Crate Training - Positive Association

[miniizzy]

I would say I have succssefully crate trained my youngest dogs, however they do not choose to sleep in their crate. This is ok with me.

I think you need to work out what you want to achieve from crate training and create the 'rules' for your puppy based on this. Everyone wants different things. Personally my goals are that I can put my dogs in the crate when needed at home, if we are out or at home, and while at training and competitions and they will relax.

To achieve these goals my puppies do spend time in their crate in all senarios for example when we are home, when we are out, when people are visiting, when we are asleep, just so they learn that crate time means relax. This does not have to be a long time though.

When my last pup was young she used to sleep in her crate, but now she is older she does not (as none of my other dogs do).

If you want some help to build value for the crate I highly recommend Susan Garretts DVD "Crate Training". When I am at training and competitions my dogs cannot wait to get into their crate.

Thanks buddy1, just did a quick search on youtube and had a look at some people demonstration Susan Garrett's teachings so I will have a look online for a copy :)

Good point too about deciding what I want from the crate myself - I guess everyone has different situations and every puppy is different, I have to find what I need from the crate and work towards that.

I know how you feel! And a lot of the dog people seem to view not crate training as a failure, which puts more pressure on things.

Once I got a bit more relaxed with my crate training ideas, I got a lot happier and so did my pup. She now sleeps in the kitchen and sleeps all the way through the night, as opposed to the 2 or 3 wee breaks during the night. She's pee pad trained but tends to hold on not pee during the night.

It just takes time!

I think I'm with you on this one! I think I just need to relax and work with what works for us instead of trying to recreate what is in the books! How old was your pup when she started sleeping through the night? Did you gradually decrease the number of wee breaks until eventually there were none?

I think it sounds like you are doing well :)

You have only had the pup for a few days, it takes time to build value for the crate. If you are able to have him crated at night and he is settling after a short period and not howling the house down all night long, you are doing fine and he will catch on.

Have you ried just randomly throwing treats in there for him to find, leaving the door open?

Mine all sleep in their crates at night and will go in on their own during the day sometimes, and are in there for training/competitions/holidays etc

Thanks Kavik :D Yes I have started hiding treats in his bedding as well so hopefully that will encourage him to go in randomly in the hopes of finding something good!

Crate training is not mandatory - it's just very handy to have sometimes, and don't feel like a failure if you either choose not to crate train for whatever reason. My older dog isn't crate trained and turned out just fine :)

...

That said, I have just crate trained my puppy and this is how I did it. He was 12 weeks old when I started and the process took me a few weeks to get to the point where he was happy to be in there as I wanted only good things associated with the crate. I left the door open and allowed him to get in the crate himself. When he would fall asleep during the day I'd pick him up and put him on his bed in there.

- I fed him all his meals in the crate.

- Put his bed in there for daytime rests (he had a pen for when I had to go out, the crate was only used if I was home at first).

- Hid small treats in his bedding in the crate for him to discover.

- Used the crate to keep his toys in.

- If I gave him any chewy kind of treats, it would always be in the crate to encourage him to lay quietly for longer periods in it.

They are good ideas, I do feed him his meals in there but I have hidden some treats in his bedding in there now and also put his favourite toys in there :)

One thing we didn't do was put him in the crate when we were still home (except for nights), because he would have gone nuts to see us but not be able to be with us.

Make crating what you want it to be and just stick to it. They soon learn the drill and you soon learn their patterns :)

Wishing you all the best.

Yes, I think I should use the crate primarily for night time and as a restriction to his inside area when neither of us are home. We will then build up to going into the crate when we are home with lots of training as it would be handy for when we need him out of the way or when he needs to quieten down a bit.

I think we read to much, I have so many puppy books and it does get confusing, you want to do it right but I think in hindsight following my instincts would have been better

:-)

Definitely agree with you!! I don't think there is a 'right' way of doing it..you just have to figure out what works and hammer away at it!

Thanks guys for all your replies! Think I was too hung up on having the perfect puppy and being the perfect owner! It's good to know it doesn't always happen in such a short amount of time as some books have you believe.

Happy to report that he fell asleep on the floor inside, I placed him in his crate with a few treats and shut the door, he plonked off to sleep and I stayed in the room. He woke up about 40 minutes later and I took him out for a wee (which he did very well!) and then we had a good play. Just before going out I hid some treats in his bedding and sat him in it with a pigs ear. Pushed the crate up to the dog door and he didn't even notice he was so busy munching! We were gone for an hour and a half and when we came back he was asleep in the shade on the pavers, still there now. No pees or poos in the crate Very happy so far, and feeling much more relaxed as he seems much happier when he is outdoors, and a happy puppy is a happy Mummy!!

[minimax]

Very happy so far, and feeling much more relaxed as he seems much happier when he is outdoors, and a happy puppy is a happy Mummy!!

Agreed! And we need pics of your happy puppy :D

My pup didn't sleep through the night when she was in the crate, it wasn't until that heatwave came through Sydney and I put her in the kitchen where it was cooler that she slept through the night. There is a pee pad in there, but 99% of the time she doesn't use it during the night, she waits until morning. She is a 5am waker though, has been since the day I brought her home. I'm hoping that daylight saving will move that to 6am lol

Pup's are good for making you relinquish a bit of control, which can be hard but with time things work out. I look back over my posts in the first few weeks I had my pup when I was in tears all the time from frustration and sort of laugh!

[luvsdogs]

My first pure bred dog was left out in the yard when I went out. I was worried that she would be stollen so I put a padlock on out side gate whenever there was no one home. I didn't work so only shopping or outings. After she was grown & used to the place I didn't bother. She wasn't crate trained at all & as far as I know only show people used crates, the general pet dog owner didn't. It wasn't until I got my 2nd border collie 15 yrs later that I used a crate. She was already used to them & it was a 6.5 hour drive home from the breeders & she slept all the way. I used to put her in it to sleep at night for a few weeks but she started making a fuss & disturbing the workers in the family so I eventually let her sleep in my previous BC's old bed. She still loves her crate but I only use it in the car & when we go to training.

My new 8.5 m/o pup also got used to his crate with not problems, I didn't have to do anything special. I let him sleep in an open box in his room but due to toileting problems I put him in the crate at night until a couple of weeks ago when he was desexed & had to wear an Elizabethan collar so he has been sleeping on his soft bed in a pen.

You're going to have a big dog so I'd get him used to being in the yard in the daytime & only use the crate at night, after all dogs did that for decades before crates. The general rule is to put tasty food in the front of the crate & let the pup investigate, then gradually move the bowl further to the back. When pup goes in, don't lock him in. Do this for a time & then close the door for a few seconds, then open only if pup not performing. Gradually increase the time pup is locked in crate until he's happy to spend time in it. He will eventually grow to love his crate & they are handy for a number of reasons.

[miniizzy]

Thanks guys, I think we are just going to do things our own way - take the basic idea of crate training and adapt it to suit us. He slept well again last night, only 1 toilet break apart from just before us going to bed.

The real test will come when we start up back at work next week and he has to be left from 7! Getting into a morning routine now to try and ease him into it and we're going to try for 3 and a half to 4 hours on his own today. Hopefully that's too long but I guess they need some tough love every now and then!

Also went over to our neighbors to let them know there may be some crying and to see if they could keep an ear out and let me know if it's a lot. Turns out they have a 1 yr old female lab and they want to do play dates! Very happy and especially handy in case I need advice or pep talking!

Positive thoughts today! Relax and enjoy him mistakes and all :D

Don't know what I would do without this forum, the advice here is fantastic

Oh and my photobucket account has locked me out for some reason, photos once I can get it to work!

[persephone]

:) Puppies sleep in dirt/on grass/on cool paving ..... enjoy it .