Teddy is doing this kicking back thing....

[Cory Reali]

Like dogs do after they go potty, he does it OFTEN when he's in his crate, and we can't figure out how to get him to stop. Does anyone know how to get him to stop? It's normally when we can't take him out at the time, and we don't want to encourage the behavior by letting him out when he's doing it so we are at our wits end. Can anyone give us some advice? He's such a different dog than Molly is. He won't lay down in his crate when told, when Molly will, we just seem to be struggling, the training just doesn't seem to stick like it does with Molly.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Hm, is he kicking away the blanket? My two are totally different, too. It's amazing.

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

I'm not sure about the kicking back thing but I too have 2 very different doodles. As with children, doodles come in many types of looks, temperaments, behaviors, and personalities. What worked for one may not for the other. Fozzie was food and praise motivated, Shaggy toy and only very high value treats worked for him. Fozzie stopped chewing everything at about 11 months, Shaggy still chews everything and he's almost 14 months. Fozzie had an excitable tinkler for about his first year, Shaggy still does it. Fozzie heals great Shaggy ....not so much. I have had to do things quite differently for Shaggy, he's a different dog and I'm not just working full time with just one dog like I did with Fozzie. So enjoy the differences in your doodles and as with children, try not to compare:))

[Cory Reali]

No blankets or anything in his crate, as he chewed anything we would leave in his crate. So he's got nothing in there. I don't necessarily mind the not laying down when told, it is annoying, but not a HUGE thing. The kicking back thing is frustrating and really gets to me. Because it's loud, and he just won't stop. and we can't let him out when he's doing it.

[Adina P]

Is it hurting the crate?

[Cory Reali]

not yet, but he's starting to hurt his nails when doing it, because he catches his toes on the bars of the crate sometimes

[F, Calla & Luca]

Luca often gets to pulling back his bed and even tossing it-- and it is big. Both dogs dig at the beds a bit at times and circle around a bit before settling down. I think of it as normal dog behavior.

[Ginny Nightingale]

That's weird and I have no advice other than to reward him when he is NOT doing it--if that ever happens....consult a trainer maybe?

[Wendy and Myla]

This might sound really stupid - but - what if you put him in a smaller crate for now????  Also, how long is he in the crate for?  Maybe, if it's possible, let him out more often - even for a small period of time - so that he doesn't feel he has to do that???   Even if you do this, it's a win-win situation, because you are rewarding him by getting out, when he's not kicking.  I don't know your situation though, so it might not be possible.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

You might try buying a couple of yards of thick fleece fabric from your local fabric store and using it as a blanket in his crate.  It's almost indestructible; I cut it into strips and braid it to be used for tug-toys.  I see that someone mentioned using a smaller crate.  What about a larger one?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Our Vern has a real need to dig and roll. The first thing he does when we come home is run to his Coolaroo bed and dig and roll. Maybe Teddy is trying to dig in his crate, too, in a weird sort of way. It is really not fair to compare Teddy to Molly. They are all so different with learning, training, personalities, etc. and if you compare the two and always find Teddy lacking in comparison to Molly, you will miss out on so many things that make Teddy extra special. Our Fudge is super smart and Vern is more of an underthinker (LOL), but he is so darn sweet and loving that he makes me smile everyday. Vern also needs far more exercise than Fudge or he gets into trouble and can drive you nuts at night. Possibly, Teddy needs more exercise before going into the crate. Just a thought.

[Cory Reali]

Sorry I just came back to this discussion. This weekend became hell for us. Between finding out I need surgery on my foot, my really good friend finding her brother dead, to taking my middle child to the ER, life got in the way. I don't constantly compare Teddy to Molly and find him lacking. They really are so different, and there are things that make Teddy so special and personable himself. Molly is the mellow thinker and Teddy is the hyper experimenter. He is always ready to give you love and attention while Molly would sometimes rather sit at your feet and stare at you. We took Teddy on an extra walk each day this weekend and it seemed to lessen the kicking back in the crate some. So we might not be getting him enough exercise yes. It's going to be hard to get him enough with me having surgery but we will do all we can to get him what he needs to work on it. Thanks to all of you guys for your input and advice, it really helped.