New owners

[Kacey618]

We just got Cecil about a month ago. He is 5 months old. Was neutered before we got him. Hes been a great dog for our family (we have two children 9 and 4). we love having him here. We have two questions as first time dog owners that we arent sure how to handle.

First, he HATES his cage and pees in it no matter the amount of time hes in it. He's only in there when we go to work and I come home on my lunch to let him out. hes never in the cage more then 8-12:30 before getting out (and thats stretching it because usually my boyfriend leaves the house after I do around 9). and I am home by 3 for the day. He doesnt spend a tremedous time in there. But when he is in there whether it be for ten minutes or four hours he pees. We always take him out right before we put him in. Also, when we try putting him in the cage he fights us completly. We have tried treats, he has blankets in there and his bone. Any suggestions?

Second, the nipping... any suggestions on how to stop it? he NEVER does it to be mean... its always playful but we dont want him to get in the habbit of it... any suggestions? I know he is teething, we are finding teeth around the house. After he's done teething will the nipping just stop or is there something we should try?

Thanks to anyone that helps!

[anita]

My 7 month old still occasionally gets rambunctious and jumps up and grabs my sleeve. VERY bad habit, and I've found that after getting his attention with a yummy treat I can put him in a sit-stay and a five minute time-out. Usually he gets the message and stops that behavior. Otherwise, back he goes for time out.

[tla0126]

How big is Cecil's kennel?? He should only have enough room to lay down, get up and turn around comfortably. If he has anymore room than that, he can move away from his pee and it not affect him. If he is confined to a small space, he "shouldn't" pee on himself... I wish you luck!! I know that can't be a fun stage...

About the nipping or chewing... When my Beau was a pup, anytime he would nip or chew on something I didn't want him to, including my hand or arm, I would replace it with something he could chew on. I found a water filled chew toy specifically made for teething puppies that you put in the freezer, he LOVED that...

[Kacey618]

Thnaks for the quick respnses...Your advice is greatly appreciated!!!!

[tla0126]

Keep us posted! I'm anxious to hear how Cecil does!!!

[Zumie05]

Oh boy. So you need to start from the very beginning with crate training your puppy. Of course he hates it in there right now especially if you are forcing him in every time with a struggle! He thinks its a doggy prison.

First step is to feed all meals inside the crate. Get the dog used to going in and out of it all by himself. Forcing him in is only going to create negative associations with the crate.

After he is comfortable going in and out on his own to get meals, go ahead and start periodically tossing in treats for him to randomly find throughout the day.

Once puppy is really comfortable with just stepping inside, then you can start working on keeping him in there for longer periods. Several times throughout the day when he goes in to grab a treat you may have tossed in, close the door and leave his sight for a little (start with maybe 10 seconds and gradually work up to 30 mins). Absolutely ignore all whining, barking, and knocking around. Do not let him out until you hear quiet.

I understand this may not be possible to do exactly, as you have to crate him while you are at work and won't have time to do this gradually. My remedy for this was to create a bag full of CRATE ONLY TOYS! The bag consists of a kong that I will stuff with peanut butter or some wet dog food mixed with treats and kibble (my puppy's favorite!), bully sticks, a bone, and two toys. All of these things are toys/treats/chews that he does not EVER get anywhere else unless he is inside of his crate. Every time I put him in there at night or when I leave for work or to run errands he gets his stuffed kong plus another crate only toy. Each crate time he is guaranteed his kong, but gets variety and never knows what the second special toy/treat will be!

I also crated my puppy at night. It took him a good week to stop whining and howling in there, and two weeks to feel totally comfortable being left in there alone for several hours. All you have to do is absolutely ignore any whining and tantrums while at the same time have the crate be a fun and positive place where special things happen.

I hope this helps. Just be patient and your pup will soon love his crate.

PS - If he is peeing in there, it is likely too large for him OR he doesn't care about resting in his own messes. Feeding in there and creating a positive association with the crate will help that go away if the crate is the correct size.

[Nishasmom]

Originally Posted by tla0126

How big is Cecil's kennel?? He should only have enough room to lay down, get up and turn around comfortably. If he has anymore room than that, he can move away from his pee and it not affect him. If he is confined to a small space, he "shouldn't" pee on himself....

This is the most important part of crate training!!! Many kennels come with dividers; if yours didn't rig something up. This will help tremendously .

[YooperInCO]

Why not build a fenced-in area in the yard, or put him on a long leash outside? Keeping him in a kennel for that amount of time for no reason seems cruel

[Jaidann]

Originally Posted by YooperInCO

Why not build a fenced-in area in the yard, or put him on a long leash outside? Keeping him in a kennel for that amount of time for no reason seems cruel

DOH! Please don't leash him up outside! This can cause some nasty consequences.

Keep up with the work in crate training. It definitely isn't cruel and done right, he'll come to LOVE it and run in there anytime you ask. You've received some excellent excellent advice on how to do it. :)

Good luck, you'll be glad you worked through this.

[brunie's mom]

Where did you get Cecil from? From a shelter a pet shop? He may have been allowed to poop and pee in a crate or pen before...and it will take longer for him to learn that he should not. Start back at the beginning with him like Zumie05 suggested. What bedding material do you have in the crate? Sometimes if they have blanket or towel in there, they pee and they don't mind it. Try taking all of the bedding out...and see how things go.

Please get enrolled in obedience classes with Cecil, and keep taking classes or doing some activity with him for the next couple of years....life will be much better.

Gina

[Nishasmom]

Originally Posted by YooperInCO

Why not build a fenced-in area in the yard, or put him on a long leash outside? Keeping him in a kennel for that amount of time for no reason seems cruel

She only crates her from 8:00 - 12:30; that is only 4 hours!! Crating a dog is WAY safer than leashing her, or leaving her in the backyard unsupervised. She could dig out of the yard and get hit by a car...that would be cruel!! Also, leashing a dog can promote behavioral problems; also, many dogs get tangled when left out on leads, not to mention she could chew through it!

Dogs are "den" animals; they enjoy their crate (once used to it). Crating is the best way to care for a dog. I couldn't imagine not crating...oh wait, yes I can...chewed sofa, chewed drywall, chewed carpet, pee/poop everywhere...the list goes on !

[YooperInCO]

The only time I've used a crate is in the car, which my Rottie loves, but I've never crated him in the house. Fortunately for me (except when he was a puppy of course) he's never chewed on anything he wasn't allowed to , he's never had "accidents" in the house (unless it was my fault). But he loves to be outside, so that's why I've used pens / chains. I was just trying to offer advice that's worked great for me

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by YooperInCO

The only time I've used a crate is in the car, which my Rottie loves, but I've never crated him in the house. Fortunately for me (except when he was a puppy of course) he's never chewed on anything he wasn't allowed to , he's never had "accidents" in the house (unless it was my fault). But he loves to be outside, so that's why I've used pens / chains. I was just trying to offer advice that's worked great for me

If you had crated him as a puppy, he would not have chewed anything...he would never have had the chance. A crate is not forever...most people crate puppies and as the puppy gets older...they earn more freedom.

Chaining a rottweiler is unexeceptable . Many dog bites happen from chained dogs. It just gets them frustrated...and they are unable to get away or move much and it causes behavioral problems.

A safe dog run with shade, and shelter is fine for an older dog outside for some time each day.

Gina

[Jaidann]

Yes. Chaining outside can be a very huge hazard. Here's a story for you that I am actually embarassed to tell.

When I was young and thought I had the world by the tail, I had a beautiful neutered doberman male. I chained him outside to a tree when I went to work. The chain was very long, he had lots of room to roam and run and play. He loved being outside. I thought crate training was cruel. Now this dog wouldn't hurt a fly. He use to sit on top of his doghouse and watch the wild bunnies that came from the nearby woods eat his food. He'd just lay up there and watch them.

Then one day I came home and he wasn't acting right. I couldn't see anything wrong. However the next morning when I got up, his face had swelled so big he couldn't open his eyes. I called off work and rushed him to the vet. Well, emergency surgery later my boy comes out with a shunt in his head. He'd been attacked by a dog and the bite was embedded so deeply where it was I couldn't see it when I had checked him over. It had rained that day and since he loved to play in the rain, any blood was washed away so I had no idea.

I also found out later that neighborhood kids would come over and tease him. Get him worked up right at the edge of the chain.

It's a DARNED good thing my mistakes didn't turn him into an awful statistic or God forbid the price of a child. Lesson learned the hard way but it was learned at the price of my dog. To this day it still makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it and have no one to blame but myself for putting him into that situation in the first place.

[Pmajor73]

Crate training is definitely the way to go. I cannot give any advice on what to do to make it a more comfortable expierence for your dog because I do not know exactly how everything is unfolding when it si time to crate. But I tell you this I would probably guess that your internal body language is projecting something wrong due to the problems you have been having. The dog picks up on this so I would suggest trying to forget the past and treat each crate time as brand new. The nipping that can lead to major problems down the road. He/she is challenging you pushing the boundaries, you need to let him know in an assertive way(not aggressive) that is not tolerated. Treats won't work in this situation because it is not training, just simple respect from one animal to another. Good Luck!