My puppy is refusing to go into her crate?

Question

We have her for about.. 2 weeks nows. The first night was rough.. she was very scared and hated her crate and wanted out. After a few nights when the lights went out, she ran in and went to sleep. The following weeks she would go to sleep before we turned off anylights. But tonight she is refusing to go to sleep, and barks and howls when we try to put her in there (Which is hard because she refuses!)

She hasn't napped at all today, and about 1 hour ago she was dosing off, so whats up with this sudden burst of energy?

I want to clear this up. The crate is her place. When a visitor comes, she shoots into her crate, when she wants to nap, she goes into her crate, when she wants to eat, she brings her food into her crate.

Also, for the first time today, she chased my cats. Could this have to do with anything?

Uh oh! I think I know the problem!! I let her out to have some play time to ware her down. That wasn't the problem. I noticed right when I let her out she took off for the coach and started to dose off!

Is she starting to think the coach her is sleeping area? i would let her sleep there, except she is only 3 months old, and not yet potty trained.

Answer 1

oohhhhh naughty puppy, thts so cute....maybe the puppy needs more love, play around wth it for awhile till the puppy gets tired...puppies are always playful at puppy stage...

Answer 2

I totally agree with the crate training. I did that with my puppy 6 years ago, and am so grateful that I did (I stopped crate training after she was potty trained. I then moved to a doggy bed) As you said the crate is her area, just as our bedrooms are ours. My only suggestion is that you (in a very nice way, don't hit or make it a punishment) show her that you run your house and she has to follow your rules. Just as a child would do she is testing her boundaries. She is trying to see how far you will let her go. Also since she is new to the home and the world, she is just getting use to the things around her. The next few weeks her personality will completely change and she won't be the little puppy that you picked out.

Answer 3

You need to tire her out before she goes to sleep.

You should take her for a little walk (if she is old enough and has had her shots for Parvo) for 20 minutes or so to work her out. This will not only tire her out but it will keep her fit, happy and healthy.
If she isn't old enough, you could take her out to the backyard and play with her for an hour or so. You could also just calm her down before you put her in the crate. She might be scared or she might just be hyper.
Make sure she doesn't eat before she goes to sleep. You could see if she will go in there at all and if she does, just pat her and talk to her, maybe give her a treat. Praise her for being a good girl and going into the crate.

When she is old enough and fully house broken, I would suggest getting rid of the crate. I think it's cruel to keep a dog locked in a small confined area. Even when they are older, they can not hold their pee and poop in for 8 hours while people sleep and it is terrible making them go potty in their sleeping area. You should buy a doggy bed, a bean bag (make sure they don't rip it up - it will make a big mess!!) or a little basket. I'm sure the dog would prefer that than a small crate.

Answer 4

Who's the boss? Start putting treats in the crate to entice her to go into the crate. If that doesn't work, pick her up and put her in the crate. If she cries and howls. Let her out in about 15 minutes leave her out just a few minutes put her back in. Repeat. Then leave her in for a longer period. Keep increasing the time she spends in the crate. Ignore the howling and whining. You may have a couple sleepless nights because of her crying but she WILL get use to her crate again. You must not give in to her or she will be controlling you.

Answer 5

Now that she has been with you for a couple of weeks and has gotten the lay out of the home and the basics of everyone else's roles in the house she is trying to assert her place in the house hold. As for her chasing your cats, it is a lot like sibling rivalry. She is expressing her individuality and trying to push the limits.

Pick her up and put her in her crate, make sure you reinforce that the humans are the ones in charge of the household. Try establishing a routine with the dog. For mine we leave the same light on when she is in her kennel, regardless of the time she goes in, until all the people get into bed. Then there is a night light that is on all night so if one of us is up moving it doesn't spook her.

Good luck and give it some time.

Answer 6

The crate should be a haven not a cage. Try to leave the door open and let the puppy go in on their own. Leave some treats inside to lure the puppy in and GRADUALLY get the puppy comfortable with the crate. My dogs love their crates. You just need to be patient with the pup. Is the crate in the room with you?

Answer 7

You say you've had her for 2 weeks, but not how old she is. Puppies certainly go through phases - and if this is new behavior, in addition to other behavioral differences, I'd chalk it up to that.

I'd also work on teaching the "settle" command and making sure the crate is ultra-enticing by keeping special toys/treats in there and praising her whenever she goes in there.

Answer 8

I would just put her in the crate your self and shut the door and when she starts to cry just leave her alone dont go and tend to her cause the more you go to her the more she will learn to cry cause she will know that you will come and suth her,,,, this happen to me when we first bought our min pin and we just let him bark and cry and after awhile he settled down and went to sleep,,, I hope this helps and good luck on your new puppy they are so cute at that age and are almost like babies too

Answer 9

just put a treat in the crate and fool her.

Answer 10

This will help you

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Good Luck