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I also wanted to add that we never let her out when she whimpers, and before she goes to bed at night, we take her outside for exercise and to go to the bathroom (and she always goes).
Our dog hated his crate at first too, and so we started feeding him in it. At first he just wouldn't eat, but eventually he got hungry enough to go in and eat out of his crate (with the door OPEN, which is very important), which helped him associate his crate with good things. We would also just randomly put treats in there throughout the day and let him just wander in and get them. Soon he started to associate the crate with food and treats and got much better about it. He never got to a point where he LIKED the crate, but the whining and barking stopped!
@cardigan: Thank you! Great tip!
Keep 'em coming is people have more suggestions.
My dog never got used to the crate. And I got her as a newborn, so no one ever abused her with the crate either. She would wimper so loud and my apartment is so small that it would keep me up all night. She also always had abandonment issues when I would just go tot he bathroom and shut the door, she'd be barking and crying like I had left her for a week. I don't really have any advice, except maybe you can get gates and quarantine a small section of the kitchen or bathroom isntead of the crate, but I'd assume the issue is just being away from you and not necessarily the crate.
Poor thing! Our dogs aren't the biggest fans of the crate either. The idea of feeding her in the crate is a good one. We also took a towel and slept with it for about a week so it would smell like us and then we put it in the crate. You're supposed to do that with a new puppy - take a blanket that has been with the mom and puppies to comfort the dog. But we tried it with our stink and it seemed to work!
Unfortunately, it may just take time for her to get used to the crate. I hope things get better soon! I'm sure she's happy to have such a good home.
I got a 1-year-old dog from the shelter last year and had the same problem. The good news is that it gets better with time. I remember thinking the crying would never stop. It's good that you're not letting the dog out when she cries!
When I was home, I'd put my dog's pillow in there and leave the door open, and just chill out watching tv with him in his crate right next to me. I also fed him in his crate and would put little pieces of hot dogs in his crate to encourage him to enter.
I think a lot of it has to do with the dog gradually gaining trust that you won't abandon him or leave him in the crate for days on end, which can only happen by consistently crating him. My dog used to throw temper tantrums, but now his considers his crate his "house" and will go there when he wants his own space.
Thanks, guys! I think we'll try to feed her in her crate with the door open, and see how that works. We'll also try sleeping with a blanket for a few days, and then sticking it in her crate.
Keep more ideas coming if you got 'em!
We had to go through this too! We stuff kongs, so she has something to keep busy with while in the crate. Nylabones are great too. We also randomly hide treats in it so she HAS to go in. Sometimes we practice crating and tell her to "kennel up" and then crate her while we ARE home, just for 10-20 minutes at a time, so it's not like we are always crating her and leaving. Anytime I bought new toys I would put them in the crate, so she would have to go in and get them, so it was a "magical place" worth checking out. If your dog is big into toys I also had a ball with a rope attached that I tied in the back part of the crate, so if mine wanted to play with it she had to go inside her crate. We NEVER made her go in, we always did it on her terms.
Also, this sounds weird, but once she goes in, we'd wait for her to sit, then lay down, THEN she would get the treat and I would shut the door. It's like if you just shut it right away she would whine, but if you waited for her to get comfortable and come to terms with being in there (laying down) then she handled it a lot better. Good luck!
Our puppy was the same way for a month or two. We started playing classical music for him to encourage him to sleep. At first he would just whimper louder than the music but now he can't sleep without it. He loves his crate and will go in there without us even asking him. It just takes time and trust.
@dpillai: Thanks! She has a kong in there, but she seems to have no interest in it. We'll try the sitting down before the treat thing, but she usually doesn't want to eat the treat either! I really think she gets nervous and loses her appetite.
Some dogs don't get the Kong at first. Make it "easy" with peanut butter right at the opening so even the most half assed lick gets a huge mouth of peanut butter! Then you can make it harder to get food out by adding kibble, treats, freezing it, etc.
Also, make sure you never use the crate as punishment with dogs like this. They need to know their crate is a happy place. Giving her lots of treats, food and water in there will help make that happen.
We had the same problems with our puppy. We got no sleep for about 3 nights but eventually we figured out that if we completely cover his crate with a light sheet EVERY time he's in it with the door closed he can't see us leave and it feels like a little den. We would cover him and still be around talking to each other and everything so he knew we were there. That helped ease his anxiety a lot and now he's just fine in there. Good luck! It will get better!
We also keep our dogs crate in our living room so that when we are watching tv and stuff he has a place to lay down and go into.
It also helps to associate a command with the crate. We use "Go To Bed". Every night as he went in just say it over and over and eventually he catches on. This helps because you eventually don't have to physically force them into the crate but give the command.
When I got my pug he was 7 months old from the pound. His owners did not housebreak him so I had to use the crate. We really didn't have any trouble but we were advised to never use it for punishment...ever! Sounds like you don't do that anyways.
We put treats in there and we came to think of it as his bedroom in the house. Now at 8 years old he loves it. He voluntarily goes in there to sleep and the door is always open. It will get easier with time. Just keep up the positive vibes for the kennel.
I've trained 11 guide dogs for the blind as well as done foster care with a humane society... here's my advice from experience.
If you can take the top off of the crate it will be less threatening, and feed him in the crate. Then put the crate top back on the crate and feed in the crate... it is all about baby steps. Your pup sounds very sensitive and probably has a large fear of crates due to being mistreated in her past, so you gotta make the crate super fun and happy... After a couple days, use the command "Kennel" or "Crate" put her in the crate, shut the door (but still stand right there or bend down right there) close the door for a second, lots of praise or even a treat, and then open it right back up and let her run out... do this OFTEN! It gets her used to the command and knowing she wont be stuck in there forever and that it isn't punishment. Then slowly work up to shutting the door and walking away for a minute (lots of praise!) then work on walking out of her eyesight... it may be slow and gradual, but it may not take that long... We had a foster dog who was terrified who within two days thought this was a great game to go in and out of his crate and by day three we were able to leave the house with him in it for some sort errands (we'd wait by the front door listening and he only barked and whimpered once or twice in the first 15 minutes)...
No matter if you use the crate at night or whenever you leave it is best to get them used to any situation so then they learn the crate is like their little home.
Also, if you put a blanket in the crate, be sure to keep an eye out, a lot of dogs when nervous can shred blankets and if she swallow chunks of the blanket you could have some huge vet bills and a possible surgery.
The key is to make it a happy place and use praise constantly. Positive reinforcement works wonders!
Let us know how it goes and post some pics too :)
It took our dog awhile to get used to the crate too. We have given up on the crate for bedtime, he is a HUGE pack dog and wants to be with us. He has finally gotten used to the crate when we are at work. Be patient and try the treats/food in the crate. The doggie will get there!
I think this is a problem with a lot of dogs. I second DizzyDaffodil about using positive reinforcement. Constantly putting the dog in and then giving them a treat (we use Zuke's treats because they are small, so we can give LOTS of them!). We used the same technique to get our dog to stop barking at the tv, LOL.
First thing, don't give in and let her out when she whines, that will only reward her for whining and she'll realize she's getting her way.
As others have said, make the crate a "happy place". Feed her in the crate and give her treats when you put her in the crate. (I train my dogs that "kennel" means go to their crates.)
Where is the crate? My dog did not like to be crated at night away from us - he was fine, however when we had the crate in our bedroom so he knew we weren't abandoning him.
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We recently adopted a one-year old poodle mix from a shelter. She's such a well-behaved dog, and for the most part, house-broken. However, we still want to crate train her during the day because she did have one accident a couple of nights ago, and we want to be sure she's completely house broken before we start to let her have free range of the house.
The shelter told us that she was a stray on the street, and when we got her, she was (and still is) really thin, so we're pretty sure she was a stray for a while (we're baffled, and so proud of her, for being mostly housebroken!). She LOVES being near us, and I think she has abandonment issues, which is totally understandable. Overall, she's a total love bug and we adore her, of course!
But, she had one problem that we're having trouble with: she HATES her crate. She will not go in by herself, no matter how long we give her to try it out, and she whimpers all night long. Literally! It's like having a newborn, we haven't gotten much sleep at all for the past week (how long we've had her). She starts to shake when we try to put her in, and her whimpering sounds like she's just terrified, so we think her past owners had used it for punishment. It's just so sad.
Does anyone have any suggestions to show her that her crate is a happy place? We put in her own doggie bed (that she loves when she's in the living room with us), her toys, and a treat each time she goes in (but she never eats the treat - nerves!). We're really at a loss for what to do, but we really want to show her that her crate is a good, safe place to make her feel calm and relaxed.
I'd appreciate any help/advice!