[jimj911]

I've trained many large animals but never had to crate train a dog. Due to my new type of life (read not in a cabin in the mountains!) if I want to take the dog with me everywhere, especially work, she needs to be kept under control as a puppy when I can't be with her. Any tips? We've def read up on it and it's going semi well other then the whining over night. She is half silver lab and half African Boerboel. Very very well tempered.

[Verbiage]

I don't have anything of value to contribute regarding training, but my God that is an adorable little thing!

[jimj911]

Originally Posted by Verbiage

I don't have anything of value to contribute regarding training, but my God that is an adorable little thing!

Thanks man! She really is, her grey eyes match her coat! Her brothers in the litter had HUGE paws, probably twice her size and all black. We were looking for a male, but she was the best looking of the bunch. Just within the last few days her personality has start to come out. She is 13 weeks old and hadnt spent a day away from the litter in a cow barn until Thursday. Very timid and skittish at first. Travels well! Hasn't gotten car sick once (fingers crossed).

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by jimj911

Thanks man! She really is, her grey eyes match her coat! Her brothers in the litter had HUGE paws, probably twice her size and all black. We were looking for a male, but she was the best looking of the bunch. Just within the last few days her personality has start to come out. She is 13 weeks old and hadnt spent a day away from the litter in a cow barn until Thursday. Very timid and skittish at first. Travels well! Hasn't gotten car sick once (fingers crossed).

How cool is that! Sounds like you ended up with a real winner, there. Hopefully some folks with experience can chime in with some training tips for you! Congratulations on such a beautiful dog!

[DSB335d]

I've crate trained a few dogs. It has worked well for me. For my rotti/pit mix I started him in a crate and then a children's playpen.
One thing I discovered along the way he would destroy his beds we went through a few before finally finding an "indestructible dog bed"...
Kuranda dog beds, has been great for my dog and he's been using it for about 3-4yrs.

Good luck. That's a good looking pup you have.

[jimj911]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

I've crate trained a few dogs. It has worked well for me. For my rotti/pit mix I started him in a crate and then a children's playpen.
One thing I discovered along the way he would destroy his beds we went through a few before finally finding an "indestructible dog bed"...
Kuranda dog beds, has been great for my dog and he's been using it for about 3-4yrs.

Good luck. That's a good looking pup you have.

Thanks for the info! We have a huge bombproof kennel given to us by family that had large dogs and I'm looking into a smaller travel crate for under my desk. Ill look into that brand.

[EALm4]

I've crate trained all of my dogs with great success. Some tips, You'll want to make the crate a comfortable spot, toys and treats. Some towels right now just incase there are any accidents. If she has an accident in the crate dont punish her, it's technically your fault for not taking her out as much. Puppies tend to need to go outside every 2 hours for the first couple months to learn that outside is the only acceptable place to dump/pee. The crate needs to be in a common room where you'll likely spend a lot of your time. So if you spend a lot of time in the living room, the crate needs to be there. It also needs to remain open all the time and train her to go in and out of it with treats. Then slowly you'll need to increase the time she spends in it and without you.

The whining overnight is the start of separation anxiety. If left unaddressed it will become a big problem in your dog's development and behavior. Separation anxiety is caused from being separated from the litter and the next available parental companion, you! To reduce separation anxiety, try placing an piece of worn clothing in her crate when you arent around. Also keep a clock with a moderately audible 'ticking'. The sound of the clock will simulate the heartbeat of another companion and a lot of dogs take to this very well.

Also remember dogs are pack and hierarchical animals. She needs to learn that you are the boss and rowdy behavior is not accepted.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Don't use the crate as a punishment and introduce slowly as a safe/relaxing place....and be sure to not keep them in there too long....some dog go absolutely nuts and may hurt themselves.

[TBN54]

I am willing to trade my 335 for your dog.

Will eventually name him Arcanine.

Goes for a walk.

Sees other dog.

ARCANINE I CHOOSE YOU!

Arcanine wins.

[Verbiage]

Originally Posted by TBN54

I am willing to trade my 335 for your dog.

Will eventually name him Arcanine.

Goes for a walk.

Sees other dog.

ARCANINE I CHOOSE YOU!

Arcanine wins.

You don't like Houndoom?



Houndoom >>>>>

[TBN54]

I swear on Entei's ass I was going to say Houndoom first, but everyone would think I'm some Pokemon master/nerd.

[Verbiage]

Thanks for making me look like the nerd, nerd.


Pokémon master though, I will take.



DUDE MY KEYBOARD AUTOCORRECTED AND AUTOMATICALLY ADDED THE ACCENT TO POKEMON.

[Stage1]

We crate trained our siberian husky from the day we got him. The first few days/nights were tough cause they do need to go out much more often when they are under 6 months, but now that he is 2...he sees his crate or "house" as well call it, as a safe place. Sometimes he will go in there just to take a nap and be by himself. We try not to use it as a place for punishment so that he will not associate it with a bad thing.

[KingOfJericho]

Crate training works incredibly well for reasons I'm sure you're aware of. People often make the mistake of making the area too large for the dog and they wonder why it doesn't work. Just make sure it's only big enough for them to turn around in and get one with a divider so it grows with them. Dogs actually like smaller spaces to curl up in as it makes them feel secure. Also be sure to bring them straight outside from the crate because it helps them understand the proper place to relieve themselves. If you let them mill around for even 30 seconds after letting them out, they'll pee (in my experience).

When we got our Staffordshire Bull Terrier at nine weeks, we crated her the first night and she whined a few times so I kept taking her out to go to the bathroom. The next night she whined for about ten minutes then the next thing I knew it was 9am - I had slept straight through the night. I was positive the dog was dead. Turns out she also slept right through the night. She seven now and we haven't used the crate in years but it worked extremely well for house-training.

[okusa]

I agree that crate training is the way to go. As already stated, the whimpering is not because they don't like the crate. It's because they want to be with you.

As for size and comfort, again it should not offer much room to move around freely but have a comfortable bed that she seeks out. Your dog will not use it as a toilet if she likes it and has to lay in it. But the second you bring her out you must lead her directly to her potty spot and then praise her wildly for using that spot.

As for times she's not in the crate, she MUST be on a tie-down. This is the number one rule of every trainer I've had come to the house. There is no free roaming. No exceptions. Wherever she goes, there must be a tie-down. So, just keep at least one in every room and as soon as she goes in that room, attach her to it. She will still be able to sit at your feet, but on the tie-down. When she's past the chewing and mischievous stage, you can eliminate this process, but not until that point.

[David70]

We also crate trained our dog. We started by feeding him in the crate. Food was in the crate and he had to go in to get it. Then put him in, gave him a treat, lengthened time and gave him a treat. He now sleeps in the crate with the door open (by choice) and we only lock him in if we visit someone with the dog and they don't want him loose.

Another huge help for all dog issues and making the crate less of a problem is to walk the dog, not just let him in the backyard. We walk our dog in the morning and the afternoon (Lab without a fenced yard) and the exercise/stimulation helps with his overall behavior.

They also normally don't want to go to the bathroom where they sleep so if they do it is normally not their choice and often a problem of being really young or not being let out enough.

[kkakonn]

We crate trained our wheaten terrier from day one and now she loves it. It was very difficult at first but the key is to get your dog to feel comfortable around their crate and see it as a positive thing. Give them lots of treats in and around their crate, also start feeding your dog inside the crate.

First few nights sleeping in it are tough, we put an article of our clothing inside with our dog which helped. Also make sure the crate is completely covered, with towels or blankets when they are sleeping. They will cry and whine in the beginning but its important not to take them out while they are doing that, it'll teach them that whining = let me out of my crate. Start in short 5-10 minute sessions, lots of treats and within a few days they'll be good!

[alexc93]

I crate trained my frenchie winston and he now loves his crate. He is currently 10 months old.

He cried at night for a little until he passed out. I found that covering the top of the crate with a towel or blanket calmed him down a lot so he could only see out one direction, maybe he didnt feel so trapped or something. I also would lay my leg out the bed so he could see I was still there and he would immediately stop crying.

I recommend keeping the crate covered all the time, i imagine it is much less daunting for a young pup than seeing all around knowing you cant explore.

Good luck! He's adorable

[M3 Number 86]

Dogs are awesome.

[1MOREMOD]

I've never crate trained a dog either but may need to with next. Previous house was much better suited. Read could be shit on and be fine.

[fravel]

My dog got so comfortable with his crate that when I started transitioning him to having free roam of the house he would whine if I left the room WITHOUT putting him in his crate.

[inline sex]

LIke everyone else said just make it a positive experience for him and they will learn to love the crate.
It also helped tons with my bull terriers separation anxiety, he would destroy anything he could get to if you left him alone. now he can be left free all the time and at worst will drag one of my shirts into his crate to snuggle with.