My 11-week old female LabraDoodle, that we have had for about 9 days now is not taking to her crate well.I need some suggestions and help that work with a full-time person who doesn't have time to pamper the pup with 2 hour breaks and such.
My 8 month old Akita gets crated only when we go to work in the morning. Some days I find him out
I have a question about crate training. My 9 week old puppy will sleep in his crate at night time, but will not go into it during the day.
I have a 10 week old female Boxer that may have anxiety in her crate. We have trained on this consistently. She will freely go in to eat or get a toy, but the moment the door closes she gets anxious. I have sat in front of the crate and talked to her and fed her treats. She starts to drool heavily. When I return from school I find bedding soaked with clear liquid. Is she vomiting? Or drooling? What should I do?
By Amberly Garcia from Greenville, TX
No, crating is acceptable. It is not a form of punishment. You put babies into a crib to keep them safe? This is to keep your dog or puppies safe when you are gone. It makes housebreaking faster and easier. I have crated all of my dogs when they were puppies. Most dogs accept it as a safe and secure and never outgrow the use of their crate. My boxer mix would automatically go into her crate as soon as I picked up my purse to leave. I always thought It was cute and funny that she did this.
Your dog may have separation anxiety. That has nothing to do with being crated. Talk to your Vet and see if he recommends some mild sedation to ease her anxiety while you are gone. I think if you don't control the anxiety now it may get worse as she gets older. Hopefully she will outgrow it in a few months. Good luck with your new puppy and keep her safe.
Hello again, Amberly. I wrote a long post a few days ago in response to your question and somehow managed to delete it into the infinity of cyberspace. "xintexas" basically summed up my lengthy post as she is so correct in stating that crate training is not punishment, and just like you wouldn't imagine a crib as a jail cell for a baby you shouldn't consider a crate a puppy prison. Like a mother wolf that won't allow her pups to leave the den until they learn some of the survival rules, a pet parent needs to define the rules (via crates) for his/her domesticated puppy before he or she is allowed full roaming privileges in your home.
As I've said in other posts, crate training is not a life sentence and the ultimate goal is an always open kennel (safe place) for the dog to retreat. I've used crate training for all of my canine pups and all learned "the house rules" (potty training) within three to four months. Honestly, the only accidents they ever had over five months of age were due to illness, not misbehavior, and that is quite acceptable.
Yes it will break your heart as young puppies cry at night crated in those early days. But it will break your heart into many more pieces should you raise a spoiled puppy into a dog that you can't control or care for on a regular basis. Remember: You, as the owner of a instinctively pack orientated canine, are the Alpha animal. Act accordingly.
To address your concerns of wet bedding being drooling or vomit, I highly suspect it is drool. At ten weeks, teething issues could be the culprit. Consider buying her serious chew toys, such as the "Kong" toys that can be filled with peanut butter or treats. As a Boxer, she will most probably be able to destroy Kongs when she is full grown, but as a puppy with possible teething issues, the toys will give her hours of entertainment. Then again, our grown Mastiffs still treat their Kong toys kindly as we still use them for treat dispensers! :-)
Separation anxiety is to be expected of a puppy that has just moved away from his/her mother. Please don't even consider medicating a young puppy for this naturally distressful transition. Wrap a wind up clock in a towel and leave overnight in the crate; keep a routine "bedtime" "wake-up" time schedule; say "Good night" sweetly and "good morning" energetically. Again, in a matter of weeks, you will be glad you did! Good luck, Amberly. Best wishes for you and Luci.
I just recently got a Yorkie puppy, as cute as a bugs ear. But when I put her in her pet taxi at night and through out the day she whines and whines till she wears herself out.
I have a 14 week old Pitbull puppy that we are trying to crate train. He has made some progress, but he is still messing in his crate. My husband and I work all day and do not have someone to take him out in the afternoon. Is it still possible for the crate training to work even if he is in it for 8 hours at a time? Also, he gets let out every 3 hours at night, and still messes in his crate then. Please help!
By Kimiko
You wont be able to crate "train" your puppy unless you can let him out at least every 3 hours. You are not "training" you are confining the dog. He is growing up confined to a crate. I agree with Jilson that confining him to a room with a potty area may be your best bet.
Everyone here is assuming you have someone to come in and take the dog out periodically. Not everyone is that lucky! And no, you aren't a bad puppy mommy because you have a job. Dogs do get accustomed to being alone through the day. I have 2 small dogs and periodically through their lives I have had full time jobs too. They are used to it. They know that they will go out last thing just before I leave, and first thing as soon as I get home. I would suggest though that you or your husband come home at lunch time and take the dog out.
Also, the idea of a pet sitter coming in every day is a really bad idea. If for no other reason than they are sooo expensive! It would cost less to board her than it would to hire a sitter! I know, I've checked into it extensively!
My 6 mo. old puppy doesn't want to be crated anymore. How do I get her to stay in her crate? She has been crated since she was 9 weeks old and has done really well, until 2 nites ago. Now she barks and cries continuously. I washed her blankets and she has her special toy. What do I do now? She weighs 4 lbs and I don't want her out at nite to get hurt or in trouble.
By memaheff from USA
I would try giving her treats when she goes into her crate herself. Do it a few times a day, then maybe you won't have so much trouble at night. Always leave the crate open during the day, so it is a place she can go back to when she feels like it.
How do I stop my dog from chewing up his bed? Everything I put in his kennel to keep him warm he rips up. I don't know what else to do. Please help.
By dbab23
My Chihuahua is 3 months old and I have been trying to crate train him. I work during the day 8-5 and go home at lunch to let him out. He no longer has accidents in the house while I am home and does not squeal as long as I am in sight. He does pee and poo outside frequently, but even crating him just to take a shower is long enough for the screaming to start and usually followed by me coming back to find he has gone (most of the time poo). And it doesn't matter if a bone and toys are in the crate at all. To him all that matters is the doors closed and he is in there.
By Brad J
I have a 12 week old puppy that poops in his cage every time we put him in there. It is never longer than 3 hours and as short as 30 minutes. We make sure that he only has enough room to turn around, that he has pooped and peed before he goes in, and he actually likes his cage. Does anyone have any ideas how to break him of this?
Thanks!
I have a Bluetick Beagle, that is about 4-5 months old. I've had her since she was weaned and have been trying to get her in the groove of using the bathroom outside since then. Recently, I decided to try crate training. I only put her in the crate at night or if I'm cleaning. The crate it only big enough for her to turn around and lay down.
The past 2 nights she has pooped in the crate and then laid on it smashing it. She usually would hold it, but now she poops in the crate even if she's only in it for a short amount of time. What tehnique should I try now? Or how should I change what I'm already doing? Also, how do I get the dog smell out of carpet? Thanks.We have a 4 month old Great Pyrenees/Maremma puppy. The place where we got this pretty female pup was on a farm. There were a few pups in a closed shed with no windows. I want to crate train her.
