going in at night. I actually failed in the whole crate training thing and after a month let her sleep on her bed in my room instead. BUt she's always been ok to crate during the day when needed. Interestingly, we have recently bought a new soft crate which she seems to have taken to much better than her previous wire crate. I am not sure if it is maturity or training or she just prefers the soft crate more and finds it more comfy? She's had to sleep in it on some occaisons and was really good. Did you cover the wire crate with a sheet or something so it was like a Den? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Dogs need to be crate trained before they'll happily accept the crate. I reccomend Crate Game: http://www.agilitycl...com/prod157.htm I did Crate Games with the pup I have now and can confidentaly say I believe most people who are actually committed to getting a result will have a pup that readily accepts that crate within a week of Crate Games and then if they continue the process and do Crate Game everyday they'll have a dog who LOVES their crate shortly. How does Crate Games go with an older dog eg 2 years? My girl dosnt like the crate much and she going to fly to NZ soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrotpea Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 So I have failed with crate training for the mean time. He is sleeping in my bed at night, and eating his meals in his crate with the door shut - but I think he is just training me LOL - as soon as he is finished eating he starts sooking. The crate training info I have(from the dragonfly llama site) says that if he cries after he finishes eating, then you've left it too long before letting him out. I think some tough love is going to be in order....It makes it that much harder that I have two young kids and I really NEED him to be happy in the crate during the day for at least an hour so that he doesn't get squished by my youngest while I'm making dinner... Gah! This is really doing my head in at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I have pictures of what a larger breed pup can do to a crate if they really don't want to be in it... Pickles fractured her leg and had to be crated for it to heal. She had other ideas and just chewed her way out... she bent the steel bars enough to actually get half her body out! She sleeps on my bed now... *sigh*... my first and only crate training failure to date... I found it MUCH easier to crate train my older girls when they decided that they no longer want to play nice if loose together. Soft warm bedding and a couple of toys, and they settled down to their crates just fine - Trouble even goes to her crate voluntarily when it's her turn to be contained - I just say "in your box" and she gets in and sits for her pat and then just settles when I shut the door. Zeddy will go into hers if I give her a treat - usually a small biscuit or something like that. All of my foster pups have settled to their crates pretty quickly. Some prefer to be positioned where they can see you, some prefer to have the crate covered like a den, some prefer to have a big teddy to snuggle up to, and some like to have another pup companion while they get used to the crate. My current foster will have a tantrum for about 5 minutes before settling down in her crate for the night - and as soon as my alarm goes off in the morning, she is a second alarm telling me to get the hell up and let her out for a play... *grin* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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