Kennels

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Hello friends :)

Yeti came with a little carrier as part of our puppy package from his breeder. Its a typical travel carrier that he is quickly out growing.  I didn't know how long Yeti would fit in it, so we bought a wire kennel with a divider before we brought him home.  We got a nice little bed and i made a blanket with a built in pillow that stays in there all the time.

Our first night home, we put Yeti in the wire kennel and he spent the whole night in there without any problems.  When we are about to put him in there, we tell him its time to kennel up and we put him right in with one of his favorite stuffed toys.  He whimpers a little bit (5-10 seconds MAYBE) and settles right down.  He is very good in his kennel and we are beyond lucky. No accidents and he has been sleeping through the night since day one (knock on wood). 

As good as he is in his kennel, he doesn't voluntarily go in.  We have given him toys in there and sometimes treats.  He usually grabs the treats or toys and runs out where we are.  

We didn't use his carrier for anything right away. In fact it stayed in my car for almost 3 weeks after we got home. When i finally unloaded it, I put it in the family room until i could make space in our storage area for it (assuming we had no use for it). When Yeti saw it, he went right up to it and i opened the door to see what would happen.  He grabbed a toy and snuggled right in there and took a nap for an hour. This is what we were hoping would happen with his kennel.

Has anyone had any similar experiences with anything like this? We decided to take his carrier away, considering we don't want him to consider this his space in stead of his kennel. Like i said before, he is practically outgrown it.  When he does lay down in it he is usually half in the carrier half on the floor.  Any ideas on how to get him as comfortable with his kennel as he is with his carrier?

[Karin Frydman]

We found that putting a blanket on top of the crate made our Zoe more comfortable. Sort of cave like. We just put it on top, so that air could circulate.

[Amy and Annabelle]

I used both the first year. Annabelle is a mini, so she is little anyway. She rode in the car in her carrier strapped in a seatbelt for the first year. She was only 13lbs at a year. I didn't want her flying around the car in an accident and getting hurt. Then in the house it was the crate. She has always been great with both. She has been in both since the day we brought her home. I think Yeti will get comfortable with it if you take the carrier away so he doesn't see it. Outa sight, outa mind. I will say when she was little she liked her carrier better when she wanted comfort. Like after a vet visit. She felt safer in the smaller space curled up I think. She doesn't do that now at 2 years old.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

She is bonded to you but it probably brings back fond memories. I am sure that the carrier she came in smells familiar like 'home'. Why not leave it out for a while until she really outgrows it. Let her nap inside if she wants.  Is it cloth?  If so, cut a chunk out and put it in her current kennel.

[Christy&Riley]

Yeti is SO adorable! I remember the early days trying to get Riley into her crate without getting bit or scratched. You name it, we tried it. I don't remember what eventually worked. She never used it like a den but did go in on command when necessary. Good luck!

[Kamela & Beckett]

Beckett's only ever had a wire crate (we used it when driving home from breeder). It's in our bedroom. He goes in there fine at night, but doesn't voluntarily go in there during the day. He prefers one of the dog beds in other rooms or the floor. We don't consider it an issue. He's comfortable, so we are good.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you all!! We took his blankets out of the carrier and put them in his kennel :) he is really a good kennel dog I just would love for him to want to be in there voluntarily eventuall! There is still plenty of time considering he is only 3 1/2 months old!

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Could you move the wire divider further back and put the carrier inside the kennel? This could be a transitionary step toward ultimately using the kennel alone. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

that was my thought as well ... then he would associate them as the same thing (maybe).  You could also try some really yummy special smelly treat that is only a "kennel up" treat!

[Minnie Escobar]

I would have slowly started introducing him to his kennel first, leaving the door open and putting in treats for him to go in and out of just so he gets used to the idea of being in and out of it. Once he gets used to going in try closing the door then still give him treats through the sides til he gets comfortable before opening the door again.

Maybe don't say anything about it being time to go inside either because sometimes dogs will make that association and the dog will get a little antsy knowing that they're going to be locked up in their kennel again. 

We left a blanket over our kennels for our dogs also like Karin, though now they've moved to a storage under one of the tables that my boyfriend converted into a bed on the bottom since now they have free reign in the downstairs part of our house. Try leaving one of your shirts in the kennel with his favorite toy too, this will help him ease more into his new kennel.