Crate help!

M

marie_bel_air

Forums Regular
Hey all,

I'm preparing for my little girl (picking her up the 24!!!), and I just wanted some advice.

I'm afraid when I put her in her crate, she will think I'm punishing her, and she'll start to associate it with something negative. What are some good ways to show her that it is "her" place? I don't want her to dread going in there.

Thank you all so very much.
 
When I get a puppy, I set them up in my kitchen in an ex-pen. I have a puppy sized crate that I put in the ex-pen with it's door open. I make it nice and cozy with soft bedding. They can go in and out at will. They end up going into the crate for naps when they are looking for a quiet, comfy, secure place. They get so used to their crates that the crate becomes a nice safe place to relax. I can take Lexi and Pyper to trials and both of them get into their crates and fall soundly asleep even in the middle of noise and chaos. They just feel so safe and secure in there.
 
I always feed my puppies in their crates. They also get a cookie every time they go to their crate. It's a happy place!
 
it is your perception, not your dog's. You new puppy is not going to think it is punishment if you do not think it is punishment. Crating it is one of the most useful skills you can teach your puppy.
The doggie guru Susan Garrett uses crate games as cornerstone of her entire dog training program
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjBo_spqG0
You can always make a crate fun place to be.
 
when I picked up my puppy, I had a small soft carrier for the car ride home. it was sandwiched between the two adult dogs that got to go for the ride. and as the pup got bigger, so did the crate.
ordered a wire crate for the house- with the divider so it could be small when he was small and more room could be given as the pup grew.

I also fed him there and now, get out of the way at dinner time- he runs into the crate and waits for dinner :wink2:
 
I did something similar to what dawn does.
an open crate in my small kitchen (doggy gate).

Gavin would go in there to sleep and loved it.
Now he loves his crate when I have it out for him (small apt, so it comes and goes as room allows). I do have to say, though, he really like the wire crates cause then he can see what is going on more.
 
Thanks guys!

I just ask because the last sheltie my mom and dad got while I was still living at home absolutely hated sleeping in his crate at night. Even with a treat. He would be quiet while he ate the treat then he would fuss, whine, and bark for quite awhile before he would go to sleep. He finally got to the point where he LOVES his crate, but it took awhile. I just hope my new pup doesn't have a rough time with it, too.
 
We use a crate while we're at work, give Sundae (15 weeks old) a small piece of dried chicken (takes her a few minutes to chew so that we know we'll be gone before she's finished) and turn on the radio so she has "company" or at least a little background noise.

When I come home at lunchtime to take her out and feed her, she's always happy to go right back into the crate because it's soft, her (safe) toys are there and she gets another small piece of chicken.

The crate is a few feet from the bed, so at night she can curl up and sleep with us nearby - she whined a little at first but now knows that whining gets no response so she now tucks in immediately for the night.

:smile2:
 
All three of mine love their crates, even Toby my rescue, who was never crated till he was an adult. I have two crates and three dogs so often during the day they'd take turns sleeping in the crates. :smile2:
 
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