Hi guys I need some help on crate training my 14 week pup "Ace". Somehow I screwed it up along the way. He will go in the crate at night for bed with a food lure (kong) but without it no way. If I use the word kennel he goes the other way. If we are in the house he cries when in the crate, except for bedtime.

So far I have, 1. fed him in the crate 2. put favorite chew toys in the crate 3. tied the chew toys to the inside of the crate 4. tossed treats/rewards when he goes in and sits or lays down...... but with all of these as soon as I start to shut the door he tries to run out.

Any help would be appreciated

First of all I always give my dogs a treat when I put them in their crate or kennel run, regardless of age or how many times a day it occurs, esp. for the young dogs.

Secondly, with the pups, I put their crate in a very low traffic area and ignore their cries until they learn to be quiet. They are like human babies....if they cry and you eventually respond, they learn that crying gets the attention they are looking for.

Once they are quiet, I will give them a few minutes, then praise them and reward them with a treat, then go about my business.

A 14 week old pup is just a baby and has a long way to go in their training. It will take patience, peserverence and understanding on your part to achieve a well trained dog.

Keep us posted.

Kathy Miller

Just my opinion. You might be keeping pup in crate to long during the day. Plus crate may be in a wrong spot. my young dog when I can't find him is in his crate. At a young age I put them in the crate in my truck next to my older dog and off we go to train, hunt etc.

Thanks guys....
He is only in his crate for bedtime and short periods throughout the day, never longer than an hour. And we have never gone to him or let him out when he cries or whines.

Not sure about the placing, right now it's in the living room (so maybe to high traffic). To the vet, socialization or obedience training there is no issue getting into the travel crate.

Thanks again

With young pups I always place the crate in the bedroom at night so that pup can look out and see me. I like to have the kennel level with the bed for really young pups (8-12 weeks), so they feel like they are right on the bed with me. Doing this, I've never had a pup cry at night, not even the first night away from mom.

The rest of the day, when pup needs crate time (or when I need it...lol), I make sure the crate is placed so pup can see me. As long as my pups can see me, they never cry (or very rarely).

Too much crate time, isolated crate time, or the learned experience of being taken out when crying will all lead to a pup that whines in the crate. It also helps to place blankents and toys in the crate so pup feels like it is a fun, comfortable, correction free place to be.

Leif

When I got Theo at 7 weeks , the first night I put her in a grill type crate and slept besides her. Everytime she would whine, I'd shake the cage a bit and say QUIET...my '' quiets'' became louder as she kept going eventually she caught on.
She's 13 months now and the kennel is a great place for her to go. Try using a piece of hot dog, get her to go in, say GOOD DOG..pet her.. then let her out. Throw another piece in, close the door..good dog,,let her there for a while..she whines, shake the cage bit, QUIET..she stops, GOOD DOG, let her out..
It'll take a while but they get it.
I put Theo in her kennel every time we have supper because she is nose high to the table and she's all over us like a bad smell at dinner time. She knows the routine.
Theo..kennel..KENNEL..( a few choice swear words in french) KENNNNNELLLLL !! then in she goes.
Repetition is key, always do it the same way. If she cries..shake the cage a bit..QUIET..
if she shuts up..GOOD DOG.if not, shake the cage again a bit harder..
it aint pretty, but it works!

good luck

oh..and if you need a few choice swear words in french..let me know..I've developed a whole ton of them over the past 13 months.!!

cheers
Marc

Our experience with crate training seems to have been easy compared to others. Here are the steps we took in crate training Kingston.

1)Since day one he was in the crate. We did keep him in our bedroom for the first little while.

2)Sometimes, before I let Kingston out of his crate in the beginning I would lie in his kennel with him.

3)We practised the treat method. One treat to get him in the kennel and one after he has entered the kennel.

4)We never made a big deal of him being in the kennel. Once he was in the crate we sort of ignored him.

5) We found out pretty quickly that the only time he would whine was when he needed to go to the bathroom. Usually it meant he has some diarrea happening and didn't want to soil his crate.

6) We always made a point never to really praise Kingston or talk to him too much when we would let him out of his crate. The only communication he recieved was "come" or "lets Go"

7)Every time we let Kingston out of his crate we took him outside every time for pee (or poop). We are still doing this, but find that he doesn't have to go all the time anymore.

8) We always left the crate door open for Kingston so that he could enter his crate whenever he wants. His crate stays in our living room so that he is always near the busiest part of the house.

9) Lastly, before we put Kingston to bed we throw all his toys in his crate. This way he has something to keep him busy when he's awake and it keeps the house tidy.

Hope this Helps.

Keep on trying and don't give up. I've found that once you think it will never work, all of a sudden things begin to 'click.'

Ben