Thain
All American
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,347
Crate training does not have to be hard. In fact the hardest part is making it through the "whining" phase. Your puppy is going to whine because at first he/she doesn't want to be in there. They want to be with you. The idea is to make the crate a happy place and a place the puppy feels safe. The way I have always done this is by first introducing the crate to the puppy. Make the puppy go in on their own by placing treats in their. I always so "get in your box" when I want mine to go in and I will have treats in their already. Once they associate "get in your box" with treats I change it to giving him/her a treat after they get in. I did this with my Bichon and my Golden. Eventually all I have to do is say get in your box and they both run to their respective crates and get in. I follow them with a treat. It doesn't take long before they realize this is a good place to be. Don't make a big deal about them getting in or about letting them out other than the treat. Once they are in close the door. It doesn't take very long for them to become comfortable with it. As far as the whining goes, the length depends on the dog. My Bichon whined for 4 or 5 nights before stopping. My Golden only one night. My Bichon sleeps in the bed now but my Golden will go in her crate when I tell her and stay there. I don't even have to close the door anymore. Some people put their crate in the living room so their dog just get in when they want to. Others place it in other rooms or their bedroom. It is work they eventually learn. Just takes patience.