Question About Crate Training

maggiesmom

I have a question: my dog is going to be 4 in June and she suffers from separation anxiety. So we figured if we crate trained her, she'd have a safe place to feel comfy when we weren't home. We are following all the tips and guidelines for crate training, only we have one problem: she doesn't have to go all the way in to reach her food and water. She leaves her back paws out of the crate and stretches her way all the way in and is totally fine eating and drinking. If her toys are in there, she has no problem getting them and leaving the crate. How can we train her in the crate if she doesn't have to get all the way in for any reason?

DogAdvocat

Sounds like the crate isn't big enough.

maggiesmom

Well, we went by the weight they gave on the crate. They also said the crate should only be big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around and that is exactly the size of this one.

jcarm24

so when you're dog's legs are sticking out the back, have you tried closing it and forcing her inside? can you kinda trap her inside for like 5 minutes, and the let her out when she's done eating/drinking? start out with 5 minutes and if she gets used to it, move it up to ten.

are you exercising her daily? i have a socially shy dog who avoid contact with me. but when i take her on a 15 minute walk, she gets so tired that i can sit next to her on the couch and pet her while she sleeps. if you can tire her out, then she won't be as picky when going in the crate.

maggiesmom

Well, we read that forcing her in, is NOT the way to go, because she will then associate it with a bad feeling. So we slowly slid her back paws in, one at a time and she continued eating so we shut the door and as soon as she was done, she started panicking. I opened the door right away and the way she acted, was as if she hadn't seen us all day, even though we were standing there the whole time


Yes, she gets a 30 minute walk in the morning and at night and two quick walks during the day. The strange part about her is, she never gets tired out. No matter what we do, even if we take her to the dog park for 2 hrs, she is still full of energy. I heard her breed was known for their agility, maybe they never get tired ??

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Cheetah

You opened the door as soon as she started making noise? By doing that, you reinforce this behavior.

How big is this dog?

maggiesmom

Well, the guidelines said the very first time you should only leave the door closed until she was finished eating. So that is what we did, but she was panicked immediately. We went and bought a bigger crate today, unfortunately, they only get wider, not longer, so she is still able to reach in, without going all the way in. We bought a nice lambskin mat and put our stuff in there and lifted her paws up and put her in (there was tuna in her dish), so she stayed in there and was ok with it, with the door closed. So maybe with the extra few inches, she feels better. I left her in there for about 5 minutes and then let her out. She wasn't nearly as shakey as she was with the other one, so maybe this one will do the trick. She goes in and out no problem, it's just shutting the door that might be the issue. We will keep at it until she is comfortable enough to stay in there for a while...She is 25 lbs.

Alpha

My little guy had to be crate trained for the same reason, well SA which led to him being extremely destructive if left alone.

If she's entering the kennel fine, I'd say use something super yummy like a raw bone or a kong filled with wet food, yogurt etc to keep her occupied while you close the door. Maybe only close it half way for the first few times. If you have a high value treat in the kong, something REALLY good, she'll most likely turn her head at you if you close the gate a bit. Stop there as soon as she does and leave. Slowly and gradually close the gate more and more. And only allow her to have the yummy SUPER special treat INSIDE the kennel. She's not allowed to have this wonderful lovely treat anywhere else.

Sometimes they put up more of a stink than what they're really feeling. My little guy would whine and whine and sob like a kid who just dropped their ice cream, but suprisingly like all the books say, a firm "YOUR FINE!" and ignoring them usually does the trick. The more baby talk you use makes the situation worse and gives the dog a reason to feel scared. Be confident, be strong and good luck

maggiesmom

I have to say, we are sooooo lucky that she isn't destructive (knock on wood). She doesn't chew or dig or destroy. The only thing we noticed, is that she scratches at the wood by the front door to try and get out.

Tonight we really made some progress! She got in and we gave her the kong with peanut butter and a bone inside and she turned around long enough to eat from it in side the crate. We pushed her paws in slowly & shut the door and she stayed, 'cuz she knew she had a great treat. As the night went on, she was actually going right in the crate (although still stretching), but at one point, I think she forgot where she was, 'cuz she actually put one of her back paws in for a minute !

We will continue to follow through, but good point about not giving her that yummy treat anywhere but in the crate. I think she will do well with it, as long as we keep at it.

We are also lucky that she doesn't cry or bark or whine, she just kind of panics at times. She did very well today !!

Thanks for the tips and encouragement, it helps !

Alpha

Great! I'm so glad that you've made progress so quickly, BUT don't get too excited. With all the things we teach our dogs, a lot of the time the learning curve is awfully frusterating. It'll appear they've forgotten about that bad behaviour or figured out this new trick than a few days later look at you like your not all there! LOL

Stay consistent, and don't try to push to hard too fast. It's great that she's already making progress so don't risk it by startling or scaring her.

Continue with the good work!

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