Crate training - who's training who?

Hi

Another query about my 14 week old bc x. Honestly, I've obviously forgotten what it's like with a puppy since the last time I did this was 10 years ago with my older bcx!

Anyway, Meg (the 14 week old) doesn't yet go into her crate of her own accord. I coax her in there with a treat but she will come straight back out again looking at me for another treat. It's like a merry go round! I coax her in saying "good girl bed" and she goes in, has the treat and comes back out again for another one!

I've tried delaying giving her the treat and saying "good girl to stay" and she does stay...until she gets the treat again and then is straight back out again.

She'll fall asleep at my feet but isn't keen on going into the crate and won't unless there's food involved.

She's got a nice bed, water and chewy teething toys, and I feed her in there.

Any ideas gratefully received. I'd love to get her to the stage where she wants to go in of her own accord and I can leave the door open. I'm just going round in circles at the moment - I reckon she's training me!

Just one more piece of info - she's fine overnight, just a couple of whines but settles down as I don't go in to her. But as soon as she hears my alarm in the morning she starts to bark. I leave her until there's a break in the noise and then go into her.

Any thoughts?

It takes a while. Being quick to close the door helps. The longer you go, the more the puppy realizes you will be back soon to let it out and the better it accepts the crate.

Wouldn`t that just stop the dog going in in the first place and also make the crate a cage?
I thought the idea of crate training was that the dog likes the crate? So it`s a den not a prison.

Where is the crate? Rubys crate is in the kitchen and she will not go in it of her own accord, i think because its in the kitchen and when i sit down im normally in the lounge so she sleeps in the lounge. She doesnt want to feel left out by being in the kitchen i think

She does go in it fine for bed she comes in from the garden and 9 times out of 10 goes straight in it. When i have to leave her during the day she is starting to go in when called but quite often i have to coax her in still

I would keep doing as you are doing now. But, know that some dogs are never overly happy about going in the crate. My Lab adored his from day 1. Even when he was loose in the house, you could normally find him in the crate. My Slovak on the other hand hated hers and it was a battle to get her in it each time, regardless of how 'nice' a place I made it for her. I gave up and de-crated her when she was 7 months.

Tess (now almost 8 months) was also fine in the crate when we first got her at 8 weeks but over time she got picky.... she was fine at nights, and would go in herself without any problems, but started to really hate it during the day, couldn't be coaxed into it in any way and if I would put her in anyway (with soft bedding, treats, toys, chewy bars) she would simply bark and whine incessantly!!!!

So it was out with the crate and in with a doggy-basket and she hasn't barked or whined (or destroyed anything) while I'm away since (my neighbor keeps me VERY well informed on this point ) I guess Tess simply doesn't like to be caged....

I do take the crate along when we go somewhere overnight though, and then she's perfectly happy to sleep in it...

Hi Louise a few thoughts
I would get Meg used to the crate gradually ignoring the crate and not making a big thing of it /leave door open/ make a comfy bed inside/ hide treats or a kong in it /let her come and go at will/ only close the door for short periods of time at times when Meg is most likely to sleep so that it after a meal and a short walk.
When she goes in voluntarily giver her lots of praise and a treat.

Some dogs just don't like crates, I only used one for a short time with the door open mostly . My dogs prefer to have a bed in the kitchen and once house trained to go where they want within the house.

Sounds like she is a smarty pants

With mine I chuck in a few treats and when they are just finishing eating them chuck in another and then cue them to leave the crate - and stop giving treats

Reeate twice

Then move your hand like you are chucking without chucking the treats in, then as she moves to go in chuck the treats, and a couple more for still being in the crate
Cue to leave the crate and stop rewarding

Keep slightly delaying the chucking of treats until she is going in and waiting for the treats

then start building a slight delay before you give the second treat so she goes into crate, waits for treats, gets treats, pauses and gets some more treats then is released from crate

then you could slowly build up to closing the door in the pause between treats

You will find because going into and being in the crate is rewarded she will start to go in there on her own - you could even just hide a few treats in there and when she goes in to investigate give her another treat

Sounds like a lot of treats - I would use one of her meals as a crate training game - and dogs like to hang out in very rewarding places so the more rewarding being in the crate is then the more she will want to be in it

Originally Posted by Labman

It takes a while. Being quick to close the door helps. The longer you go, the more the puppy realizes you will be back soon to let it out and the better it accepts the crate.

Labman being quick to close a door can make a puppy fearful of a crate, it needs to get used to it gradually. How can a puppy possibly know you will ever be back, ask any behaviourist, puppies have no concept of time they live in the here and now .

Labman you say 'it takes a while' how can you know this?

According to your previous posts the puppies you have experienced (not your own anyway but 'service dogs' temporarily placed in your care) weren't given a choice about going in a crate they were stuck in a crate, like it or not, from 7 weeks of age for 16 hours a day without water or bedding .

Tell me Labman how much time did these puppies have to get used to a crate?
.