Crate training puppy issues

CamPang · #1 11-19-2019, 11:03 AM

I have a 9 month old Brittany Spaniel and shes been amazing!
We were doing really well with crate training her, but shes taken a step back and has been not doing well when we leave her in the crate now.

We first started trying to leave her a bit longer than a half day and thats when this new behavior started.
Now, anytime we leave her in the crate(even when im sitting on the couch right beside the crate) she starts the heavy stress panting and whining and shows obvious signs of anxiety. Lately, we've been trying to put her in the crate for very short periods of time when we are home in hopes she'll realize that its not always bad.
Obviously the wife and I have to work and some days we don't have any option but to leave her in the crate, when we do she destroys and pees(so far hasnt taken a dump in there, phew).
Doesn't seem interested in the abundance of toys we leave for her and only wants to try and get out of the crate.

Any suggestions on how we can fix this without having to give in and bring my dog to work everyday?

Jjolg123 · #2 11-19-2019, 11:08 AM

trying going back to basics, if youve got a kong toy for your pup, put her kibble she eats for meals into it and have her eat it out of her crate at meal time door open. Drop a treat or two in there when she is elsewhere that way when she goes past she picks up on checking in there on her own for the rewards.

Hopefully that can start to relax her, im guessing she possibly got a toe or nail caught while trying to get out and maybe that set her off

wwbirds · #3 11-19-2019, 11:11 AM

How much exercise does the dog get when you are home these are very active dogs. If she was doing well and now is not then likely something has changed it could be the routine or it could be medical. females are especially prone to bladder infections which causes frequent peeing and anxiety if she knows she is not supposed to mess her crate. At 9 months there should be no problem with 4 -5 hours in a crate unless you are feeding or watering her too much prior to putting her in crate without adequate pee breaks outside.

SageValleyOutdoors · #4 11-19-2019, 11:12 AM

Try giving her treats ONLY in the crate, with the door open. Bones in the crate with the door open. If she tries to take them out to chew on, take them away and put them right back in. Remove ALL dog beds and comfortable places for her to lie down EXCEPT in the crate with the door open. Don’t let her on couches or beds or anything.
Make it a positive experience for her going in there for short time periods, and not like a punishment.

It’s like taking a kid fishing - short, super successful trips at the start, leading up to longer trips with more challenge. They’ll have fun starting out, and learn the patience for longer times.

Our dog LOVES his crate, and will hang out in there all day with the door open. My wife fosters rescue dogs, and this is one of her biggest challenges.
Taking one of these dogs off a reserve in Arizona where they were feral, roaming dogs, and training them for a real home is her passion.

mmmtracksoup · #5 11-19-2019, 11:12 AM

Crate obviously a negative right now. I would start by always feeding her in the crate leaving the door open, throwing a treat in a different times, creating positives. We are using larger open wire crates with good success, not the enclosed travel ones.

AndrewM · #6 11-19-2019, 11:15 AM

I put a treat in the crate for my dogs when they go into it. They bolt into the crate.

sns2 · #7 11-19-2019, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmmtracksoup

Crate obviously a negative right now. I would start by always feeding her in the crate leaving the door open, throwing a treat in a different times, creating positives. We are using larger open wire crates with good success, not the enclosed travel ones.

My dog had anxiety with an enclosed kennel and we used the wire one. Worked. Now she still doesn't like the enclosed ones, but she lives with them when we are out hunting.

CamPang · #8 11-19-2019, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwbirds

How much exercise does the dog get when you are home these are very active dogs. If she was doing well and now is not then likely something has changed it could be the routine or it could be medical. females are especially prone to bladder infections which causes frequent peeing and anxiety if she knows she is not supposed to mess her crate. At 9 months there should be no problem with 4 -5 hours in a crate unless you are feeding or watering her too much prior to putting her in crate without adequate pee breaks outside.

She gets about 1.5 - 2 hrs of exercise/walking each day, plus some time playing around the house.
I have read about the possibility of a bladder infection elsewhere but she has no issues making it through the night without needing to be let out, she sleeps on her bed in the hallway at nights so i assume this would cancel the possible bladder infection thought?
We also cut off her food and water after a certain time when initially crate training.

Couple other things to note, she was completely fine for about 5-6 hours in crate previously, and she has also been Spade in the past month.

CamPang · #9 11-19-2019, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sns2

My dog had anxiety with an enclosed kennel and we used the wire one. Worked. Now she still doesn't like the enclosed ones, but she lives with them when we are out hunting.

I have an enclosed crate in my vehicle for her and she seems totally fine in that but its also in the back seat of my truck not in the bed.
We have a wire crate in the house, we've tried covering the crate with a moving blanket to make it more of a "den" but that blanket only lasted about 15mins then it was her snack.

CamPang · #10 11-19-2019, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SageValleyOutdoors

Try giving her treats ONLY in the crate, with the door open. Bones in the crate with the door open. If she tries to take them out to chew on, take them away and put them right back in. Remove ALL dog beds and comfortable places for her to lie down EXCEPT in the crate with the door open. Don’t let her on couches or beds or anything.
Make it a positive experience for her going in there for short time periods, and not like a punishment.

It’s like taking a kid fishing - short, super successful trips at the start, leading up to longer trips with more challenge. They’ll have fun starting out, and learn the patience for longer times.

Our dog LOVES his crate, and will hang out in there all day with the door open. My wife fosters rescue dogs, and this is one of her biggest challenges.
Taking one of these dogs off a reserve in Arizona where they were feral, roaming dogs, and training them for a real home is her passion.

Currently, we keep her crate in the living room which has clear sight to the kitchen were we spend most of our time and is only about 20 feet away. Its not convenient to have the crate anywhere else in the house, would this be a problem? should we suck it up and move the crate closer to us for your above suggestions?

wwbirds · #11 11-19-2019, 12:10 PM

after she was spayed? if she sleeps through the night yes the bladder infection is off the table. Sounds like anxiety but what is the cause?

4K3OGH · #12 11-19-2019, 12:15 PM

As others have said you want to make the crate a good place. It shouldn't be used as a punishment. If she is peeing in the crate take the blanket/pad out of there, she wont pee there if she is going to be forced to lay in it. You could also try covering the crate with a blanket. Turn it into a den for her, dogs like that.

nitro · #13 11-19-2019, 01:09 PM

Could she have had a something scare her when she was recovering from the spay in the kennel at the vets?What is she like if you leave her just in the house loose alone ?If you have not tried it both leave for just a few minutes to see what she is like it almost sounds like separation anxiety

AndrewM · #14 11-19-2019, 05:22 PM

One of my dogs used to hate the kennel. I put in a doggy door in the sliding glass door and backed up the kennel to it. That way she could come inside and go outside yet not destroy the house.

mmhmmmm · #15 11-19-2019, 08:11 PM

I don’t have much experience, but just to be sure is the crate small enough for her? I have read lots about making the crate small and that way the dog will not pee in their bed. Just tossing it out there! I had mine reduced to 1/3 as a puppy and just bumped her to 2/3 at 4 months.
Sorry to hear your difficulty! I am training a new pup and she has taken to the crate well after 2 weeks of sleeping near the crate with her. Sure hope I don’t lose that skill, the first couple times I left her during the day she freaked for 15-20 but now there is no resistance just goes to bed even during the middle of the day.

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KGB · #16 11-19-2019, 10:27 PM

My boys hated the kennel! We would put him there for an hour and after we come back he would be covered in his own poop and totally in a panic mode. We stopped this right away. After he grew older, he would walk into it for. A few minutes but wouldn’t stay. At the grooming salon, he would go there no problem, all by himself. He never gave us any problem staying home by himself, never chewed on things or even went thru the garbage...

Roderek · #17 11-19-2019, 10:46 PM

What most people have said, make it positive, give bones/treats feed her in there. Get a Kong and fill it with treats and peanut butter, you can feed a string through the top hole on the Kong so you can tie it on to the crate.

Also maybe look at getting a cage/playpen that you can attach to the crate to keep her confined and out of trouble,but gives her some room to roam and you don't have to lock her in the crate. You can put pee pads down if you are worried.

Windsweptcoast · #18 11-19-2019, 11:11 PM

We didn’t use a crate with our dog. Just let him be free around the house and let him out for regular bathroom breaks in the yard.

Okotok · #19 11-20-2019, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmhmmmm

I don’t have much experience, but just to be sure is the crate small enough for her? I have read lots about making the crate small and that way the dog will not pee in their bed. Just tossing it out there! I had mine reduced to 1/3 as a puppy and just bumped her to 2/3 at 4 months.
Sorry to hear your difficulty! I am training a new pup and she has taken to the crate well after 2 weeks of sleeping near the crate with her. Sure hope I don’t lose that skill, the first couple times I left her during the day she freaked for 15-20 but now there is no resistance just goes to bed even during the middle of the day.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A lot of crates come with a divider. You want there to be enough space to lie down but not enough space so they do their business in it. A carboard box works well as a divider too. It can be removed as the dog grows.