Feeling really bad for my little girl :(

[Pammy2016]

She's about to turn 4 months old. We have been crate training her, but she absolutely HATES her crate. When it's about time to go in, she starts whimpering, crying, and shaking. We pick her up and hold her and try to soothe her, but she'll just nestle her neck in our shoulders and continue to cry.

I'm all out of ideas. We tried toys, treats, a comfy bed, and letting it open while we're home to roam inside and check it out, but nothing helps. She tears up her bed and figured out how to open the crate door from the inside every now and then! Any help? I read previously that dogs are den animals and prefer a cozy crate, but that is not the case with our little one. I feel awful whenever I put her in there..

[aweitzm1]

Crate training does not work for everyone. My dogs will only go in their carrier when we go somewhere. I tried crating them when I was away and at night but that was a disaster. Have you tried an x-pen? That worked for my boys. I gated the kitchen and they love it in there.

[Pammy2016]

Originally Posted by aweitzm1

Crate training does not work for everyone. My dogs will only go in their carrier when we go somewhere. I tried crating them when I was away and at night but that was a disaster. Have you tried an x-pen? That worked for my boys. I gated the kitchen and they love it in there.

We tried an x-pen before the crate. She tore the xpen up also and climbed out all the time. That pen is 3 feet high and she crawled up and over like it was nothing every day. Then we would come home to a mess.

She just has a thing with being separated from us in general. If she can't be by our side or on our lap, she whines, barks, and starts shaking. She's an angel when she has access to us though.

[JennaPenny]

When Chewie got sick with that double whammy and accidentally had a mess in her crate (OUR fault, too- we weren't fast enough in figuring out she was in distress because she didn't want to go in it) She took a very sudden disliking to her crate and would scream for about an hour before I gave in and took her out.

What worked was dragging the crate into our bedroom at night. Now she hops in there no issues for bed time most nights. Other nights she hears "Crate up!" and she'll go in after that. We also put a nice comfy cushion and a newer snuggle bed in that also helped. We have a smaller one that if she's feeling really insecure we'll put her in that which is up by my side near my head, but it's very rare she'll want that one.

Hope this helps.

[Pammy2016]

Originally Posted by JennaPenny

When Chewie got sick with that double whammy and accidentally had a mess in her crate (OUR fault, too- we weren't fast enough in figuring out she was in distress because she didn't want to go in it) She took a very sudden disliking to her crate and would scream for about an hour before I gave in and took her out.

What worked was dragging the crate into our bedroom at night. Now she hops in there no issues for bed time most nights. Other nights she hears "Crate up!" and she'll go in after that. We also put a nice comfy cushion and a newer snuggle bed in that also helped. We have a smaller one that if she's feeling really insecure we'll put her in that which is up by my side near my head, but it's very rare she'll want that one.

Hope this helps.

I'm thinking it has something to do with her messing in it. She does whenever she is in there for more than like an hour. I guess she just gets so stressed and lets loose. It's a morning routine to clean our her crate.

We did try crating her in our room. From a dresser, on the floor, in the corner, and on our night stands right next to our heads. But in our experience, knowing we're in the same room and she can't be snuggled up on us makes it worse for her.

I feel like i'm all out of options and i just have to deal with a messy crate and a really sad puppy whenever she goes in, until she's potty trained. But i don't want to admit it. It just breaks our hearts to see her like that when she knows it's bed time

[JennaPenny]

I am SO sorry. Chewie is my shadow and It got to the point where I couldn't go any where without her. My husband talked me into leaving her in the crate for an hour here and there while we made a quick grocery store run, and the first time we left she screamed and I cried. I felt So badly. She's better now, as she knows it's not for long. I can't imagine listening to this all night, every time. I gave in for a month before we dragged her crate in our room, and if it didn't work with the bedroom thing, we'd have given her the option to sleep in our bed, or in her snuggle bed in the bedroom or living room.

If it's not an option to have her in your bed, and the x-pen was creating a mess, I'm sure you're very upset. Have you tried having a trainer come into the house for a one on one, or going to a class and having them help you that way? The comment about how sometimes the crate doesn't work is correct. If you're going to work I realize that you can't just leave her to roam around. There are baby gates you can buy that are taller so she can't hop over. a snuggle bed in the kitchen and food/water would give her the extra room to roam around. The separation anxiety- I get that. I do, and that's hard, I know. I hope you can figure something out.

[Wylie's Mom]

Many dogs and animals cannot tolerate being confined to such tight spaces, and I can't really blame them. I'd try an Iris pen or something taller and see if that works better. Or, I'd use an extra bathroom for her area, if you have one. Or a laundry room...?

[Pammy2016]

Originally Posted by JennaPenny

I am SO sorry. Chewie is my shadow and It got to the point where I couldn't go any where without her. My husband talked me into leaving her in the crate for an hour here and there while we made a quick grocery store run, and the first time we left she screamed and I cried. I felt So badly. She's better now, as she knows it's not for long. I can't imagine listening to this all night, every time. I gave in for a month before we dragged her crate in our room, and if it didn't work with the bedroom thing, we'd have given her the option to sleep in our bed, or in her snuggle bed in the bedroom or living room.

If it's not an option to have her in your bed, and the x-pen was creating a mess, I'm sure you're very upset. Have you tried having a trainer come into the house for a one on one, or going to a class and having them help you that way? The comment about how sometimes the crate doesn't work is correct. If you're going to work I realize that you can't just leave her to roam around. There are baby gates you can buy that are taller so she can't hop over. a snuggle bed in the kitchen and food/water would give her the extra room to roam around. The separation anxiety- I get that. I do, and that's hard, I know. I hope you can figure something out.

I appreciate someone that can relate! lol she eventually quiets down overnight, but not after the struggle and the agony she goes through. We really want her to sleep with us, but until she's potty trained and old enough to hold it, that's not really an option this point in time. We both sleep like rocks and would never hear if she has to go.

Whenever we have family time on the couch at night, she loves it. She will cuddle up to both of us, nestle in our bellies or our necks, and pass right out. We get some loud thunder in Florida, but she will sleep right through it if she's with us! So we know it's just a separation thing. But I feel as if she just doesn't sleep at night and it's just affecting her whole routine.

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Many dogs and animals cannot tolerate being confined to such tight spaces, and I can't really blame them. I'd try an Iris pen or something taller and see if that works better. Or, I'd use an extra bathroom for her area, if you have one. Or a laundry room...?

See, I agree! I just realized you said night stand!!! No no, Chewie can't STAND her tiny crate most nights- there are maybe one night in every two weeks that she'll stand beside that one. Her's is a much bigger pen, for a large dog. I would have said bathroom but.... I hate bathrooms no matter how clean they are. However, that's a great option, too. No special gates.

[Doodlebug]

My husband showed me a trick that has been successful for every one of our dogs. And we had one who absolutely hated the crate. She would kick and scream and go through all sorts of trauma when we put her in the crate. Her crate actually became her place of comfort for her whole life after that.

Instead of putting them in the crate, he put them on the floor in front of the crate and gently told them to go in the crate. Every one of our last 4 pups will willingly go in the crate and lie down and be calm. I don't know why this works but it works for us every time. I would love to know if this works for anyone else. I don't understand why it works but I thank my husband for discovering this. Mine just didn't want to be placed in the crate, they wanted to go in by themselves.

[GregB]

We are so lucky. Our baby has spent every night in her crate since day one. No moanig whatsoever. She'll wake us from time to time at night if she needs to potty but it's a quick wiz and then straight back to the crate.

[Bamboo15]

It sounds like the issue is probably bein separated from you than actually being inside the crate. I know you said you have her in there because she isn't potty trained but just w suggestion. I let my boys stay on my bed before they were potty trained and they never had any accidents on my bed. They were still so young before ring Otto trained so they hadn't learned to jump on/off the bed or climb steps so they were literally just confined to the bed. If that's not an option and you think the issue is being confined to w small space maybe try getting a larger crate, one that is meant for a very pre dog so she had a lot of space. Good luck!

[mybellababy]

You could try a carry case in between your pillows till she's potty trained. You might be surprised at how young they can hold it all night. Our Bella could right from 12 weeks as long as she could be with us she was willing to hold it. We do have a set of stair and now both girls just get up and use the pad if they need in the night. It was Lily that we used the carry case with for a month and she would whine if she needed to pee and I would take her out do her pee and then back to the carry case. After about a month we tried her out and all was good.

[Pammy2016]

Originally Posted by mybellababy

You could try a carry case in between your pillows till she's potty trained. You might be surprised at how young they can hold it all night. Our Bella could right from 12 weeks as long as she could be with us she was willing to hold it. We do have a set of stair and now both girls just get up and use the pad if they need in the night. It was Lily that we used the carry case with for a month and she would whine if she needed to pee and I would take her out do her pee and then back to the carry case. After about a month we tried her out and all was good.

I'll have to try that carry case in bed tonight! That might work. And there was a few times we woke up in the morning and realized that she held it all night. It seems like she could do it if she wants to. These little buggers can be so stubborn

[canana]

I think...crate training is very possible, granted the right approach with the correct timing. You have to create a willingness and not use forcefulness.

They will definitely hate it if they're not ready and you force them to be in there locked up. If they're freaking out, get them out immediately. Keeping them in there while they're freaking out will traumatize them and they only learn to hate the crate. You want to avoid that.

It's a repetitive, consistent, and patience game of using positive reinforcement taken with baby gradual steps - from getting them to go inside themselves, to them being okay in their with the door closed for a few seconds, to them being able to be calm inside for longer periods. Baby steps. If you see them start to freak out, revert back and make sure they know it's okay (usually done so with food or treats). Each dog learns to be calm with a crate at different rates - you need to gauge it depending on their reactions, but it can be done.

Think of it like learning how to swim. If you threw me into the water and I have a near-drowning experience, I will forever hate the water. I will need A LOT of reassurance that I will not die from the next instructor teaching me how to swim. Some learn to swim really fast. Others like me who 'tread water' like a boulder, need a LOT of patience to be taught how to swim; it's a matter of gradual and persistent learning. Technically, everyone can learn how to swim.

Yes, dogs are den animals. But in the 'wild', dens are open and they're free to leave whenever. Dog crates feel like a den, but once the door is closed, it's not natural anymore. That's why we need to train them that it's actually safe and okay. Being locked up doesn't sound nice, but the benefits of having a crate-trained dog is so worth the initial time investment.

I had introduced Casie to the crate with treats. Then, I had fed each meal with her inside the crate and the door opened, and then later with the door closed. A lot of time was spent conditioning her to love the crate.

Now, she actually leaps into the crate with enthusiasm. It's really cute and incredible! Regularly, I still feed her meals with her inside the crate. And with her behind the crate door closed, I feed her a treat everyday before I leave.