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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  Well, both dogs and kids can learn to cry if that gets them what they want. I don't know if there's any set time limit when you can tell if they're genuinely in distress. I think it's about getting to know them and knowing what they tolerate. Being in a crate is not inherently painful or scary, so I don't think there's anything wrong with letting them cry it out. They are most likely crying because it is unfamiliar or they are frustrated, which they can learn to live with.
I guess it depends on what you want to use the crate for. I eventually put mine away after I was confident on his potty training.
I assume you've done the standard drills to get him to like his crate more? Putting him in with a nice chew and closing the door for a few minutes, etc, so he associates a closed crate door with a special treat? |
Yes, I've done the treat thing, and like I said, he doesn't mind going in there, it just having the door closed. He's house broken, I don't use the crate for that, it's just I think they seem safer in the crate if I'd have to leave for an hour, I know some people whose dogs love their crates and gladly go into them. Part of the problem I'm sure was we used a wire crate that had a tray bottom with bedding on the tray, and he got his paw stuck between the tray and the wire once, so after that it took a long time before he'd even go back into the crate, and then I could never close the door. I have a new soft sided crate that he also goes into on his own, but I haven't tried to close the door, I want a plan in mind before I try it.