Crate training help needed

[LoveDisappears]

Originally Posted by Ash Mark's. Exactly, it depends on what kind of owner you are, and what works best for you. Authoritative is what works best for me and my dogs. Auto doesn't respond to me just spanking him and saying Bad Dog. He will, however, respond to be saying "You wanna go to the batcave?" when he's bad. And then when it's night time and I say batcave he will go in and lay down. He knows when he's bad and i say batcave it means punishment, and when it's night or i'm in my work uniform and say batcave that he just has to go for his nap/bed time (i only work for 3 hours a day, so thats why I say his nap ) Best advice would be to test this and that, and see which seems to work the best for you and your dog.

How can the dog know the difference if you tell him to go in there when he's bad, and when you're going to work? He can't separate the two.. thus thinking he's bad every time he's asked to go in..

[my.hero's.mrs]

I'll try it today for my medical appointment and see how they react.

[LoveDisappears]

Originally Posted by my.hero's.mrs I'll try it today for my medical appointment and see how they react.

Hope it goes well!

[lilangelbabe1217]

we started crate training tulo a few weeks ago...and it works at night (but he still wakes up at about 5 hours after being in there...he is yorkie puppy with a teenie weenie bladder ) and we dont really use it during the day because we live in a tiny apartment and we can usually see where he is going, but i did start using it when i would leave to go to the store or to the gym or when DH and i would go out for a few hours...and i do put him in there when i clean the house and DH isn't here to watch him...he cries and i just say NO very sternly so he knows not to whine and usually falls asleep (we put his favorite toys in the crate with him...a stuffed bear, a chew bone, and my sleeping mask that he rips off my face!...)

but now that i work 8 hours and so does DH we leave him in the kitchen with a baby gate up and 2 potty pads and all his toys and his crate (since that is his safe place and nap area) he hasn't messed in the kitchen in a while (he goes on his potty pads) it just takes a lot of time and patience and dont give in when they cry good luck!! i am still mastering this as well...and like someone else said we each do this differently you just have to find your way and the way your dogs like it

EDIT: my neighbor told me that when she goes to work that she usually puts on a radio so that her puppy can hear something and it doesn't feel like its totally alone...we do this with tulo and he seems to enjoy it...just a suggestion

[melmel8]

when we got our puppy they told us to put him in there for a few hours at a time while we were watchin tv and stuff so he didnt think of it as a punishment. so we started with ten minutes then went up...we used to drag him in there and then he just started going in. we have had him 8 yrs and now he just lays in there. he loves it. are you using it for when your gone or at night or waht?

[BMichelleB]

my dog LOVES her crate. Not sure why. It's just her safe zone. When she has an accident she knows she's in trouble and goes right in there. When I get ready to leave she knows to go in there. Sometimes she just needs to hear "KC, cage" and she trots right in lol. She does sleep with me when DH is gone but when he's home she sleeps in her crate and has no problems.

I'm honestly no help with the training part because she has been this way since we got her when she was 6months.

[Judi]

From the OP, I think I understand you are trying to crate train two puppies in the same crate. I think you need two crates, one for each, and they should NOT be too big. They should be a comfortable size for them, without too much extra room. IE, you would not want a medium for a chihuahua... You should have them crated when you leave for work It keeps them safe and it keeps them from messing outside the crate. Usually animals will NOT pee/poo in their sleeping place. However if left there for hours and hours they cannot help themselves. Esp. as puppies. If you leave them out and they mess on the floor because they couldn't hold it any longer, you are essentially teaching them that IS their potty place, KWIM. My dogs are always crate trained and I have had no problems. As they get older I lose the crate, but not until they are old enough to not chew or mess. Obviously the housetraining comes first, lol. The chewing may never go away. My current "puppy" just turned one and is still crated when I leave the house and at night. We've done obedience training, but she is still a chewer and a naughty naughty soul, lol. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. Oh, and we do, when she is very naughty, put her in her crate. She knows when she has been bad and will just head there, lol. She will also go there to take naps... It is a comfortable place for her, she likes it and we use it as appropriate. Dogs are not as "stupid" as people. My kids go to their room when their bad, yet they still sleep there. Dogs will too as long as the punishment is not a traumatic thing... Stay calm, tell them no, and calmly put them in the crate.

[MacNCheese]

I leave my puppies in the kennel while we are at work or out. Otherwise they would pee and poop every where. Putting them in the kennel while you are gone is not a bad thing at all. Also I keep them in the same kennel. They FREAK out if they are apart for too long. (they are also sisters)

[thejibstah]

Originally Posted by LoveDisappears I know you said online info isn't helping much but maybe this can help anyways. I only crate our dogs when we go out. And I can't stress enough that you do no want to put your dog in their crate as any sort of punishment. That is supposed to be their safe place. Another great site [ American Dog Trainers Network -- How To Successfully Crate Train Your Puppy ] # Crate or confine your puppy when you can't watch him—always. Train other family members to do the same. # If you feed your puppy a commercial dog food, feed dry food. It will keep his stools more solid. # Confine your puppy to rooms with tile or other washable flooring so mistakes don't ruin carpets. # Keep your puppy on a schedule. Feed him at the same time every day, and try to get up and go to bed close to the same time every day while he's being potty trained. # Puppies need lots of water, especially if they eat dry dog food. However, while you're potty training, feed your pup at least four hours before bedtime, and remove his water two hours before bedtime. # Take your puppy to potty after every meal as well as the first thing in the morning, the last thing at night, every time he wakes up from a nap, after an active play session, and in the wee hours of the morning if you hear him moving around. Take him on a leash to the place you want him to use—that will teach him to use that spot, and also teach him that he can go even on leash with you standing right there. That can be important if you're away from home. # When you take your puppy to potty, don't play with him until after he does his business. If he doesn't go within 10 minutes, put him in his crate for 10 to 15 minutes, then take him to potty again. When he potties, praise him and reward him with a treat or short playtime. Wait a few minutes before you take him in—sometimes puppies don't finish on the first try, so give him time to be sure he won't have to go again in three minutes. # Keep your puppy's potty place clean—pick up feces every day. You don't like to step in it, and neither does he. # If you don't have the time or patience to potty train a puppy, then adopt or buy an older puppy or adult dog that is already potty trained.

This is pretty much exactly what we did with our lab when he was a puppy. And now even though he is almost 2 and trustworthy enough to be left in out in the house when we go somewhere he still will go and sleep in his crate when we're gone (with the door open). Or a lot of times when we're home too. It's his safe place.

We always crated him when we were not home. The crate is the safest place for your puppy and it teaches them to hold their bladder.

We used our crate to block the doorway into the kitchen and he was able to have free reign of the kitchen while we were home, but not able to watch him 100%. The crate was actually in the living room, just lined up with the doorway to the kitchen, so if he went into his crate he was in the living room with us. The only time he was not crated off into the kitchen was if I was actually on the floor playing with him/watching him 100% If he started showing signs that he needed to go potty, or if he started to go I'd say "outside" and scoop him up and we'd go outside to our potty spot for him to finish. He also had several times during the day when I would put him in his crate and close the door, kind of like nap time.

He ate at the same time every day and we went out every 2 hours or so during the day to go potty unless he was showing signs sooner than that that he needed to go.

We also separated trips outside for potty with trips outside to play. Even coming back into the house for a minute after a potty break and then going back outside for play time helped him learn. We just made sure not to combine those trips.

Their crate should be their safe and happy place. They should WANT to be in there. Have you tried putting a blanket over their crate? Then during the day when you are allowing them to play out in the house just fold the side by the door up, so they can have free access to it. But when they are in there, either at night, or when you are away from the house bring the blanket down so it covers all sides, it's like a cozy safe den for them. This also closes out all outside distractions and they usually just go to sleep.

How are they about going into their crate? Are they good about it or do they avoid it? If they avoid it start by using treats and toys and putting them in the back of the crate and letting them go in and get them, but don't close the door on them every time. Just let them get used to coming in and and out and the treats and toys will help them to associate good things with it.

Another thing we did that helped was we slowly built up the amount of time he spent in the crate while we were home. We'd put him in for 5 minutes at a time and cover it completely with the blanket. Then when I let him out he'd get lots of praise and love. We did this several times a day. And every day I built up the time more and more.

Sorry this is getting super long. I think the major thing is do not respond to them if they whine and cry while in their crate. Ignore them or it will only encourage them to do it more. And do not use the crate as a place to go for punishment, it's supposed to be their happy spot and give them comfort.

But most importantly be consistent. They will learn, even if at the moment it feels hopeless. I had many moments where I was at my wits end with our puppy and on the verge of tears because I thought he was never going to learn. But I just stuck with it and he eventually did.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me here or PM me.

[Am]

We did the whole nose rub thing. It worked for us and it worked for every dog I've ever owned. Apparently, they do understand. I mean, "experts" also say that spanking is bad KWIM? But I was spanked (I definitely understood ) and I'm fine and we will be spanking our children. What works for one family is not always best for another.

We also crate trained once he got older though. We didn't necessarily stick him in there for punishment but he did go in his crate when people were over and he got too excited. He never spent the night in there. He's always slept with us. He was put there when we were both either at school or work. He snuggled up in there when we were home sometimes too. We put a really comfy blanket in there that he loves now.