Having a real hard time crate training

[Zeus is Loved]

We never crate trained Zeus -- we think it's cruel (not a judgment on others, it's just not for us); so, we gated him in our laundry room (tile floor). He had enough room for a bed, food and water bowl, pee pads and room to move. Once he was using the pee pads, we gated him in the kitchen (tile floors) and laundry room. Once we saw how well he did with that, he now has free reign of the house. He is tiny (3.5 lbs), so he has ramps to get on the couch (and can then get to the chair) and a ramp to our bed. We do not confine him at night. He may sleep with us, our 14 year old or on the couch by himself. He never goes potty off the pads. Fortunately for us, he is a snuggler, so he usually sleeps with a family member!

[Zeus is Loved]

By the way, Zeus is 7 months old now. He has had free reign for about 3 months.

[Tay65]

Originally Posted by Jkpal

Does she have something of yours to snuggle with inside the crate? Perhaps a soft t-shirt that you've just worn...? Also, can she see inside the crate as she's going in? I'm know I'm hesitant when entering an unfamiliar, dimly lit place...! Sounds like you've got good plans and I'm sure you'll have this crate business down in no time!

I have a wire crate I'm using. I have a smaller carrier but it just has small holes on the sides. I put her bed in it and a toy dog she plays with sometimes.

She's been doing well. I lure her in with her food and I can actually close the door now and leave the room for 15 minutes. I worked up to that and she's doing well. I work with her often throughout the day. I tried covering the crate like I read to do but she isn't having it. She wants to see what's going on.

I have her crated now and she's whined alittle. I told her to lay down and now she's sleeping. If she continues to wake up I'm going to move the crate beside my bed. Right now she's in my bedroom but she can't see me.

I'm just happy she's doing so well. Things have gone better than expected!

[JadeD]

Most of my dogs have preferred a wire crate over the plastic ones. They want to see what is going on. I have 5 dogs crates here (4 dogs). I keep the smallest crate in my car usually. It is big enough for both puppies to fit in if I want to take 1 or both of them someplace.

My setter used to sleep in a crate at night until he was about 3 years old and proved he was capable of being left loose in the main rooms (bathrooms are bedrooms are gated off) and he does great.

My 9 year old Yorkie sleeps in my bed with me and he is rarely ever crated, although he tolerates a crate with no fussing at all.

One puppy sleeps with my daughter (12 weeks old) and is doing really good. About half the time she wakes my daughter up in the night to have my daughter put her on the floor and she goes on the pee pad and then asks to go back to bed and 1/2 the time she sleeps from about 10pm until 7am.

Other puppy (also 12 weeks) sleeps in a wire crate next to our bed. He goes from 10pm-6am more nights. I did have to take him out at 4am one morning. Last night he was on the bed watching a movie with us and he asked to get down (he has food/water available) and so I put him down and he went into his crate right at 10pm and laid down in his bed and went to sleep. he will sleep with us when he is bigger, older and more house trained. I have a pee pad for him but he will not use it at night, he insists on being taken outside and will cry until we take him out.

The girl puppy is doing better with pee pad training. She runs to the pad to pee usually and about half the time will poop on it when she is in the house. The boy puppy does not try to pee on the pad and will poop on the pad most of the time, but prefers to go outside.

Good luck and keep up the crate training. It should get to the point where you leave the crate door open and she should go sleep in the crate sometimes when she is tired. All of mine do that. The 9 year old Yorkie does not so much because the puppies took over what was his crate, but he doesn't care because he prefers to chill out on the couch anyway so he technically doesn't have a crate right now and he really doesn't miss it. The back of the couches are his. LOL

[Russpilot]

Bella came to us with a small crate that we thought was too small.... yes, I said too small for a 2 lb dog. (But I promise she isn't spoiled)
We got her a baby playpen and use that when we leave. It gives her room to move, room for toys and bowls. She went potty in it for the first week or so, but now does really well with no accidents when we have to leave her for the day.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by maxdog

We don't crate. We tried it with Max and he hated it. Never stopped trying to get out. Pooped in it (even though he only had enough room to lay down and turn around). We couldn't stand to watch him be so miserable in there so we gave up. We didn't even try it with Sasha.

This is how Jackson was and also my moms cockapoo puppy (she was actually worse....) so we gave up on the crate and just did ex-pens and utilized gates and doors to certain rooms/etc.

[JadeD]

I bought an exercise pen for my puppies to be in when I couldn't be watching them closely.

One of them (my daughter's monkey girl) climbed over it the very next morning after we brought them home. I switched it out with a baby gate. She climbed that the next day. I borrowed a baby playpen and she climbs out of that.

She is in a crate for a reason. The crate is big enough for a 50 lb dog and I keep the 2 puppies (4 lb each) in it. She will climb to the top of the crate and stick her nose out the corner of it and just hang out.

Some dogs need a crate. The boy puppy would be okay with an exercise pen and in the playpen.