mel_ Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Hey guys, My 11 month old Cavalier likes to spend most of the day outside but refuses to go into the kennel I bought many months ago. He will only go inside to pull his bedding out. When he was a lot younger he use to happily sleep inside a carrier used for car travel, I'd just remove the door from it. Since he eventually grew out of it I bought him one of those Coolaroo kennels from Bunnings but he absolutely hates it. Is there any way to train him to like it? He loves his crate though and sleeps in it at night. Any advice would be great! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 :) when he was younger, it was cold . Now it's warm ..and he probably feels he doesn't need the kennel? the other thing is to watch where he DOES sleep ..and put the kennel there (if under shade) . You could also feed him in the kennel every day. It all boils down to his decision though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_ Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 I didn't consider the weather at all, that's a good point. I'll try feeding him in there since meal times are his favourite parts of the day! Thank you! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisymina Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I found none of ours were very kennel friendly. We have a nice brick one out the front and the only time our dogs ever used it was when we were out and they were waiting for us to come home and the weather was not so good. It has something to do with them wanting to be able to see around them. When you think about it, would you want the enemy catching you unawares? :) Come night time, they seem quite happy to curl up as close to their humans (pack)as they can - kennel, crate etc is irrelevant to them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_ Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 (edited) Oh yep I remember my mum mentioning that he might not like it because he can't see what's going on, he's a huge sticky beak haha. Probably explains why he likes the crate so much. The carrier he slept in had small gaps for him to see through as well. Wish I had thought of this before I bought it, it will most likely end up sitting there collecting dust forever! Edited December 13, 2012 by mel20890 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Someone gave me a kennel years ago. It sat near the back door for a long time and it stayed there, completely ignored, for months until I gave it away :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 The trick to getting a dog to use a kennel is to place it so that the dog can see all of the comings and goings from the entrance... if the kennel is in the back yard, face it so that it can see the back door... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_ Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 The trick to getting a dog to use a kennel is to place it so that the dog can see all of the comings and goings from the entrance... if the kennel is in the back yard, face it so that it can see the back door... T. Thanks I'll try that also! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 My kennels face the house and doors so they can lie in them and see everything. Placement is the key. Also check it doesn't wobble as they go in, puts them off. I have mine up on pallets to keep them off the ground, but maybe too high for a cav. The other thing you could try, does the lid lift off? if so, take it off for a while and see if he will go in it like that . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_ Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Yep the lid comes off. I've tried that before and he would still just take his bedding out, but I think it was in the wrong spot like you guys mentioned. He likes to sleep near the sliding door so he can see what we're up to, so I'll move it to the middle of yard. I have a feeling it wobbles a little too since our paving is a bit uneven some places... thank you so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieEvans Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 tdierikx, on 14 December 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:The trick to getting a dog to use a kennel is to place it so that the dog can see all of the comings and goings from the entrance... if the kennel is in the back yard, face it so that it can see the back door... T. Yes, I think this suggestion works because that's what I observed from our dog. She doesn't like it if she can't see all of the comings and goings from the entrance and would end up barking a lot if that happens. You could also try the first suggestion of feeding your dog and paying attention to where he usually chooses to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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