My family got a Bichon Frise about 3 weeks ago while my kids were on Spring Break. They played with the dog the whole time and he was never placed in his crate. Now that they are back in school, he's with me all day (as I work from home) and he always wants to play. He cries because he knows that everyone else is out the house and when I have to leave (to run some errands), he hates going into his crate. If I put him in the crate, I can almost guarantee that he'll vomit and be crying when I get back. I've tried putting toys and articles of clothing with my scent in hopes of keeping him calm but that's not helping. I've also tried crating him while I was home for short periods of time but that yields the same results. I know this is all my doing because I didn't start the crating process as soon as we got him and now he's becoming conditioned to not being in the crate. Is this something that I can correct? He's now 13 weeks old, is it too late? Please help! This is my family's first dog ever, so we're all new to this. Thanks.
Feeling like a horrible dog owner
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i know when my pup nyx she would cry the whole time she was in her kennel and it was a plastic one. so i borrowed a friends metal crate as i had tryed the metal one at her house while painting and what not and she didn't seem to care and would go to sleep. so maybe your pup just wants to see all around.
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Ditto. This worked for me as well. You can also try some plug in pheromones and some music to help sooth him.
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It's not too late. I know you said you try putting him in the crate even when you are home, to get used to it. How long are you putting him in for?
I would recommend putting him in the crate for 30 seconds, with a treat that will take a few minutes to devour, like a bit of a bully stick, or some peanut butter smeared inside a kong. Do this as many times throughout the day as you can, so that it becomes normal, or part of the day.
After a few days, try to up the time to 1-2 minutes. But, remember, do it as many times a day as you can, so it's routine. After a few days of this, try 5 minutes, but, again, a LOT during the day. Then, randomly go back to 30 seconds here and there, then try 10 minutes. After that, start mixing it up, so he never knows how long he'll be in there.
Each time, no fuss, no soothing him before or after. Just make it business like. You DO have to ignore a certain amount of whining and crying, as not all pups take to their crates right away. Plus, he's been used to being the center of attention.
I am a teacher, and I always make sure to leave my dogs alone during the day in the summer, even if just for 10 minutes here and there, so they don't get used to having me around all day in the summer time. That way, when it's time to go back to school, there's not a huge adjustment to make. So, keep in mind, once you do get your pup used to the crate, try to be routine about it, and don't totally break from that routine.....unless you find that you no longer need the crate when he's older.
I would recommend putting him in the crate for 30 seconds, with a treat that will take a few minutes to devour, like a bit of a bully stick, or some peanut butter smeared inside a kong. Do this as many times throughout the day as you can, so that it becomes normal, or part of the day.
After a few days, try to up the time to 1-2 minutes. But, remember, do it as many times a day as you can, so it's routine. After a few days of this, try 5 minutes, but, again, a LOT during the day. Then, randomly go back to 30 seconds here and there, then try 10 minutes. After that, start mixing it up, so he never knows how long he'll be in there.
Each time, no fuss, no soothing him before or after. Just make it business like. You DO have to ignore a certain amount of whining and crying, as not all pups take to their crates right away. Plus, he's been used to being the center of attention.
I am a teacher, and I always make sure to leave my dogs alone during the day in the summer, even if just for 10 minutes here and there, so they don't get used to having me around all day in the summer time. That way, when it's time to go back to school, there's not a huge adjustment to make. So, keep in mind, once you do get your pup used to the crate, try to be routine about it, and don't totally break from that routine.....unless you find that you no longer need the crate when he's older.
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This. I basically did this with Hobbes when we first got him. He was a lot older - about a year old, and it didn't take him too long to get used to his crate. Another thing I did in the beginning was to have him go in his crate and then leave the door open and just sit there with him and pet him while he was in there for awhile. You want to have him go in there for various short times periods during the day, so he never knows how long he'll be in there. And it's especially important to not make a big deal about it; it's just another part of his day. "Going in the crate? Yawn, whatever." "Coming out of the crate? No biggie." You don't want him feeling like getting out of his crate is some kind of huge success.
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