Question 1002: Crate on Command?!?
 

is there any way to train her to go into her kennel on command?

i tried offering her treats near it and in it, but she is so wary of having to go in it and have the door closed that she will not go in for treats if i'm sitting anywhere near it and when she does, she only puts in half her body. she will go in there to lay down, but if i move from my spot on the couch, she is outta there b4 i ever get up!! :)

i would like to be able to have her go in on my command, not have to force her in there. i also don't have an hour before i go every time.

any suggestions?

Continue with the treats AFTER she gets in. I did that with Rex when he was a puppy and he has been going on command for a few years now. I'm training Rudy the same way... Only she really waits on the treat. Lol. Rex doesn't care anymore.

my problem is that i CAN'T get her to go in on command so that i can give her treats!!! i give her treats when i put her in there, though, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to her, she knows she's gonna get treats, but she still doesn't wanna go in....

I hope you can find an answer to this. She knows if she goes in there and you shut the door that you are leaving her. Can't blame her, though, for not wanting to be left.:animal36

i knoooooowwww :( she's very attached to me and she doesn't like it...i wish i could bring her along too....

Maybe you could try putting her favorite toys in there so that she has some sort of comfort in there.
I kind of have issues with one of mine. My girl doesn't like to go in (she'd rather be out running around or sleeping in bed with my husband and I):p but my male goes automatically without missing a beat. When initially crate training, we left the crate door open and whenever they went near it, we would praise with "good dog!" and such until we started with "Kennel up" and when they went in we treated. It just takes practice and patience. I'm sure your baby will adjust to the crate eventually!:) good luck!

I get really excited when I go to the treat drawer. I ask who wants a treat and they both come running. They see me get the treats then I tell them to go get in the bed. I stay excited and happy with them the entire time. We go to their room and they get in their crates for the treat. I used to have to guide them in with the treat. It will work. Just stay consistent. Good luck!

Tank does it, Joey doesn't. If I tell my boys to "go to bed", Tank will run into his kennel and lay down, but Joey will crouch down and pout. He doesn't like the kennel, haha. I think it sorta depends on the dog. I would think that with VERY aggressive training, it could be taught though. By aggressive, btw, I just mean that you work very hard and very consistently to get it done.

she moves the toys and the chewy out and hides the chewy!!! i can't quite get her to play with her toys yet, i'm working on it!! LOL!!

i guess i'll just have to be patient ... :rolleyes:

i try to guide her there with the treat, but she knows what's happening and she backs up and sits. she wants the treats, but she doesn't want the crate!! LOL!

the pout is HILARIOUS!!!! ok, i guess we'll be working on this every day....


thanks for all the advice, folks!!! much appreciated!!!

Do you leave her kennel open all day for her to go in and out of on her own? That might help...she'll get used to it being her own little place and she'll enjoy being in there. My crew used to go into their kennels when I turned my cell phone on...they heard that little jingle and knew I was leaving the house so they all went to their 'rooms'...it was so cute :) They also went in them for 'night-night' and for their meals...that way they knew what was expected of them and at what time...the rest of the day their doors were left open for them to come and go as they pleased and they would actually go in them for naps. Megan would go in hers and pull the door shut...she loved her room...but we also had to double check her lock because she could undo them and then she let everyone else out. Megan is quite a character!

There is no pout like a yorkie pout!:D

I started as soon as my dogs were puppies. When I would put them in there I would say "go to your bed" or "kennel" ( i have 2 that respond to) and then say good boy/girl etc. I only had to do it for a few weeks and they picked it up. All I say now is "bed" or "kennel" than they go running to thier kennels.
I think offering a "treat" after saying "kennel" and putting her in there she will learn. Follow with "good girl" etc. Make it exciting and happy. She will learn.. they all do. :)

Luckily, both of my girls took to their crates immediately. One is a puppymill rescue, so it really isn't too surprising she loves her crate.

I wonder if it would help if you put her in her crate for just 5 minutes at a time when you were NOT about to leave with a bully stick, so she wouldn't always associate the crate/door shut with you leaving her. Maybe you could just give her bully stick (or another "special" treat she holds in high regard) time at night with her crate door shut while you watch TV or something in the same room with her.

I'm sure you've already done this but make sure her crate is filled with a soft crate pad, blankets, a favorite plush toy, a shirt that smells like you...whatever her favorite things and comforts are. I have so many layers of blankets on top of the fleece beds in their crates I'll bet they feel like they are on clouds. I've often had people tell me they would like to cuddle up for a nap in there. :p

I'll bet eventually she starts hanging out in her crate if you keep the door open when she wants some quiet time. :)

ETA: I wonder if she would like an xpen better with her crate inside and the door open? I think this is a great option if you are pee pad training and don't want to give her free run while you are out.

To get my dogs to go in i first tossed the treat into the back of the crate to get them "in". Eventually they would run to their crates whenever i went near the treats. Also, start with just a couple of minutes at a time in the crate while you are home.

You have gotten lots of great suggestions. Mine all go in on "crate"...
When I have new puppy's, I get them started on "sit", and "come", and "crate".
I set the crate on the floor, near where we are going to train, and make it just one of the ways to get a treat. At first it is like sit, with a bit of pressure, and the bum barely hits the floor, or in the case of the crate, they go in and come out, (I say YESSSS, as soon as both ends are in) They learn that it is the YESSS they want, to get the treat.
Just keep working on it, like all good things, it takes time!! Sooo worth it in the end.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

this is great advice!!! i'm going to use it all!! (if i haven't already!!) now i feel more confident about getting this to work....

to answer a couple questions, yes, her crate is out and open all the time in case she ever wants to go in and she does actually go in there and lay down and fall asleep or relax, etc. my only difficulty with her is when i'm telling her to go in it ... she doesn't want anything to do with it and she's a little sneak about only putting her body halfway in to steal the treat, which i put in the very back of it....:rolleyes:

i have put her in there when i'm home and closed the door a couple of times so she'll know i'm not always going to leave, but i think i need to do that more.... cuz right now, if she's in there and i move from where i am, she comes running out of it b/c she doesn't want to be closed in (though i've never even done that)....

also, it's weird, whenever i put food in there and leave her, when i come back, she will have taken her bed, shoved it behind her and over top of the (now empty) food dish and she's laying in the front of the crate on the plastic!! :eek: isn't that strange?!?

She may get anxious when you are gone and be digging and trying to get out. Put that video on her.:)

when placing the pup in the crate say "kennel up" shut the door and latch it. wait a few seconds and then slowly open the door. if the pup tries to escape shut the door back, do not allow the pup to leave the kennel until a command is given i use "off-gate" and she knows that kennel up means go inside and she's not allowed to leave the kennel until she's told off gate.

i didn't use treats i just kept putting her in there with the command and eventually she caught onto the words meaning the actions.

Try using the command without shutting the door. Make going to her crate a good thing. Try to only give treats when in the crate.

Duke no longer uses a crate, but he know the "bed" command. It works great for when he is naughty but he also gets the bed command for good things- treats, toys, etc.

If a dog always knows that crate means you leave, I wouldn't want to go either...

I say work on "crate" throw a treat in and let them come back out.

I did the same as some of the other members. I started out when Bailey was a puppy and had to put treats inside to get him to go in. I always say "go in your house". Once he goes in I usually close the door and give him a treat and say good boy. Now when I say "go in your house" he automatically runs in and looks up at me waiting for his treat :D

UPDATE: so she's still wary of the crate, but i've been trying your suggestions and i'm making progress!!!! :D

now when i put her in, she doesn't try to escape, she just sits. i tell her good girl and give her a couple treats. so i put her in this morning b/c i wasn't leaving the house and i wanted to let her know that it's not always something bad when i close the door. i gave her a treat and told her good girl. then i went about my business, but she could still see me.

she whined a little. then a few minutes later, she took her bed and shoved it behind her (i keep wondering if her point is to hide the chewy in her bed -- she does that a lot --- she'll carry them around from one hiding place to the next, it's so cute, but i digress). she sat in front of the bed on the plastic for a little while and i just kept doing what i was doing.

a few minutes later, i looked, and she had moved her bed again and was laying down on it. i was relieved....:)

so i'm going to do it again later today.

she is, however, getting confused when i tell her to "kennel up". she thinks i mean her ex-pen, so she'll run to that and actually go in without a problem!!! i treat her for that too, but the command is "nite nite" for that b/c she sleeps in there. so i have to close the door to the ex-pen and snap and point to the kennel, which is sitting next to the ex-pen. once she realizes what i mean, she still won't go in, she'll go nearby and sit down. but she doesn't fight me anymore when i put her in and she doesn't struggle to get out, even if i don't close the door, she will stay without me even having to tell her.

I love following her progress. You're a natural at this!:D

awwwww, thanks!!! :p she makes it veeeeery easy, i must admit!! nothing better than a smart dog who's also cooperative!!:)

That is great! Progress!!