Built the crate now what?

[luzmery928]

O.k so we finally or should I say I finally gave in and decided to get the crate to potty train our B. We will only be using this when he is left home alone since this is really the only time he potties in the house. Anyway today we decided against leaving him inside since it is his first day (although he was crate trained in his foster home) and he would be left inside for 8 hours. So tonight we will put him in for about an hour or two. But to start the process, this morning we placed his bed inside and before we left he had pulled it out and also threw up right in front of the crate. Do you think this was out of anxiety/fear of the crate? Hopefully just a belly ache. Anyway I returned his bed in the crate and threw some toys in there so he can get aquanted with his new den. But now what? Do we continue keeping him inside for a few hours at a time or do we just let him stay there all day? What are the things we should and should not place in the crate? Any feedback is appreciated.:rolleyes:

[jessi76]

do not put him in for hours OR a day to start. start with a few seconds. a minute. a few minutes. 15 min's. 1/2 hr. hour. etc… slowly BUILD UP time in the crate. reward your dog for being IN the crate - not for coming OUT of the crate.

I even used the crate as part of playtime - I'd bounce a ball or toy into the crate and have the dog go in after it. toss treats in the crate. every time I brought home a new toy or treat instead of giving it to the dog, I put it in the crate so the dog would have to go in to get it. basically associate ALL good things with the crate.

you'll have to experiment with things to put in or leave out of the crate. It really depends on the dog. for example - I use a water bottle instead of a clip on bowl for water since my dog tips over bowls. I use an old comforter as crate bedding. I toss in a stuffed kong, but never leave anything that can be a choking hazard (no bones, no chews, etc).

remember, for safety, ALWAYS remove the dog's collar before crating. collar tags can become lodged in the crate wires, causing the dog distress.

it also helps to use a word for the crate. I repeated KENNEL every time my dog went in. now, I just say "tucker, kennel" and he happily RUNS in, lays down, and awaits his treat.

start slow, build up, and keep it positive.

[luzmery928]

great thanks.

[luzmery928]

Yes we survived the first crating. I bribed our B inside the crate with some goodies closed the door and walked away. He was in there for 13 min and he was so good. He cried for only about 3 min. He would cry then stop then start. Not even very loud. When I came back, I just opened the door and walked away. Not bad at all. Needless to say I am extremely happy and relieved we survived.

[jys1011]

Sounds like a great start!!

Try to put him while you are at home so that he doesn't associate with you leaving…which may cause anxiety. I would also feed him in his crate so he also gets yummy smells in his crate & less likely to potty where he eats

I ditto everything Jessi said.

[luzmery928]

O.k. I actully taught that if I crated and stayed in the same room he would feel like I'm punishing him. But I'm so ignorant about this crate thing all suggestions and feedback are great. My husband put him in the crate for 15min this morning and peeked to see what Champ was doing and he said he stood for a few minutes and then went to sleep. (I'm sure it helped that we took a 45min walk this morning). Do I just put his bowl in the crate and leave it there until he eats? How fast do I move up to leaving him in the crate the whole day? Meaning do I wait a week, month, months?

[jys1011]

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.

[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?

[luzmery928]

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?

[jessi76]

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.

[jys1011]

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.

[jessi76]

@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.

[dash]

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.

[luzmery928]

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.

[luzmery928]

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?

[luzmery928]

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.

[tanza]

Way to go….. and great job!!!!!

[luzmery928]

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.

[luzmery928]

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!!

[tanza]

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