crate barking and barking
I have tried covering the crate, I tried music, tv, treats, everything, but she barks and barks and barks, You can hear her down the street! She stops for periods of 2 minutes, then back to barking. She is as sweet as can be, but is getting big enough to really start getting in to trouble when she is not crated. I also have to begin her change from paper training to going outside, so the crate is really needed. Any suggestions?????? Thanks, Mark |
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| HAHAHAHA
Good to know I'm not the only one stumped here!!!!! |
| Some dogs just don't like to be crated, and that may never change.
Most view it as a place of security and comfort, it needs to be made a pleasant experience. I would suggest never reprimanding her while she is in it for one. No yelling at her to be quiet, because for one thing, it is giving her attention for barking, and it is also teaching her that being in the crate means you are angry with her. She may not connect the barking at all, to her that is a natural way to communicate she would rather be with you. I would suggest finding some really good chew toys, or long lasting treats, to occupy her while in the crate, completely ignore her while she is in there. Praise her like crazy when she goes in it, even if you have to put her there, give her a treat and walk away. Leave her until she is quiet, even if only for a moment, then go back praise and treat and let her out for a while. Make the time she is in there longer and longer and always keep it positive. A young pup should not be in the crate longer than an hour for each month of it's age I think (I can't remember exactly so please correct me if I'm wrong) Even as adults I don't like to see mine crated longer than 6 hours at a time, but if necessary I know they are ok with it. |
| Our Charlie would bark and howl in his crate during the day but was fine at night. We got a second crate for him downstairs in the daytime and he still barked a little when we left. After a couple of weeks of ignoring his barking, he's just fine now. We leave plenty of things to keep him occupied (Kong, stuffed bone, etc.) and he has special treats just for going into the crate. We also put his downstairs crate in front of a window so he can see outside. That seems to keep him happy.
I learned from this site that persistance (sp?) is the key and not responding to the barking works best. I didn't think it would ever happen but he's perfectly happy in both crates now. He even goes in on his own to chill-out when he's tired! |
| What do you mean by "as much as possible"? Are you putting her in there while you're home, away, at night? Just trying to get a clearer picture!
Clyde hated the crate from day one. It took a few months for him to go in there without resistance during the day while we went to work and even then he would stomp his feet like an angry child! Then there was the anxiety peeing while in the crate (usually at night), the barking and whining. We followed all the advice and did the right things but he just plain hated it. Finally after 2 weeks of nearly sleepless nights (I think he was about 5 or 6 months old), I couldn't take it anymore and relented. I brought him upstairs in the bedroom. He slept silently with no accidents. That was the end of the nighttime crating. As soon as we could trust him, we started letting him have run of the house for short periods of time and from about 9 months on, has had full run of the house with no incidents other than a few scratched up walls during the first week. The crate is in the basement, folded up and will stay there! I don't discourage crate training-- I think the crate helps housetraining a lot and helps inquisitive pups from getting into trouble. But, I think some dogs will never like it so I don't think it should be forced either. Every dog is different. |
| My parents' sheepie loves her crate...it's her box. She sleeps in there during the day (gate open, she chooses to go there), she takes her stolen goods there...if we are ever looking for that missing piece of chicken, check the box. But, when we first got her (at about 4 months) she hated it and would cry. But after about 2 weeks, she understood and then now loves it...feels safe there.
SO, when we got Barney we thought it would be the same. Nope. He HATES the crate. Would pee and drool and bark All. night. long. So, we relented and now he has the run of the kitchen and is completely fine in there and we feel he is safe in there while we're gone. |
| Zak, my ten year old dog LOVED his crate. He was a rescue who was severely abused and when I got him at 4 months old (Literally took him from the abusers backyard) he barked and whined, while crated, but very soon it became his safe place. I was new to having my own dog, and I appreciated the TIME OUT, the crate allowed me, as well as the housebreaking, and discipline it helped with.
I don't know if I have become softer or if Stella is different, but she is so strong willed and defiant, when I crate her. When I say I would like to crate her as much as possible, I mean while I am gone ( Which is never over 4 hours) as well as at night (Which she does pretty well now). The main concern is taking her from paper training to going outside. My backyard is all paved, so to find grass, she must go to the front yard. Being that she does not have all of her shots, I have not allowed her in the yard, where she may be exposed to random dogs, so I paper trained her. I know to make the transformation, I will have to rely on the crate heavily, for she pees all the time, without a pattern... and is very comfortable, running to the paper and peeing. If I am in the middle of cleaning up the paper, she squats where the paper was, without worry. Sorry for the epic message... It's just that I am a bit stumped. Her barking is beginning to bother neighbors and that's a worry. I agree that I will just have to ignore it. I will warn the neighbors today, that Stella is in training and will be barking a lot and flash her cute little face at them. How can they resist? Thank you all (once again) for your support. Mark |
| UPDATE:
Stella had a great day yesterday. She was fine in her crate. She barked a couple times, then settled in. I had her in and out of it all day and then last night, she slept on a pillow next to the bed and when i woke up, she had crated herself. persistence is the key..as well as being firm. Thanks! |
| Go Stella! |
| YAY! |
cinemarco wrote: UPDATE:
and when i woke up, she had crated herself. I can just picture that. How sweet. |
| Yay Stella! And congratulations Mark for being consistent. I think crate training is a great thing. It's really helped us when we've taken Bailey on trips or left him with others. No matter where he goes, he brings his own "house" with him. |
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