HI All, I have just welcomed a new pup to the family, currently just shy of 12 weeks. She is a generally very docile sleepy wee thing just now and i only really have one question. She is a bit reluctant to go in her crate, she doesnt cower or shake, just stands and looks at me like i am daft, she wont follow a treat and has not really git a favourite toy or chew. She will go in and out to pull out blankets and has no problem eating her meals from the back of the crate. Once i finally manage to get her in (sometimes with a soft pat on the backside) she whines for literally a minute then crashes out asleep.
May I ask why you feed her in her crate? I had never used a crate until I got Baby Ziva, who unfortunately was only with me for 11 days, and then Tikva who was only 3 weeks old when I got her. At no time did either go in their crate except at night. I do not remember much about the short time Ziva was with me, but for Tikva once she was weaned it was "bikkie and bed" - before that I just put her in her crate, although now is is "out, peepee, bikkie and bed". When she was so very tiny I put a couple of toys and one of my teeshirts in it, as I had with Ziva.. But the only time both Baby Ziva and little Tikki went/goes in the crate, which is in my bedroom is for the night and no way would I have fed either in the crate.
Don't force her in crate let her go in/out on her own will & don't slam door shut, a crate needs to be a quiet place where your dog can retreat to without fear.
to clarify some points the crate isnt locked when she is being fed, i put the foodbowl in at the back as a way of having her spend some time in there, just to familiarise really. as soon as she finished she comes back out. Also i certainly wouldnt force her inside. Sometimes her tail and back legs are sticking out and a wee pat sends her in for me to close up. There are no outward signs of fear or anxiety and she happily settles once inside.
Hi Allan. Your use of the crate is very similar to ours. We have always used food and chews to get our dogs used to settling in the crate and seeing it as a den. They also seem to like the top to be covered by a piece of dog bedding, making it rather more cave-like. (Just as well as that is where I store my spare bed pads!) I'm sure it won't be long before she is going fully into the crate on her own, but as long as there are no signs of stress, I can't see anything wrong in what you are doing at present. It will not be too long before her second teeth start to make their presence felt, and I think she will be more likely to start enjoying her chews then.
All dogs [especially puppies] are different regarding how they see crates. Tikva only sees her crate when it is bedtime, and the magic words "bikkie and bed" has her waiting to be able to fly into the bedroom, up on my bed, waiting for me to open her crate. During the day she sleeps in the salon, either on the couch or my recliner. Or on me if I fancy a nap! The puppy bed I bought for Baby Ziva is now Tikki's toy box! It seems to suit her, it suits me, but as I say, all dogs are different.
I've never crate trained any of my puppies and only bought one when I had 9 month old Gwylim my Mini Schnauzer who been trained to sleep in a closed crate at night. What a waste of money! The first night he happily slept in it, The second night he complained because the door was closed. He then decided to sleep with his head poking out and by the end of the week, he'd pulled his mattress out and was sleeping alongside the crate. After that he never went into the crate again, and for the past two years sleeps either on my armchair or on my other dog's new bed which he's commandeered as his own!
When I said don't force her in I didn't mean pushing her in, I meant don't make her go in to eat her dinner, leave her dinner outside of the crate & tie the door of the crate back.
That is why Tikva has three different types of biscuits. A largish one for when she gets up [she does not have her bone meal breakfast until 10am] - three tiny ones so I can get out to go to the macolet, when I change her tether to a leash tied to the same place, and THE bikkie when it is bikkie and bed time. To me they are just biscuits but oh does she know the difference. Mind you, she is a rather strange puppy!
Hey Allan! I will definitely agree with the above comments that all Mals are different. My Beau has never had a problem with his crate. All I have to say is, '' go in your crate'', and he will literally get up from where he's at or stop what he's doing and go right to it. Only advice I can offer is try not feeding your Mal in the crate. I've never fed my guy in the crate. Only things that are allowed in there are his toys. Hope you get everything figured out!
