"Crating" Drama

[Spuds Family]

Spuds still does not like to be put into his crate with the door closed. SIGH!!  I have put food in the crate and he will go inside and eat the food. He will go inside the crate and get a toy out too. But, if he is put into the crate and the door is closed he goes into a panic attack. It doesn't matter if he can see me or if I leave the house, he barks, and drools.

We were practicing yesterday.  I had a bag of treats and said "cage" that is the universal term around my house.  I practiced with Spuds for about 30 minutes, giving treats and praise for going into the crate on command, just the two of us.

An hour later, I wanted to practice the learned skill so, I said the term "cage".  My 4 pound yorkie walks over and gets into her cage, Spuds following behind her, but he did not get into his cage. It was almost as if Spuds was telling me "see I taught the yorkie how to get into the crate", now give me my treat. Ugh.  I gave the yorkie the treat inside her crate and said Spuds "cage". My second Yorkie squeezed into the cage with the first yorkie and Spuds again looked at me as if saying "look I taught this one too"  give me a treat. LOL

At night, I started to put Spuds into his crate on the bed with the door open to sleep at night.  He sleeps with my son, so I am not sure how long he actually sleeps in the crate, before he moves onto the bed with my son.

My friends' advice was to buy a metal cage and see if it makes a difference.  I am just afraid to buy one yet because I do not know how big Spuds will get and right now he fits the Medium crate well.  He can stand up, but his head is starting to touch the ceiling.  He has long legs.  He can easily lay down and has plenty of room to move from the front of the cage to the back.

If the breeder's guess is correct he should be around 20-25 pounds. He just hit 15 pounds and he is 18 weeks?  My guess is closer to 25-30 pounds.  But, I am not sure if he will get taller or just start filling out more?  Maybe I should look at the size of the medium metal cages and see how big they are?  I just hate to waste money if it is not going to fit him when he is full grown.

Enough venting, time to go wake up the Spuds and see where he ended up in Bed.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

You might try putting him in the crate during the day and leaving the house and then watch him through a window where he can't see you. This might give you an idea of how he will respond when he thinks he is alone in the crate.

[Spuds Family]

Update: thanks for all the suggestions :) I looked all over dk.  I am trying to show Spuds how great it is to be in the cage.  I put Spuds in the cage and pamper him with applejacks cereal.  He loves the treats, and is so busy finding them he forgets the cage door is closed.  I keep increasing the time that he is in the cage. My son is actually putting Spuds in the cage at night to sleep with the door closed without any problems.  I think Spuds is actually starting to tolerate the cage.  We haven't had to leave him in the cage for long, but tomorrow will be the test, he will be in there for 4 hours.  Hoping it goes well.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

When Tara was a pup we had a larger crate with a divider in it that could be adjusted as she grew. We  made it fairly small when she was tiny and by the time she was full grown the divider  had to be removed.  It was a metal crate.  Sometimes you can find crates for sale on Craigslist but if you get a used one be sure to sterilized it well before using it.

@Deanna-Hilarious!!!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

We've had a few "Crate Issues" of our own:

Granddaughter, Kayla, at 2 1/2!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Here is an article on Crate Aggression that develops with dogs.  It doesnt sound like your dog has this issue but as you can see, it can happen with a pup becomes frustrated in a crate. I really think a better crate is not too expensive, can be used in the long run, and will also keep your dog safe. A puppy, free to roam can chew things ( stomach surgery is one example) and a host of other issues.

http://www.atlantadogtrainer.com/dogaggression.html

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

My suggestion is a metal crate.  So much nicer for the pup. Much nicer.  Sounds like you are using plastic. Those can be hot as they dont have a lot of ventilation.  They also do not let your pup see their surroundings as much.  There is something called, Barrier aggression, Barrier related barking, etc that dogs get (especially shelter dogs) and dogs locked in bathrooms etc.  If you buy a larger crate, one with sections, you can increase the area as the pup grows.  Get a medium. 

Most of us, never give away our crates as they are good in emergencies even if our dog no longer is crated.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

The Puppy Madness Group is a good idea, as Marnie suggested.

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

If I were you I'd pose this question in the Puppy Madness Group as many may be having the same issue as you.  Good Luck, I hate to say we never had crate issues and were lucky enough to be able to pack up the crateat about 8 or 9 months.