Skip to content

Built the crate now what?

Basenji Training
  • I would build up to the next level when's calm…no crying...and voluntarily walks into his crate. If he's doing well for 15 minutes for a few days without problems then step it up to 25 minutes.

  • Today he did not cry at all but my husband had to nudge him in. Does the postioning of the crate matter? Right now it's facing the door which to me is probably not the best place. I don't want him staring at the door waiting for us to come home. I was thinking of putting him facing the T.V where not only he can watch the discovery channel but I've noticed a nice ray of light comes in and he can sit in the sun all day. Might get too hot though. Guess half light half shade. I wonder if the T.V. will relax him. So it is also a good idea for him to be crated when lets say my daughter comes home so she can do her hw in peace?

  • I just read on another thread that they give their pets time out inside the crate, so I can use this when he nipps my daughter?

  • this is a tricky one. yes, you CAN, but it must be done correctly.

    I did it when my pup was young and still learning how to play - when he got out of line, I gently scooped him up, and placed him in the crate without saying a word. Calm body language is also key. do not convey any anger. you do not want the dog to associate anger with the crate.

    Keep pup in the crate for only a few minutes. when the pup stops whining (even if for a split second) that is when you let the dog out. once the dog is out, forgive and forget.

    it's VERY important that you do this a calm and lovingly as possible to keep it positive. I'm saying to coddle the dog, but absolutely NO scolding if doing a time out in the crate.

    this method only really helps to give the dog a few minutes to calm down - it doesn't teach the dog to not bite or how to play nicely. for that you must give a correction when in the moment.

  • OOH definitely put it in the sun!!! B's LOVE LOVE LOVE the sun..really they love it! They also LOVE windows so if there's anyway to put it infront of a window that would be good too.

    I have some dogs do watch the TV but I only use the TV as a noise drowner so that if someone rings the doorbell or outside noises doesn't get them all riled up.

  • @luzmery928:

    Today he did not cry at all but my husband had to nudge him in. Does the postioning of the crate matter? Right now it's facing the door which to me is probably not the best place. I don't want him staring at the door waiting for us to come home. I was thinking of putting him facing the T.V where not only he can watch the discovery channel but I've noticed a nice ray of light comes in and he can sit in the sun all day. Might get too hot though. Guess half light half shade. I wonder if the T.V. will relax him. So it is also a good idea for him to be crated when lets say my daughter comes home so she can do her hw in peace?

    ok, let's keep in mind, this is a dog, not a baby. the dog really doesn't need to watch the tv, and it could in fact make him more anxious. and being in the sun may be nice, but come summer time, may be too hot.

    I experimented w/ a few different spots - and my dog seemed to settle in best in my kitchen. bright, yet cool and shady.

    yes, it's a good idea to crate while you are home (or have your daughter crate during homework) however, be sure to let the dog out when she comes home, give the dog opportunity to do his business outside, stretch, play a bit, and THEN re-crate for some quiet time.

  • I agree with jessie76. I think it would be best to find another spot for time out, other than the crate if possible. With the experience I had with Dash he hated the crate as it was and I didn't want to use it as punishment. I told him no and made him sit and calm down as many times as necessary to make him stop. The "no" needs to be loud and abrupt as to scare him.

  • Scare him..yeah right my B has not heard any of my commands whatsoever when it comes to the nipping. I know it takes time and he is doing a tid bit better. O.k I definetly don't want to create negative feelings with the crate, I'll try something else. I guess it's also too soon to tell what he's going to feel towards the crate, but sure hoping for positive den results.

  • O.k so I finally put Champ in his crate for a full day. 9 hours to be exact. Can you believe it, he did not go in the crate. When I got home I immediatly took him for his walk and he was like a mad dog on the leash. He even stayed out in the rain. It's understandable since it was his first day of real crating. Anyway he has begun to go in the crate to grab a toy or treat that I leave in there. He did not eat inside but all in time..one day at a time. The only thing is that I do think now when we go out even if it's to go in the car, we will need to walk him a bit to pee. I think he might begin to train himself to hold it in and when he goes out, regardless of how often or how long, he will relieve himself. Last night I picked my hubby from the bus stop so I took Champ for the ride, when we came back I asked (H) to walk our B but he said later and sure enough our B went in the house. Funny thing is that he went right next to the crate (Not his usual peeing spot) so I think he was trying to tell us something.."hello mommy and daddy be consistant with this potty training we go out and I pee that's why u crated me all day". I explained this to my H, so hopefully we wil also learn this whole crating thing. I do have a question…Champ is 1 year old, what is the max. amount of time he should be left in the crate?

  • Yes we made it through a whole week with the crate and it is going wonderfully. I say we because I was really concerned about the whole crate thing being like a cage and all but no he seems to be getting used to it..not loving it but accepting it. He even ate his food inside yesturday. Up until this point he would not eat or drink but to our surprise he did yesturday. And this morning he saw we put his food inside and went in all on his own. We usually have to bribe him with treats but not today. I was so happy I have him like 5 treat and told him what a good boy he was. I had forgotten something at home, so I went back and he didn't even look up, he was busy eating his food. I'm so proud of our Champ. He looks inside his crate from time to time when we are home so this is all positive. Thanks for all your feedback on this subject because it was that, that helped me get through my fear of crate training. Yes we are potty trained at least for a week.

  • Way to go….. and great job!!!!!

  • Still going strong and this morning he walked right in his crate after we placed the food inside. He wasn't hungry cause he had already eaten after his morning run but I keep the dish inside for the water and what little food he had left and well he just did it like a good boy. He's so smart. He walked in looked at me and was like o.k mommy see you later. Gave him a handful of treats for this. I swear things could not have gone any better with the crate training. And to think I was so against this.

  • O.k so our B is still doing great and guess what, after an exhausting weekend;began training, b-day party, agility class, our B came home exhausted and he went right into his crate all on his own last night and fell asleep. YES our B likes his crate. Hooray!!

  • Yes, many of them love their crates as a "safe" quiet place…. when they become a positive place then they are happy.... 99% of the time

  • I figured after a long weekend with endless cuddles and attention, he was happy to have some alone time.

Suggested Topics

  • Crate training

    Basenji Training
    38
    0 Votes
    38 Posts
    4k Views
    elbrantE
    @sanjibasenji said in Crate training: I have much respect for that accumulated knowledge, but, not to sound rude, that does not make that person a certified or licensed trainer. I actually was offended by what you posted. You said you respect the knowledge, but disregard it because they aren't a "certified or licensed trainer"? These are well-intentioned breeders who volunteer to engage with others on the Forum in an attempt to educate and celebrate this amazing dog breed. They share their knowledge. You don't have to agree with them. Offer your opinion and move on. Please don't suggest that their opinion, experience, and education isn't valid because they aren't "certified" or "licensed". Your overall intent screams that you believe yourself to be better than the rest of us: "I'm a scientist with a PhD." Which puts the rest of us beneath you? In education and social stature? You couldn't know about anyone's socioeconomic status, educational achievements, or expertise on any subject. But you deemed to think it was appropriate to put us in our place. And that, was rude. Even the analogy you offered is an indication that you don't value anyone who doesn't have a degree. Frankly, if you are hearing conflicting opinions about the same piece of art, get a third opinion. The person with the degree may have just scraped by with a C+, while the person who devoted decades may have been under the tutelage of a Master Artist. And really, if you are planning to purchase such a prized piece of Art, shouldn't you educate yourself so you can make an intelligent decision instead of allowing others to tell you what to buy? As an aside: The original YouTube link remains, but we certainly do not need her entire catalog of videos. Sharing information is one thing, advertising for someone is another. I would hope that you understand that not everything you see online is true. Including claims to be an expert, certified, trained, Dr., etc., etc. Lots of people in the world are just selling a story.
  • And he is peeing now!

    Basenji Training
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    2k Views
    N
    @Nemo: Can you give more details of the situations when he pees on the couch? Well, it happened in two occasions in two different days. The first time we had been playing, we had gone for a walk after, we came back home, then I went to the kitchen to have some water and when I came back to the living room I saw him getting down the couch and voila! He had wetted the couch so I took him out right away. The second time was yesterday but I just noticed that the couch was wet, but did not see the moment it exactly happened, so I can't give many details. But I find it extrange, as mentioned, since he has been doing really well on potty training, I wonder what makes him peeing there.
  • Crate Time

    Basenji Training
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    2k Views
    ShannaniganS
    Thanks for the link, Ivoss! And thanks for the wire suggestions, as well guys. Chris is actually a plumber, so we have a surplus of PVC lying around! I'm sure that's going to be Chris' next favorite project; once it gets going I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes. :) Any ideas on what the maximum space between pipes would be? We don't want him wriggling and squeezing his way through. This might really help for while I'm away!
  • Crate Guilt

    Basenji Training
    23
    0 Votes
    23 Posts
    7k Views
    nobarkusN
    @Ann: Hi Dan. Thanks for your feedback. Noel will be 5 in November. (I don't know how she spent her first 4 years.) Our fence is 6' so other dogs can't get in…it's her reaction to them that could cause problems. I'm sort of a hyper worrier since Noel has a weak front leg. It was badly broken in December and, when there's squirrel/dog activity around the yard or in the alley behind us, she forgets about her leg and goes into a full run and jump mode. It's great to see her fly over our 2' stone ledge and run the periphery of yard like a guard dog or chase a squirrel back to its tree, but if left outside alone all day there's the potential that she'll overdo it and tire out her leg to the point of pain. I know I'm sounding over-protective...The vet recommends plenty of exercise but in small doses to avoid the fatigue thing. (I'll be posting some queries soon in relation to this!) OK Ann, now I see your dilemma here. This is a tuff one keeping a Basenji still or low activity especially when you're not there. The only other thing you could do is set up a kennel run or large dog pen to reduce the area. see this picture. http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_kennel_runs_pen_fence_.htm
  • Pooping in crate!

    Basenji Training
    47
    0 Votes
    47 Posts
    19k Views
    wrx227wrcW
    Piggy only has problems pooping when she gets panicky too. For example if we leave her home in a crate and someone comes in the house but doesn't come down to see her or let her out she will do it. We can't put anything in her crate or she shreds it, we tried everything. For a while I was even buying fleece baby blankets at the dollar store and tossing them if she pooped. We gave up on that after a while. The mess was terrible, so I can relate to hours of cleanup… by the time you get her cleaned up and the crate. We did some desensitizing and left for short periods like I described before, and that helped a lot. My friend that has a B went to the vet about her anxiety, hers would cry incessantly, and they actually gave her meds, prozac I think, for it. I think she tried it, but didn't think it worked enough to do it. Sounded crazy to me. It hasn't happened in a while so we have been lucky. She has come to terms with her crate now and will once in a while go hang out in it by choice, so I know she doesn't hate it. Have you tried one of those snuggle buddy things? I wonder if you could find some way to protect it if Darwin had an accident. Best of luck and lots of patience!
  • Wrestling in the crate

    Basenji Training
    7
    0 Votes
    7 Posts
    3k Views
    ComicDom1C
    Our dogs do wander in and out of each other crates. They will even lay down in the others crates. Having said that, I am of the opinion that each dogs individual crate should be their own safe place. I know our Boston uses hers as a place to retreat when she does not wish to be bothered by the Basenji or just senses she needs to be out of the way. Roo our Basenji actually seems to respect that and will usually leave her be. Of course her crate is smaller so it would be difficult for both of them to be in it at once. Jason