Crate Advice!

[JenSam]

Hi,

I've read a couple of things on here about crate training and I would be grateful for some advice.

We bought a crate for Sam as the breeder said this was essential.  Unfortunately we gave in after a couple of nights and he now sleeps in our bedroom (on his blanket).  We still have the crate but he is very reluctant to go in there now.  For a couple of weeks he was going into his crate for a sleep, during the day, but when we lock it he howls and howls to get out.  We tried the whole, leave the door open for him to go in and out, then lock it and leave the room for a few mins, building this up to a longer time, but it just doesn't seem to work now.   

I would really like him to get used to it as he chewed a hole in our living room carpet  and I don't like to thing what else he will chew if we left him on his own out of his crate!!

His water bowl is in there and he will go in for a drink, but come straight back out again.  I have given him a couple of toys and some treats, but he still cries his wee heart out  .

Do you think it's time that we gave up with the crate, or should we go back to basics and start the training all over again?

[AnnieM]

I am no expert, but what I would do is make it a really cosy den for him.  Snuggly bed, and cover over the top so he can't see out, but there is ventilation for him.  Put his favourite toys in there and yummy treats, you could also try feeding him his dinner in there, he needs to feel that this is a safe, secure and comfy place to be.  I always used to give mine a chew that took a few minutes to eat, then shut the door covered them up and just left them to it.  You could try leaving a radio on or tv, so he maybe doesn't realise he is alone.
My girls are 12 months old next week and still sleep in their crate with the door shut, they howl if I leave it open.     It is their safe place, so I would persevere for a little longer and if he really doesn't take to it, then maybe ditch it, but you really do need to give it time, they don't all accept them straight away.  Little and often is the key, put him in cover him up and leave him, if just for a few minutes then go back and let him out, but only when he is quiet.  Gradually build up the amount of time you leave him, once he realises you will go back to him eventually you should be oK.   

[claireandmartin]

i am no expert either but i think you should go back to basics as far as the crate is concerned , as you said you dont know what else he is going to ruin .
maybe try and put him in the crate for 15 mins a  couple of times a day for him to get used to the crate and then  gradually increase it?

[Moss]

I am going through the pain barrier too with our Sheltie of 8wks.  Tried just leaving him to cry for the first couple of nights but he soiled the bedding so am now sleeping on living room floor !  The first night of this he still fought with the bars of the crate and cried at me for 15mins but I didn't make eye contact, just kept speaking quietly and calmly so that he stopped the noise in order to be able to hear me.
Tonight will be night three on the floor and I'm going to move my cushions out of sight.  He'll still be able to hear me breathing and fidgeting, and speaking if necessary.  Last night he was happy for me to disappear to the toilet and I switched of the night light at about 4am so the dark is no longer causing him distress.  In the day we have been waiting until he falls asleep on the floor and then scooping him up and placing him in the crate, sometimes closing the door sometimes not.  He's gradually adjusting. 
Someone I know had problems with their dog being upset by noises outside the house, but otherwise happy to sleep in the kitchen.  They put a baby monitor by his bed so that the dog could hear them speaking to him from upstairs.  I'm going to try this if Mac is happy with me moving away a little bit tonight.
Getting him out at 6am has got us through 2 nights without any soiling and no toilet trips in the night.
We don't have a suitable house layout to be able to leave him in the kitchen undisturbed day or night so the living room is our only option.  I don't want to try leaving him during the day with cushions and carpets to destroy so we are definitely going to persevere with the crate.  I appreciate your fears though, it's awful feeling that they are developing negative associations with something that you want to rely on.
Good luck.

[Sarah16]

I am no expert either but I can only give my opinion from my experience. Mollie hated her crate to to start of with, she howled and howled, ripped up her paper and tipped her water out. I started again, made the crate inviting with a vet bed, old jumper of mine and teddy, I then put her water bowl and food in leaving the door open so she got a positive association with the crate, within a couple of days she would lie in the crate for small naps with the door open. By the end of the week she had progressed to taking herself to the crate after her last wee at night. I started closing the door when she fell asleep until she was happy with me closing the door while she was awake. I also put a blanket over the top to cover 3 sides to make it den like. She now loves her crate and takes herself to it if we have my young nephews or she just wants some peace and quiet.

[Cobaltblue]

William loves his crate and has done from the first night.  I always keep the door open though unless he's been naughty.  Its a Croft one so nice and big, I've put some vetbed on the floor and a fleecy bed in there as well as a fluffy pillow and some of his toys.  He often goes in there to escape and have some peace and quiet and he sleeps in there overnight.  I do put the radio on for him overnight which seems to settle him.  Personally, I'd persevere with the crate because they are so useful.  Good luck.

[JenSam]

Thanks everyone for you advise on this.  We have started feeding Sam in his crate and I have put a blanket over the top to make it more like a den.  I also put in an old t-shirt of mine, which he dragged out by the label, and sat with it on the carpet and chewed the label 

Last night he did go in his crate and lay down and I was so pleased, but it only lasted for about a minute!!   

We tried putting him in this morning and he howled and howled to get out.  we left him until he was quiet and then let him out.  I think we will just to persevere.

Just one thing I wanted to check about the blanket, should we cover the crate completely with the blanket or just cover the top so that he can still see out of the front?

[Rhona W]

Just one thing I wanted to check about the blanket, should we cover the crate completely with the blanket or just cover the top so that he can still see out of the front?

Our's is covered on all sides except the front one where the door is. But I don't know if that is what everybody does.   

[caro]

When we used a crate we had a blanket on the top that hung down the two sides so she could still see out the front, we made it cosy in there for her and she was ok with it - we only kept her in there a few hours at a time, and only for one period per day apart from at night-time, but that didn't last very long as she started wetting the bed when she heard my husband leave at 5.15 am for work.  So he started to take her out for a pee and then let her up for a couple of hours with me!  She slept in the crate at night til she was about 11 months and now comes to bed with us - naughty but nice!    We have been lucky she doesn't destroy anything when we leave her, except shoes so we have to keep them out of reach.  When she is left we give her a kong which she loves and then she goes to sleep.

[beebee]

I think we have been lucky, Maisy goes into her crate happily each night and doesn,t make a sound until we let her out in the morning But this morning at 5.45 i heard her barking, when i came downstairs our very large ginger cat was looking in at her, and i swear he was poking his tongue out and going ne ne ne ne ne i'm out here and you're not  . My OH put her to bed last night and hadn't covered the crate so she couldn't see out, the blanket usually hangs down about 3/4 down the crate, i worry there wont be enough air circulating otherwise. It was funny to see.

[Vivienne]

  Whistler went into the crate day 1 winged a bit but slept all night. He has one in my office as well. When he falls asleep we put him in. I try to keep his crate in the office behind a desk so he cant see me or he howls. (hes 9 weeks). At home when I try to get him out for his last wee he sneaks into his crate and trys to pretend he is asleep. Go back to basics, I have to leave the office occassionally and I know he is safe. I knew it was working when I set off the alarm at home and Whistler went to his crate for safety!!

All I need to do now is to train the kids aged 22 not to leave trainers on the kitchen floor they are asking for trouble as he chews everything and nicks their trainers for his bed.

Good luck.

[MaxG]

We were a bit unlucky on the crate front - Max HATED the one in the kitchen & REFUSED to use it during the day - we tried EVERYTHING recommended on here & he truly detested it - got sooooooooooooo distressed - it was awful.

However, at night, he happily settled in the crate we had in our bedroom til he grew out of it.

We eventually gave up on the daytime crate & puppy-proofed the kitchen & got a child gate & used to leave him in there when we nipped out instead. Very luckily, he never really chewed & by the time he was 7-8mths old, he was able to have the run of the lounge too & then a few mths later, the entire house - fingers crossed, to this day, we've had no problems - he's almost 2yrs now.

I guess it's worth trying all the suggestions but accepting that not all pups embrace the crate approach, no matter what you do!!