Hi all, anyone else had issues with their pups no longer setting well in their crates during the day? Neo has just turned 6months and we have crate trained him since we got him at 8 weeks. He is great overnight and settles down no problem (though a later wake up would be nice!). He used to be good at settling during the day too but recently has started whining which often escalates to barking if he is in there for more than about 20mins, even when we are in the room. He isn’t crated often in the day as I don’t work currently, typically he goes in for an hour or so with a frozen kong in the morning following his walk so I can do some chores and again in the evening after his tea so we can eat ours, again for about an hour, if that. Has anyone else had similar issues? Is this likely part of adolescence and pushing boundaries? I don’t think he has ever really ‘loved’ his crate despite my best efforts and doesn’t choose to rest in there if given the choice but was generally happy enough to go in for a bit with a handful of kibble/treats and have a snooze. Any tips or ideas would be much appreciated, thanks.
Well, our 12 wk old never liked it and we were sad seeing him so fearful biting on door etc. We did days of the food in crate, treats, etc but he didn't want to be locked in. A pen (although large for our living room) worked well. We got a 34 inch high 8 panel (but can be 6) and put it around his kennel. Having the extra room, being able to go in and out and stretch out, have toys and food (frozen kongs) also helped. I also have a longer treat toy. I think they get tired of it, my other 2 labs were not crate dogs after a year, although the last one had it for an escape. I went the pen route so he'd still be safe and have more room as he grew. I also ordered a lick mat to feed him in there with to break up the boredom and other puzzle like toys to see if that helps. He loves the Kong but it does seem like "same old" at times. Is the crate big enough? We never did the small to large crate recommended. We knew our dog would be large and bought a larger one. I put a box in the back when really small but luckily never had the bathroom accidents there since he wasn't crated 8 hours etc.
Thanks for your reply. He started in a medium and we now have an XL crate. He isn’t that big a lab (yet!) and has plenty of room to stretch out. I have a pen for him in the kitchen but he isn’t keen when the door is closed on that either so it’s just always open. Like I said, we have no issues overnight and he was fine with the crate until recently for a couple of brief periods during the day. He is also reacting more to sounds and things both around the house and in the garden so am wondering if he is going through a fear phase? I don’t have much experience with spotting the signs as my previous girl was a lot more chilled than he is and didn’t have similar issues.
That can be re noise. Or he might hear something outside. I had a dog that never cared about sounds indoors, but outside sounds, yes he'd alert us. My last one hated hearing the furnace turn on (old house, it was like a bang) It might be just a short phase, sometimes a new toy or treat toy will help. I had a nice dinner take out yesterday and I gave him my new lick mat and he stayed in crate and licked that while i ate. I never fed him from my dish but suddenly bothers me if I eat anything. I also got a popsicle like treat crate toy (Diggs Groov crate toy) that doesn't fit the kennel wall too well but I just leave it on floor. That lasts about 10-15 minutes if frozen. I think as they get older, they do get less satisfied with crate except for rest and when we want rest, it doesn't always coincide. I have a feeling without a google, 6 months would be a stage like that. I hope it gets better, they do throw us curve balls as they grow.
