Crate Training

[rrosenberry]

I agree with Sara, I too was against crating.. until I tried it.. Bailey is rarely in it, (Since he comes to work with me) But, when I go away at night or on the weekends, he is in it,, NEVER more than 4 hours,, ( that's just me)
But, It is his DEN,, anything Good he needs to save goes in it,,and under his pretend bury.. or if he gets tired of following me from room to room,, I'll look and he'll be in it asleep. Even If he is scared,, Fireworks or Thunderstorms,, it is the first place he goes,, his safe place, if he can't jump in my lap at that moment.

[Saragp]

Originally Posted by cchu

Wait....I play with my dog as often as possible. Since I am at work most of the day, my bf is home playing with him (he will not start his job until Fed-March which is lucky for me to have a pup). we play with him all the time but he is very agressive. Bites all the time and barks. I do not have other dogs for him to socailize with. Will this be a problem?

I am a little lost. What does this have to do with crate training?

If your dog is biting you, you need to stop it immediately. My chi used to bite me and it wasn't a playful bite; she was telling me what to do. And that wasn't going to be accepted. I eventually after telling her NO, tapping her nose and/or putting her in time out, put her neck in my mouth when she growled/bit me and and growled back; it made her become submissive to me. That's what a momma dog would do and it worked! I had to talk to her in 'her language'.
Now she is the sweetest little girl in the world. And she doesn't dare growl at me anymore.

[cheeselover8481]

The only reason I want to crate train is because what if I go out of town. I want her to sleep in her crate in case I have to board her (which I don't like to do) or if she has to stay with a friend. My friends will probably not let her sleep with them. She cries when she wants to go to bed and I don't go to sleep. I want to break her out of this habit. Those of you that don't crate train, what do you do when you have to go out of town?

[SnowWa]

SarahGP - Thanks for your reply to my post.

I am not against crate training. I said that it works wonderfully for a lot of people. And I think I mentioned that there are many different types of people and different environments.

I personally don't like crate training for myself. I like my dogs confined in a safe place when I'm gone and running around and playing with me and my other dog when I'm home....plus doing a lot of sleeping on my lap or beside me.

My dog has slept with me since I got him (sleeps soundly - and has never wet the bed). So, I have never had any problem in that regard. Now that he is a little older - he sleeps all night or at least part of the night in his own bed....which is beside my bed.

I know dogs love their own special place. My daughter gave me a large dog bed for my pup, and he loved it from the moment he saw it. We couldn't get him out of it for hours. If he ever wants to get away from everyone - that's where he is. And, he sleeps there a lot too. Plus he takes everything he can find in the house and puts it there. One day I found my alarm clock, two bic lighters, a comb, two pairs of glasses, and an extra set of my car keys under the cushion in his bed. I suspect his bed is to him what a crate is to your dogs.

In the past, I crate-trained two dogs. But - I really didn't enjoy doing it. When they were very young and slept all the time, I didn't mind, but after that, it was hard for me having them confined to a crate so much of the time (and, yes, I did have them out a lot).

I am positive that both ways can work very well. Dogs are different and so are people and environments.

Carol Jean

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by cchu

... we play with him all the time but he is very agressive. Bites all the time and barks. I do not have other dogs for him to socailize with. Will this be a problem?

Christine,

If your little guy is only 2 1/2 months old, I'd be willing to bet that his biting is normal puppy mouthing. They all do it! It's very normal behavior. Be sure that you have plenty of things around for Zoe to chew on. When he starts mouthing on you, substitute a toy. If he bites hard enough to hurt, either yelp loudly or say "N0" sternly & immediately break eye contact, stand up and walk away. Ignore him for a minute or two (any longer and he won't remember what he has done wrong).

While more punitive methods work for some people, I don't recommend them. The above is all that's been required to teach Joey not to bite us.

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by SnowWa

I don't like crate training. I have never liked my dogs being kept in a crate.

I'm glad that we are having this discussion. I sometimes think that we give people the impression that if they don't crate-train their dogs, they are doing something wrong. IMHO, that's incorrect. It's a matter of personal choice.

People advocate crate training for several reasons. Having a dog who is comfortable in a crate makes vet stays, grooming visits, and travel easier on the dog. Dogs who like their crates have a safe haven when they want it (if they need a break from kids, company, etc) Crate training, IF done correctly, can speed up the housebreaking process.

What I wish people understood, though, is that CRATE TRAINING IS NOT THROWING A PUP IN A CRATE AND LETTING HIM "CRY IT OUT"! Crate training is slowly teaching the pup that the crate is a desirable place to be. Here is an excellent article on how to accomplish that:
http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/crate.htm

I've chosen a "middle of the road" course with 7 month old Joey. His bed is in his crate and he sleeps there (with the door open). For the first couple of months, he was fed in his crate (with the door open). He is frequently told "Go to bed" (his crate) and gets a treat for doing it, but again, the door is left open. On rare occasions, I will shut him in his crate with a new bone or a stuffed Kong for about an hour MAX. I want him comfortable with the idea of the door shut (he is) but I don't feel the need to contain him there for longer periods.

When he has to be contained, he is gated in the laundry room (which is pretty good-sized) with his crate open. I leave him toys, bones, water, and newspaper in case he can't "hold it" (which he never uses anymore). More often than not, when I come home he is asleep in his bed - in his crate.

[Tinkerbell]

I have a one year old yorkie, Pixie. While I'm at work, I keep her in her crate. She had been doing really well, but over the past few weeks, I've been coming home to find her having accidents in her crate (pee only). She was accident free for about five months. I have no idea what's causing this. The vet checked her urine, it came back negative. He suggests it may be due to separation anxiety. Our routine has not changed over the past year, so I don't know why this is suddenly a problem.

Any suggestions?

In addition - how do you know if it truly is separation anxiety and what things can I do to solve separation anxiety, if that is the problem?

[cheeselover8481]

I have been trying to give her a treat when she goes in her crate, but now she only goes in there when she wants a treat. She stares at us to see if we will give her a treat and if we don't after several seconds she comes out. I tried to close her crate for a few seconds then gave her a treat, but I think I went too fast because she was afraid to go back in there for awhile. I know the next step is for her to lay in there, but she won't do that. Where do I go from here?