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Crate help- PLEASE
Newbie here looking for advice for our dog that dislikes her crate- terribly.
Facts: she has been crate trained since a puppy, she is 1 yr 2 months old.
--She is in a plastic molded crate- not wire,
--Kongs and other toys are provided.
--She is never in the crate for more than 4 hours, she is taken on long walks for her breaks.
--We have starting letting her sleep outside of the crate at night- she is fine all night. She sleeps downstairs alone.
--We have tried leaving her out of the crate whe we go out, she is clearly stressed by this.
--If she even THINKS she going into her crate she runs from us and hides.
--We have tried a schedule of putting her in the crate with us being home, so that she would learn to not associate going into the crate with our leaving.
--Interestingly she is NOT a timid, or fearful dog, thunderstorms, vacuums, etc do NOT bother her.
Any help, suggestions, resources would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Re: Crate help- PLEASE
All of this.
I throw random treats into the crate for "discovering" when I am crate training. My dogs also only get PB kongs and bully sticks while in their crates. Every time foster hops into his crate on his own, he gets a treat.
They eat meals in there too.
GL!
Are you sure your dog is hiding out of fear? Could it be a game she's trying to play with you? Have you tried luring her with a treat?
Thanks for the responses. We are stumped.
We have done everything to make her crate a positive den.
I do use Kongs stuffed with favorite treats, if she even sees me handle a Kong she quietly goes behind the furniture to hide.
We never force her into the crate. We do not chase her, we work with her calmly and gently. Once we get her right in front of the crate she will walk in to check out the Kong and treats. After the door is shut, she WAILS and cries. Sometimes she trembles and shakes??
I have tried music of all genres, and talk radio stations.
Tried Resuce Remedy and other such products.
I am thinking about a Thundershirt out of desperation. Thoughts?
We are so upset, we hate to see and hear her so distressed, but we know she has to be crated for her own safety.
^sigh^
Can you confine her to a dog proofed room?
Our long-term foster does not get crated, but is closed in our bedroom when we are gone, and our other two are crated in the same room.
She has a thundershirt and it has helped.
Have you been mentally exercising her? That is one of the most helpful tools with our foster. We work on training, tricks, and using mentally stimulating toys.
We do not have the ability to have a dog proof room right now BUT be are considering finishing a portion of our lower level just for the dogs. Our concern is that she is more anxious out of the crate when leave. She seems to need the security of the crate.
We have a variety of puzzles from Dr F and Smith, we hid things around the house, take her to dog parks and dog pools (she loves to swim!). She has a dog walker so she is not in the crate for more than 4 hours at a time-max. We got a second dog for her. Our dogs have a great lives!
If we could fiqure out this crate thing! augghh!!!
Kudos on being a good pet owner and working through these issues with her.
I would recommend a Thundershirt, DAP diffuser (try Amazon or PetEdge), and or a DAP/calming collar.
Those can take a month or more to work. I would take her to the vet and talk about anti-anxiety meds.
Thanks Katelyn,
When have the DAP diffuser, but we will order the collar as well. I am wondering if we did not give it enough time the first time we tried it. We will try it faithfully for 6 weeks this time.
I am also going to get a Thundershirt, I will get her fitted ASAP.
Fingers crossed!
Thanks again!
Mostly a lurker here and a little late to the party, but I just wanted to tell you that I could have written your post a few months ago. My dog is now almost 2 years old, and just recently has he come around to not hating his crate. He doesn't love it or anything, but once he sees a Kong or piece of bacon (crate-only treats) he runs in there and waits for the treat! I seriously couldn't believe it because he was just like yours, but it happened eventually. Hang in there!
Thank you, this fills me with hope. We will stay the course and hope for such miracle.
thanks again all!
Try this:
Reserve her favorite treats and toys when she is out of her kennel. and ONLY give them to her when she goes into her kennel.Do this until she recognizes her kennel as her sanctuary and is completely comfortable going inside. You may want to stay with the routine she is use to by kenneling her up when it's bedtime, and when you leave the house.
You can also do short training sessions. Find a word that you want to use for when you want her to go into her kennel. When I did this with my puppy, I lured her into the kennel with a treat saying "kennel up" and when she was completely in the kennel, i rewarded her with the treat. I did this until I was able to say "kennel up" and she would go inside on her own without me having to lure her in.
You may want to get a wired crate. the plastic ones are used best for mobility. They usually make the dog feel trapped.With a wire crate, throw a blanket over the top so it's nice a cozy {but don't completely cover the crate} You can get a really good price on barely used wired kennels on craigslist.
Good luck!