How can I get my dog to not hate crating?

Question

How can I get my dog to come to like her crate. Shes a year and a half and we recently started to crate her about 3 weeks ago and she absolutely hates it. She starts to shake nervously when we start to get dressed and then freaks when we try and put her in it. She had toys in it as well as a blanket that she has destroyed. We have put treats in it and left the door open so she can see that it isn't a bad place. What else can we do to get her to understand its not a bad place?

We were completely against crating to begin with but then we came home one day and the carpet had been pulled apart about 8 feet from where it started. She has really bad separation anxiety so she tries to dig out under the door. She has been to puppy school, gets lots of exercise, and lots of attention. What made us decided in the end is that she got to the couch, the brand new couch, she destroyed an armrest. We didn't want to come home one day and have the entire place destroyed or even worse have her dead from something she got into while we were out.

Answer 1

You have to get her used to it gradually. Work with her when you're not planning to go out at first. That way, she doesn't associate her getting into the crate with you leaving. Dogs usually like to be with their people, so you leaving her at home alone is a bad thing for her. She's learned that whenever she gets into the crate, you leave. Thus, her crate is a bad thing. Start at just a few minutes with the door open first. Don't leave her alone though. Just sit right outside of the crate. Gradually increase the amount of time she spends in there, praising and treating her the whole time. Start closing the door. When she stays in the crate by herself for a relatively long amount of time, start back at only a minute or so, but start leaving her in there. Gradually increase the time she spends inside her crate with the door closed until she learns to accept that too. Don't let her out no matter how much she begs or whines. Only let her out when she's not whining or anything. If you don't do this, she'll learn that you'll let her out if she whines enough. This is especially bad if you have close neighbors, and she barks. Good luck.

Answer 2

I would do what sophylake... said. feed her in her crate. Also you can play "the cookie game" grab a treat and break it up into pieces. then get you dog a little excited about it say to her a couple times "Do you want to play to cookie game" then trow the treats in the crate and walk away. Another thing to do is put her in the crate while you are home and leave her in it. When she calms down wait count to three slowly and give her praise and let her out. You may have to do all of this several times before it works. Also you should ALWAYS feed her in her crate with the door open. good luck.

Edited to add: It is not BAD to crate your dog. Not while you're at home or while you are gone. You are not going to truamatize your dog by crating her.

Answer 3

Hang on a tic. So your locking your dog in its crate when you go out yes? No wonder its freaking out. Put youself in its shoes. How would you like to be locked in a tiny cell, with no escape and no company, whenever you 'masters' went out?

While we crate train our puppies almost immediately it is not because we lock them in the crates whnen we go out, it so that they are use to the crate when they need to be transported.

The crate isn't a punishment cell or confinement at night. The dogs have the run of the kitchen and their crate is their bed.

You can't force the dog to like the crate. You need to give it more space when you go out instead of trying to confine it to this little cage.

You can try to encourage the dog to consider the crate as its 'pad' by giving treats and toys in the crate, but do this when your home not just when you're going out. The other option is during the day, move the crate into the living room with you so that the dog can come and go from the crate and still see you. That way it won't associate the crate with isolation and loneliness.

Answer 4

Why are you crating at 1 1/2 years? Is she being bad? I would only use the crate if she was destructive when you aren't home. My 6 month old puppy used it for about 2 months then we started leaving her out when we left the house. She never destroyed anything until we got home and didn't pay attention to her.
She is 10 months and still hates it so I don't make her go in it.

Answer 5

I really don't have help for you because for one I do not believe in crating a dog. But I will take this time in saying people have been using this crates for all the wrong reason. Why would anyone put a dog in a crate for 8 hours and expect him to be happy in there. Any one using a crate should only use it for four hours at the most. It wasn't use to put a puppy in and leave in for 8 hours a day.because people are to lazy to watch the puppy. The crate was suppose yo be a safe haven for a dog..to go to on its own to lay down or going to bed at night..with this busy world every one seem to be to busy, kids have their own thing like computers or play station and puppies seem to be push second to these things.

I have 8 Shih Tzu's that have never been crated, The have beds they all lay down on ..I wish there were never such a thing as a crate for a dog. but there is and you not going to change people..so if you have to crate your dog never leave him in there more than four hours at a time .. other than night when he sleeps all night. Sad Sad that crates became a babysitter. Boy am I ever going to get a thumbs down on this one..

Answer 6

To her, it is a bad place! It separates her from you -- she knows -- even if you don't -- that being separated isn't good !!
Why did you have to begin placing her into the crate in the first place? It sounds to me as though she had some behavioral problems that you are trying to solve by putting her in the crate. You should spend some time and thought trying to resolve the problem that caused you to start crating her three weeks ago. If you resolve that perhaps you won't have to crate her anymore.

Answer 7

I don't know if this will help, but I got my dog something called an "Everlasting Treat Ball".

Unlike just using plain treats in the crate that get eaten up quickly, it takes FOREVER to eat the treat in the ball. My dog will obsess over it for literally hours.

So my suggestion would be to get one for your dog and give your dog some time to really become interested in it and then put the treat ball in the crate. Maybe if the dog is as busy chewing on it as my dog is, it won't notice the crate as much.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Put her in overnight, put some food and treats with the blanket she destroyed. Do it the next night too, then for an hour during the day. After that, just leave the crate out and open she will begin to use it as a cubby hole befor long.

Answer 9

A lot of people are right on this one...feed the dog in the crate and leave the door open when you are around so the dog can go in and out as they please. Put their toys in there too so they learn that that is not a bad place, but their "home" if you will.

If they are comfortable and realize that every time they go in there you are not going to be leaving them, they are more likely to go in willingly when you leave.

It takes a lot of time though so be patient!

Answer 10

Leave the door open and stay with her in the same room for a while. Let her go in by herself, and praise her. Let her go in, only for 5 seconds, let her out and praise her. Play with her with the crate. If you can fit inside, you go in and show her you're happy.

Your little pup needs to see it's ok to be there. Just spending time with her, and giving her lots of praise will help. You can also, put her in the crate, leave for 2 minutes, then come right back and let her out, with praise.

Best of luck.