| May01 | 08-14-2014 06:23 AM |
crate re-training
My little 3.5 month old yorkie poo suddenly doesn't want to stay in his crate. He will go in and out of it, waiting for me to treat him everytime he goes in. Initially I trained him to go into the crate on command and gave him a treat when he did. Unfortunately it seems like he really doesn't like it anymore. He doesn't like eating in the crate and will only eat when I sit at the entrance and play with his kibble. He also tries to walk out as I am closing the door. I'm pretty sure that he dislikes and only tolerates the crate when I have treats because he keeps taking his toys out of there and playing on the floor outside it. At first I thought it was too cramped so I moved the divider almost all the way back. But then I realized it's not the space because whe I only gave him a choice to between the crate and floor space in front of the crate that is much more cramped than the crate, he chooses to be on the floor.
I think he hurt himself in the crate once while trying to reach for a toy that fell out because I heard him yelp. I checked him afterwards but he seemed okay. I'm not sure how to get him to find the crate a good place anymore because he doesn't want to play with the toys in there and he doesn't like to eat in there. I tried giving him is kong filled with bananas (his favourite) but that seems to only keep him happy temporarily. I've also tried leaving little treats in the crate but after he eats them all, he walks back out. I'm thinking of getting a toy that somehow clips or ties to the back of the crate so he can only play with it in there rather than carry it outside. Any ideas guys? My boy is a bit stubborn. | 