Crate Hate - Behavior Change

[Stacey]

My almost 5 month old boy decided 2 nights ago that he only wanted to sleep about 3 hours in his night time crate (in our room) and then wanted out.  He repeated it again last night.  

Both nights I took him out to go potty the first time he would not calm down.  He did and then I put him back in his crate with no play or love but he just barks and whimpers upon going back in.  Last night I had to force him back in - not pleasant for either of us.  He usually just walks in and lays down.  Such odd behavior.

He has been very good in his crate until this point.  He usually stays in the crate from about 11pm to 6:30 am no problem.  We have never had an accident in a crate.  This dog has held his pee since we brought him home at 10 weeks.  I know he can hold it throughout the night - no problem.  I do not think his whimpering and barking has anything to do with bathroom issues.

I was thinking his teeth were bugging him or growing pains.  

Last night my husband removed the dog at about 4 am and put him in his downstairs crate so we could get some sleep.  He seemed fine in the morning and I appreciated the sleep after not getting any the night before.  I did not hear him crying, but that does not mean he didn't.  I just did not hear it.

Now my husband wants him to sleep in the downstairs crate every night.  I do not like this idea.  I think he would be happier in the room with us.  I am also concerned about knowing if he is sick or needs help - he is still a baby.  I do not know if he is ready to roam the room if we are asleep though.  I think he would get into trouble.

Has anyone else had a dog that was fine in the crate turn on it?  Maybe he is ready for a dog bed. a night.  I do not want my doodle to feel unloved and lonely.  But, my husband said he would leave the room if the dog did not.  

Any suggestions?  

[Sue & Lily Grace]

Stacey, I am not an expert on this site but most of the posts in this group are pretty old. Maybe repost in main Forum or puppy madness. I think a lot more people will see it. I hope the solution is not having to choose one or thr other.

[Stacey]

Thanks for the advise Sue. I posted it in Puppy Madness as well.

[Christine & Camus]

Stacey,  I had problems with crate training Camus, although he was not a puppy when I adopted him.  In the beginning he hated his crate, but was doing well without using it so I got rid of it.  After a few months he started to destroy things when left alone so I decided I had to get him a new crate.  The second time around I got him a larger crate, went from a 42" wire crate to a 48" wire crate, and this time he loved it.  For Camus, even though the 42" was a good size for him, whatever the reason he preferred a larger crate.  Is there a chance that his crate is too small?  Just a possibility.

[Wendy Bell]

Hi Stacey-

Wow, can I relate to you...although you had more success than I did so far. Long story short, my breeder said that my pup slept in the crate all night as well- although he was a wimperer and crier! When we got him home (8 weeks old)- he resisted that crate as of day one! I even slept outside the crate with him for a week- but he still persisted with not wanting to be in there. We really did try everything. I called the breeder again and she said that we needed to be strong and wait it out, because the crate is the best way to train. But, unfortunately, the crate never  became a friend- we just closed the door in our room, made sure we took him out for potty breaks, and soon enough, he was actually sleeping on the mat we put on the floor in our room. Now, he sleeps in our room, or where he chooses- he's now 1.8 years old. It was terrible those first couple of months. I thought we were doing everything wrong, because so many others had wonderful success stories about crate training. Soon to realize, not all dogs are crate-able! Our pup, easily trainable, but quite stubborn, has finally realized that if he needs to be crated, he has to tough it out for a while (vacations, daycare, etc.). I hope this helps! Please contact me for with more questions and I hope that I can help you through these transitions months!

[Ron Carnes]

We had the same problem. It turned out he had soiled his crate and we didn't catch it.