[Red Tex]

I am crate training my 10 week old Husky. She finally is not shy with us anymore. WHen I put her in her crate at times she will howl, moan, bark, and make all sorts of noises. I have to keep her in there at times because she'll poop and pee on the carpet. I don't let her out when she cries at all, I'll wait until she stops and lies down. She stops after while but sometimes it takes like 20 minutes and it gets really irritating.

She is starting to poop and pee outside at least half the time, but sometimes I have to take her outside for a long amount of time for her to do it, which is something that I can't always do. When she uses the bathroom in the house I tell her bad dog and No, and then I put her back into the crate. If she won't use the bathroom when she goes outside, then she goes back into the crate as well.

I know that I'm probably not doing everything right because this is my first time crate training, so I'd like some advice on this and some tips. I am learning in the process and I am doing everything I can to have a good dog. Any feed back would be helpful.

 

[SpudNZasha]

YAY congrats on your husky. I have one too (see avatar)...

the BEST thing about your husky is that you got her so young. I got mine at 8 months and I will soooo never get another husky I can't train from scratch. You're at an awesome advantage to that.

Ok crate training -

ALWAYS make her crate time positive, and for huskies who howl (like mine), it's really important to give her something to do in there - a baby kong with a treat inside or some peanut butter maybe ?.. Mine loves tennis balls. (She's an odd duck)...

You're doing the right thing by ignoring her when she's howling/barking. I'd say work her up to longer periods... right now it'd be a great thing if you made the crate as positive as possible - give her treats in there. Feed her in there. Make her associate the crate with good things.

I wouldn't crate her at all when she goes to the bathroom in the house. That's using the crate as a punishment, which you don't want to do - saying "bad dog" then putting her in there is saying to her "when you do something wrong, you go in this big scary metal thing all alone"... Of COURSE she's not gonna like it... and that's not the purpose of it

Instead, when she goes pee/poop in the house, bring her right outside. You're not helping to house-train her at ALL by crating her when she goes.

 

[Red Tex]

Thanks for the reply. I'm still learning on the job. It's just hard to work right now, because I have to watch her like a hawk either to make sure that she isn't using the bathroom or to make sure that she isn't chewing on something she isn't supposed to be touching. She is starting to get into everything.

SHe has her bone in her crate and some toys as well. I am certain;y trying to make it a positive experience for her for sure. It's just that the minute I take my eyes off of her there is pee on the carpet somewhere. ALl she needs is a few measly seconds and she'll do her thing. I'm just really really trying hard to get her to understand that "potty time" is outside.

We've only had her for like 3 days and she hadn't had that much human contact at all and had never walked on a leash either. She is walking on a leash very well right now I must say. She is just afraid of the stairs where I live, so I have to carry her up and down the stairs and what I'm doing now is putting her like 4 to 5 steps to the top or bottom and making her do small distances at a time to build her confidence up. She seems to love going outside to play though.


I just hope that she'll stop the constant howling and barking. It's to much at times and I really don't want her to resort to that when I'm gone and she is in her crate.

 

[Momma.Of.2.Harley.n.Boo.]

YAY congrats on your husky. I have one too (see avatar)...

the BEST thing about your husky is that you got her so young. I got mine at 8 months and I will soooo never get another husky I can't train from scratch. You're at an awesome advantage to that.

Ok crate training -

ALWAYS make her crate time positive, and for huskies who howl (like mine), it's really important to give her something to do in there - a baby kong with a treat inside or some peanut butter maybe ?.. Mine loves tennis balls. (She's an odd duck)...

You're doing the right thing by ignoring her when she's howling/barking. I'd say work her up to longer periods... right now it'd be a great thing if you made the crate as positive as possible - give her treats in there. Feed her in there. Make her associate the crate with good things.

I wouldn't crate her at all when she goes to the bathroom in the house. That's using the crate as a punishment, which you don't want to do - saying "bad dog" then putting her in there is saying to her "when you do something wrong, you go in this big scary metal thing all alone"... Of COURSE she's not gonna like it... and that's not the purpose of it

Instead, when she goes pee/poop in the house, bring her right outside. You're not helping to house-train her at ALL by crating her when she goes.

I’m going to apply these methods with my 7 week old pup as well! Thank you for posting this info!!!!