crateing

[choppersmom]

I have 2 dog's one I have had since she was a puppy and the other is a stray I recently found. Chopper is crate trained and it has been very useful because they need to be seperated when eating and sometimes Chopper get a little to rambunctious for Butch (the stray). My issue is this. I seems alittle unfair that Chopper always has to be crated because Butch doesn't react well to the crate. Any suggestions on how to handle this?

[Bubbalove]

I think it's important that Chopper get used to the crate experience.  It is SO helpful to get them acclimated to it now.  Of course Chopper may whine, cry, yelp, bang on it, etc...it NEEDS to be shown as an okay place and eventually he will calm down in there.  We would not have gotten through our first 2 years with Kana without the crate.  He was NOT trustworthy enough to stay in the house without supervision so this was the only way we could leave the house.  He HATED it at first, but eventually warmed up to it. It was usually a RIDICULOUS battle to get him in but after he was in he would give out a big SIGH...lay down and get comfy.  I highly recommend it!

[choppersmom]

Chopper is good in the crate it's Butch that is the problem. And I guess I really wanted to know if there is a good way to get Butch used to the crate, When I said I though it was unfair I ment that Chopper is always the one the goes in the crate because she is so good in it and when I put Butch in he literally barked and cried for 2 hours. I didn't want to let him out while he was whining becuase I didn't want to reward that behavior but it was 1am and I had to work the next day and he was keeping me up. Also durring The day while I'm at work Butch is confined to my small spare bedroom. And chopper gets the run of the house. Or they are in pen's outside if the weather permits.

[Bubbalove]

Sorry about the confusion...bu t still - Butch should get used to the crate!  I don't know if all of the different spaces matter to his getting used to the crate, but we kept Kana in the crate every time we were away, no exceptions.  Even if it was a 10 minute grocery store trip (if we didn't take him along) he went in the crate.  Even when we would be gone for 8 hours, he went in the crate.  We had no other options b/c we have a small house, but maybe that's why he began to accept it???  I don't know, it did work for us though. 

[navarre1316]

I agree that Butch must get used to the crate.  For another reason too, you don't know this dogs history.  He's could be just fine now and in a month or two all of the sudden this destructive behaviour may surface (hopefully not!!).  And if it's a rule for Chopper, it should be a rule for Butch.  My mom always crated our dogs for the first two years so I'm trying do the same thing.  I did give Issy her freedom for short periods of time until I came home one night and my lab book was destroyed and all over the living room!!!  No more freedom for her!  Put him in the crate when you aren't home so that you don't have to hear him cry and get some treats for him, or freeze a kong or hoof with some peanut butter in it and give him that.   Good luck!

[London_Pyr_Lover]

If you really want to crate train him I would start out slowly, there is nothing that is going to traumatize him more right now then forcing him in there against his will and leaving him in there for hours on end right away.  Start feeding him in there, but leaving the door open, maybe move his crate to somewhere in the house that he feels the most comfortable, put a blanket over top so it can be a nice dark little den for him.  Do not force him in there.  But only give him meals in it, only let him have his favorite treats in there, or his favorite toys.  Eventually you will be able to get him used to the crate and have him going in there on his own, but it's gonna take alot of patience, and alot of time.  Because you don't know his history for all you know he could have some horrible memory associated with the crate, so let him get used to it on his own terms.     After a while you can start closing the door on the crate for 1 minute, then 3 minutes, then 5 minutes and so on and so on.  Key is, is to keep him occupied and not thinking about being locked up in a little cage.  There are a couple of really good threads in the training forum dealing with this, maybe someone else who knows their way around alittle better could help you find it.   

Good luck!   

[Pyr Heaven]

Think of it in terms of a child. Would you feel bad so that a year old child was confined to a playpen or crib that you would make your 5 year old child stay in one as well?

Good point.