Just collected our new Labrador puppy last week and the crate training is not going well. I am an experienced dog owner of five dogs and this is my third Labrador so I like to think that I know what is required. There's always a exception to the rule in dog world though! My puppy has been introduced to his crate in a nice gentle positive way and has slept in it with the door closed a couple of times. He doesn't go in it of his own accord and the couple of times that he has settled in it have been prceeded by him falling asleep first and me lifting him into it. But his reaction when he goes in there when awake but tired is exceptional! He leaps around biting the crate walls, screaming, panting and getting very very stressed. He can keep this up for well over an hour. He gets himself in such a tizzy and is not a happy boy. He is happy to sleep on the hard laminate floor and he has company in the form of me next to the crate. He has good bedding, a snuggly large toy, chew toys, and is tired when I put him in, but his exceptional behaviour in trying to settle is proving very hard on both of us! The crate has a puppy fence around it and he settles much much better if he is within that but not inside the crate. Any one experienced this before? I'm reluctant to start using puppy toilet pads or the like because I think that is just encouraging him to peeein the house. I have been getting up and letting him out when he has asked during the night (and day) with no problems. He has an older dog who is showing him the ropes, but they are not sleeping together because I know that puppy would get squished! Thoughts?
Hi and welcome. You are correct that not all dogs are the same. My girl hated the crate and would do the same if I was home. When I crated her whilst I was out of the house she settled quickly and slept (I watched her on webcam). I decided after a few weeks of perservering that it didn’t bother me that she wouldn’t go in whilst I was home so I never trained her to go in. I know lots of pups who are happy being in a pen environment and it has worked for them. Hopefully someone else will be along soon with some more advice.
Welcome from Holly and me in South Wales. We've never crated our dogs. We tried it with Holly but in her quiet stubborn way she made it quite clear that she was NOT going into the crate. Like her predecessors, we constrained her to the kitchen/utility area while toilet training her and put newspaper by the back door in case of accidents. A child gate kept her in the kitchen. Toilet training went fairly normally, after which we gave her the run of downstairs.
I agree - my Gypsy hated the crate and I used a large puppy pen instead. Tatze adores her crate and still has it at night at five years old!
Thanks. He is now in a deep asleep outside the crate but within the puppy pen. I think that I will get some puppy pads and wait for the !penny! to drop. After three munsterlanders who were a dream in the crate and toileting outside I thought that I would return to a breed that is easier to train. How wrong can you be?!! I love him to bits screaming and all. Interesting to hear that other people have experienced the same with thier Labs. It's ok for breeders/books/trainers to say crates are the best, but puppies haven't read the blurb!
Not all puppies/dog's love a crate but it sounds as if your puppy has only been in tge crate when asleep. To encourage a pup that the crate is the best place in the world we encourage them to go in by following treats, then finding treats in the crate, going in for a treat and then straight back out. Once pup is hapoy going into the crate pop him in with a kong, push the door. As he finishes the kong opend the door and allow him out. Give his meals in the crate. To increase his desire to get into his crate, pop his food in and close the crate door so ge can't get to it. Wait a minute and then allow him into the crate and close the door. Open again as he finishes his food. Gradually extend the time the door is closed.
We don't close the door on Cooper's crate now, but she does sleep in it during the day sometimes. It has a blanket over the outside so it is dark. Her dog dish is just inside so at dinner time, she goes in and waits. We really should take it down because it takes up a lot of space but she likes it . There are two (3 if count our bed) dog beds in our bed room, and two in the kitchen.
