How do I introduce my puppy to her crate?
Hi everyone,
today is my first day with my new puppy Chloe!!! I tried earlier to make it "fun" by introducing her to her crate by throwing bits of food an even treats and she wants nothing to do with it! Any suggestions on how I can help coax her in? Thanks :)
today is my first day with my new puppy Chloe!!! I tried earlier to make it "fun" by introducing her to her crate by throwing bits of food an even treats and she wants nothing to do with it! Any suggestions on how I can help coax her in? Thanks :)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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Congrats on the puppy!!
Here are some things that worked for me:
Leave the crate open in whatever room you're in. So she can walk in and out of it freely, exploring it on her own. Drape a blanket over it so it feels more like a den.
When you DO put her in for the night to close the door, put it in the room with you where you sleep. Next to your bed, that way she knows you haven't left her. When she whines, which she WILL, don't give in, don't let her out, just reach down and put your fingers through the holes in the crate! She'll have you trained forever if you cave in.
Set your alarm to wake you up every 2 or 3 hours, this way the taking her out of the crate is on YOUR terms, not her whining and you wondering if she has to potty. Get her out, leash her and take her out to potty. My advice here is to treat it like a midnight feeding with a baby - if possible don't turn on any lights, don't talk and play with her, straight out, potty, praise, straight back in to the crate.
I prefer an old bed sheet for the floor of the crate. That way she can move it around and scrunch it up. Plus, it's easy to wash if she potties on it.
Goldy was very young when I brought her home and it was fall and chilly so I put a heating pad under the floor of the crate. She seemed to feel comfy and slept pretty good.
Best of luck to you! Most important, be strong and don't give in to the puppy eyes/whines/drama.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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DaBear seems to say it all.Also put the crate out wherever you are each day and let her take short "rests" in it with the door shut but open the doors the rest of the time!
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on
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I also fed my guys in their crates at first, with the door open. Just so they would associate it with only the Best Thing In The World: eating.
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Permalink Reply by Sunni A. on
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I'm not a fan of putting the crate next to my bed so I can stick my fingers through the slots. I don't know why. I put the crate in the living room ever since the first night, and indeed let him out every 2 hours. I guess I just wanted him to know his whining and barking falls on completely deaf ears, and I kind of think a finger through a slot is a reward for whining. We are always told not to comfort (pet and cuddle) a dog who is whining and whimpering, afraid of the lightening and thunder outside, because it rewards/reinforces the scared behavior, rather than forces them to collect and calm themselves. Why not apply the same thing with this initial crate training?, I thought. This may sound a bit cold or something but Eddy's crate training went successfully, he does not resent and hate me, and he does fine sleeping alone nowadays. What will happen when you try to make them sleep somewhere other than your bedroom, I want to ask people who subscribe to this method, Does the whining start all over again?
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@Sunni-Hi! My pups always start out in a crate in the bedroom but I also either move (I actually have several) the crate during the day for them to have their rest times in the main part of my home. My dogs all love their crates and still will chose to take breaks away from the others in my strategically placed crates. I do crate a couple when I leave but I believe once they know/like their crate the will always like them. I start my pups in crates also so that they can be used to this when they leave. I think it just depends on the people and what their comfort level is. My dogs prefer the bedroom at night but they have to leave the bedroom at puppy time as my females get the "quite space" of a bathroom off my bedroom for the 1st few weeks of being a mother and my others have to find a place other than the bedroom but I believe this works because they "learned" at a young age that they may not get to sleep in the bedroom all the time! Hope this makes sense!
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I think they just like to be in the room with their people. When I leave they are in their crates in the living room and they're fine with it.
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How's the crate training going?
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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Like Susan, I've heard that feeding them in the crate can make it a more inviting place. I've also heard that taking a really awesome treat/toy (like a Kong stuffed with PB, Mashed dog food [gross, but effective] or cream cheese or some such deliciousness) and teasing your dog with it, and then throwing it in the crate and closing the door while they are OUTSIDE the crate and giving them some time to let it sink in that the awesome treat is inside the crate and they can't get to it, makes them think that, when you open the door to let them in to retrieve the treat, that going in the crate was their idea, lol. I don't know if it works or not, but that's what I've heard.
We got very lucky because the sleeping space where our breeder kept the puppies was an open area with two lined crates (doors off so they could freely come and go), so Casey was already used to sleeping in a crate when we got her. She went in happily the first night and was quiet as a mouse.
Hope your first few nights went well!
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