Having some major crate issues- Please help!

[Star and Goldie]

Hello all- I am new to doodle kisses and was looking for some help.

So here's the dish: I have an 11 week old Goldendoodle. I brought her home 3 weeks ago. She is all kinds of amazing and is very smart- very easy to train and very easy to house break with one exception: SHE HATES HER CRATE! Not only does she hate her crate but the big issue I'm finding is that since she is so tiny she can actually slide UNDER the divider panel and go right into the big portion of the crate to pee and poop.  When she is outside of her crate she doesn't have accidents in the house and she actually already rings a bell to go out to potty but when she is in her crate she doesn't even whimper to let me know she needs to potty since she is so comfortable with peeing in her crate.  She seems to have no issue sitting around in it:(

I really have 2 separate questions:

1. How do I get her to get used to her crate?  When she is in there she will destroy anything in her sight. I've tried several recommended crate covers but she seems to be able to pull them in to the crate and rip them to shreds. Is there such thing as an indestructible crate cover? Anyone have a crate cover recommendation that worked for a pup that likes to destroy things out of anxiety?

2. Any advice on how to make the divider panel work for us? I locked the divider in with zip ties so she couldn't nudge it and move it up but then I actually saw her slide under it so pushing it out of place wasn't the issue. The panel doesn't go all the way down. I've tried to stuff towels, blankets, beds all kinds of stuff in there but she manages to push them through and goes right back under. If she is going to be in the crate while Im at work is that necessarily a bad thing? Should I just take the divider out and let her use the back for her accidents until she can hold it long enough? I'm worried about her hurting herself going back and forth. The bottom of the divider has hooks on it so it's not smooth by any means.

extra notes: I do have someone helping me out to let her out mid-day while I'm at work until she's older but they can only come over once during the day. I tried an xpen in the kitchen during the day but she is an escape artist and nothing keeps her contained.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

How long are you away at work each day?  I have 2 adult doodles (3 and 4) and I have someone come and take them out on walks 2 times a week and then they go to daycare 1 day a week.  I recently started a new job with a longer commute and I end up being away from the house for 11 hours on those days.  The other 2 days a week I make my work days a little shorter.  An 11 week old puppy won't be able to hold it for very long and she shouldn't be expected to.  If you have long work days like I do, you need someone to come and let her out more often than once a day.  is this a friend or neighbor that you have helping you out?  is there someone else that you could ask to take a shift too so that you have  2 people helping you out?  Have you considered hiring a pet service to help?  They often have packages for puppy owners where they will come multiple times in one day.

[Star and Goldie]

I'm gone 8 hours a day and my dad comes down and let's her out around 3. Ideally if I could find someone to do a noon visit that would be great. I'm still looking for that- trying to find someone through people I know because it makes me incredibly nervous to have a stranger come in to my house when I'm not home- hence why I won't consider a pet service to help. I do LOVE the idea of one day at a doggy day care though. I think I might actually look into that!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I moved to a new state and right now it is just me (DH will move out later).  I was doing daycare more often but it was just to expensive.  I have a subscription to Angie's list and used that to find pet sitters in my area.  I read the reviews and called a couple.  Finally decided to have one over to meet her and let her meet my dogs.  We had an hour long interview and I saw her business license and pet CPR certification.  It was weird handing over my key but I know it was what was best for my dogs.  I didn't want them to suffer because of my schedule.  It is working out really well.  she leaves me a report card after every visit and they get out for a walk too which is nice. 

[Star and Goldie]

That is awesome that worked out for you. I might actually consider doing something like that. Thanks for the advice and thanks for sharing your success story. That definitely helps me see the nicer side of taking a leap of faith with strangers! I think I'm going to look into it :)

[Star and Goldie]

I hired a day time dog walker for my Goldie while I'm at work! Thanks again for the tip. This will be a HUGE help!!!  :) :) :)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

That is great.  I hope you are as happy with your dog walker as I am with mind.  Let me know how it goes with her.

[Star and Goldie]

Only one day in with the dog walker BUT today was the first day in the 3 weeks since I've had Goldie that I came home from work to a DRY puppy! I can also already tell a difference in how she feels about her crate. since she stayed dry in it all day she didn't have any problem going in it this evening when I ran to the store! What a huge sigh of relief (for both of us!)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

That is great.  I'm glad your first day with the dog walker was a good experience.  I would have felt really bad if it wasn't

[Jen and Annie]

We got Annie at 11 weeks old, and I remember wondering if she would ever enjoy being in her crate.  I think for such a young pup it's just foreign to them, so they aren't comfortable in there.  I too, would cover the crate with a blanket to try and make it more comfortable, and she would just end up pulling the blanket in through the spaces of the crate to tear it up. 
You can try to 'clicker train' her to enjoy the crate.  You don't even really need a clicker per se.  Just sit in front of the crate with a big handful of her favorite treats.  Throw a treat inside, let her go in and get the treat - and repeat.  Don't close her in right away, just let her notice that going in the crate is good because she can freely walk in and out and will get treats for doing so.  You're sort of conditioning her to feel rewarded when she goes inside.  You could even use her daily ration for kibble to train this, it'll just take her longer to eat dinner that way. After she gets used to going in and out - you can close the door (unlocked) and then work your way up t getting her to go inside and allow you to lock it.  You can give her treats while she's locked in as well - and you could even give it a command "go in your house" or something like that.  I would recommend to never use the crate as punishment or she will think it's a bad place to be. 

You could also get a kong chew and stuff it with REALLY good stuff like peanut butter or a little cream cheese.  It can keep a puppy occupied for awhile working on those kongs.

As far as getting her to ignore the divider, I have no advice there.  We have been lucky in that we did have a crate that was way too big for her, but she never messed in it.

 

Welcome to Doodlekisses, your baby is adorable. :)

[Star and Goldie]

Thanks! I am definitely going to try the treat idea! As for the kong... I tried those and she seems entirely uninterested. I'm hoping it's just due to her young age and that she will learn to love them because they are wonderful!

Hopefully she'll just go through a crazy growth spurt soon so she can't fit under the divider anymore:)

[Adina P]

What about a large enough rubbermaid box that she could not push out of the way on the OTHER side of the divider?  Or perhaps some bricks?  I don't know.  Perhaps in the meantime, you could pick up a SMALL plastic kennel--it is covered and opaque all around except for the bars on the door she can see through.  That might be useful, although she will outgrow it quickly.  Maybe find a used one on Craigslist or such.  Then when she is larger you can move her to her regular crate without a divider. 

[Star and Goldie]

Oh a rubbermaid box... GENIUS!  I'm going to dig through my cabinets and see if I can find one that will do the trick. I will probably have to pick one that I don't mind getting ruined because I have a feeling that with this little one she will figure out a way to chew through it. haha