Crate training 11 month old bitch pup

[LauraL]

Hi Guys

this question has proberly been answered somewhere else i just cant seem to find it

My question is: we have an 11 month old bitch named Kiera, when we got her home at 8 weeks old we didnt have a crate for her, she slept on the hall floor outside our bedroom door,although she had a nice cosy bed in the kitchen she still chose to sleep on the floor outside our bedroom with no problems at all now we have a crate for her and she will go in it without a problem at night she sleeps outside our door until she knows everyone is settled then she makes her way through to her crate to sleep for the rest of the night,(she only gets access to the hall and kitchen when we are not in the house and is only gets in the bedroom or any other of the rooms if she is invited by us)

this may sound stupid but how can i get her used to being in there with the door closed so we can go to work with peace of mind that she isnt going to start decorating for us again and also for time out,

I have tried to close the door and she is okay for a short while but then soon starts jumping on the sides of the crate and howling, after reading all the crates advantages i would realy like it if we could get her in there with the door closed it makes sense!!!! not only for us but for the wallpaper aswell

[2rotts]

For starters I would suggest that all her meals, treats, bones... are feed in the crate with the door open. She will start to realize that the crate means good things. Also keep in mind that when she is in the crate and starts fuzzing do NOT pay attention until she calms down. Or she is being reinforced that making noise... will get her out.

[debbiej]

It sounds to me like she is ok with the crate on her terms. It may seem totally unrelated, but are you taking her to obedience classes? Classes, and then using the things you learn in a good class on a daily basis, help both the owner and the dog. The structure of her time will help too. a few sessions of obedience class homework, lots of praise, and some playtime, then crate time will probably solve this problem. A kong or nyla bone in the crate may help too. If she still makes a fuss over the door being shut, ignore her. Under no circumstances let her out while she is throwing a fit. Pick the few minutes she is quiet to let her out, thus re-enforcing the good behavior.

[spoiledbabies3]

Have you tried using a baby gate instead of closing the door? My guys absolutely HATE closed doors, I don't know why just how they are...but they all have done well with baby gates. Each room that I do not want them entering when I'm not at home has a baby gate at the door. However, I also allow only my old man to have complete roaming freedom when I'm not home, the other 2 are crated.

[LauraL]

Thanks for the help guys

yeah we have had her at training classes she just finished her puppy training and at the end of January will be moving on to the next level of training, we take her to someone who used to be an ex police dog handler and trainer, he is great he has taught us alot !!! (he is our Bible ) allthough she isnt really that bad it's good to get a bit routine and respect and realise that this will one day be a big dog who needs this kind of attention and discipline and also commitment, she gets Bones,food and treats in her crate she doesnt mind it one bit then i just think that the crate is a great idea not only for us, the wallpaper but for Kiera to, dont get me wrong we dont want her in there all the time because she loves to be around people and we love her being around us,just would be nice to put her in there knowing she wont scream the house down

The Baby gate is a great idea but she also has the notion to chew on kitchen drawer handles etc, so i am thinking the only way to save our house would be to crate her if this doesnt work then we will go down the gate path we might just need to change the decore in the kitchen from wood to Stainless Steel ha ha ha

[debbiej]

yep, crate training is a very good thing. good to hear she is in classes. I think she is just throwing a tantrum, ignore her when she does. If she is getting training, attention and consistancy in her day, she will get over her hysteria about having the crate door shut.

[AngelBunny]

Try putting her crate in your bedroom so she can be with you. You go to bed and let her fuss all she wants. She'll probably cry herself to sleep

When I'm crate training, I feed all meals and treats in the crate. I do not let the dog out if the dog is fussing, crying, or carrying on. The dog only is let out of the crate when the dog is calm.

I also do not let the dog rush immediately out when I open the crate's door. The dog must stay calmly and only leaves when I release the dog.

[silverado]

we just got two pups, they are 7 weeks old,, we just baught our crate today, I find they are more calm in there compared to running through the house hold. wow, I didn;t relize how much work it is to train these pups. With the crying and eating and making messes when it comes to the bathroom at first was fusterating, now with this crate I am more calm and relaxed, knowing i'm not going to step in anything when i wake up lol.
first time on here and just curious on how everyone else is doing with thier rotties.

[excellrott]

Welcome Silverado,

You have your hands more then full with 2 pups of the same age. Please do some research in the forum on raising two puppies together and get them separate crates or you will find that they listen to each other a whole lot more then they listen to you. Good luck.