Max and his crate

[heidib860]

Well I guess Max is giving me a big hint. I always leave the crate door open when he's not in it so he can go in it if he wants to. Well he's not to thrilled about the crate to begin with but I've been trying to work with him to get him more used to it and now he will sit on command in the crate while I shut the door and not throw himself wildly at the door inorder to get out of it.

Well the last couple of days when I'm not in the room with him he will take and pull his bed out of the crate and put it where he wants it in the living room. We have a large crate and so his bed is a pretty good size.

At first I thought it was the children that was doing it, as their in the room playing while this happens. Well turns out it's max. I guess now he's quietly stating his protests over the crate.

 

[hockey390]

In the beginning I tried to associate as much good as possible with the crate. I had a separate bed outside of the crate that I called "bed" and then called the crate the "kennel" that way my pup knew there was a difference. If there was every a time that the dog was bad and needed to be sent to a time-out I sent her to her bed. I also fed her in the kennel in the beginning. At first I locked the door while she was eating, but then I slowly started to open the door more and more to give the feeling of freedom. If your dog ever lays down in the kennel without you asking it to, make sure to give a great reward. Pretty soon he'll figure out it's not so bad.

 

[heidib860]

If your dog ever lays down in the kennel without you asking it to, make sure to give a great reward. Pretty soon he'll figure out it's not so bad.

He did!! Today, I had to go to work but my boyfriend was home so Max didn't have to go in his crate. I came home and my boyfriend said that Max actually went into his crate laid down and took a nap.

I have to start feeding him in the crate and associate feeding with the crate which he really looks forward to.

 

[hockey390]

Anything the dog associates delightful with can be used to help make it feel like his/her "den".

Anytime I get a new toy from the pet store I generally give it to my pup in the kennel first. If it is a chew toy she will often lay in the kennel and chew on it for a moderately long time :-)

 

[heidib860]

I'll have to try that with his new toys in the crate. I generally in the morning before he goes into the crate go around the house and try to pick his most favorite toy at the time and a couple of others that he hasn't had in the crate the day before just so he doesn't get bored with the same toys being in the crate all the time.