# Crating Issues



## kjarv24 (Nov 7, 2008)

Well, If gracie is already sleeping without a crate then maybe you can slowly get her use to the crate over a period of a couple days. Take her in that room for all sorts of reasons "obedience maybe?" & let her be near the crate & Try and get her comfortable around it first...Then you can start working getting her inside it with a treat, close the door behind her when she goes in to get the treat for a minute or so Praise "if there is no whining" & let her back out...etc.. I think you get the drift lol 
I'm sure the others will chime in with some better answers for you 
Maybe an extra special treat she can't resist for this feat!


----------



## ggdenny (Nov 2, 2008)

Try to make the crate a fun place for her. Play with her inside the crate with toys, treats and plenty of words of praise. If she begins to associate the crate as a happy place she may begin to lose her fear. Also, it might help to feed her in the crate.


----------



## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Agree with ggdenny. Does she have one now and uses it? Maybe there is a scent on it that bothers her. Have you given it a good scrubbing to get rid of any other odors?


----------



## Sucker For Gold (Jan 13, 2009)

kjarv24 said:


> Well, If gracie is already sleeping without a crate then maybe you can slowly get her use to the crate over a period of a couple days. Take her in that room for all sorts of reasons "obedience maybe?" & let her be near the crate & Try and get her comfortable around it first...


I would try exactly that. If you are feeding her dry food, I would take a handfull of food and start hand feeding her on the opposite side of then room. Slowly work towards the crate. During the first session I would just attempt to get her to feel comfortable sitting close by. If you see the fear pickup at any point, just hold your position and keep feeding until she gets calm. Once you can get her comfortable being beside the crate, open the door, but don't try to get her to go in. Keep feeding. Take little baby steps. Once she appears comfortable, try going to the next step. 

Let us know how you are progressing.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

ggdenny is right on.

Find a place with the crate in sight where she is relaxed enough to play and eat treats. Spend a lot of time playing and giving treats around the crate, slowly moving closer and closer over the course of a few days. Never drag her and watch her anxiety level. If she won't play or take treats, you're moving to fast.

If you can avoid crating her for a few days while you work, that'll help. It'll let you move up to playing in and out of the crate and even closing the door without letting her build an association that it means separation or loneliness. Then you build up the times she's actually confined from a few seconds to a few minutes, etc.

Remember, if you get an anxiety reaction, you're moving too fast and you need to go back and step and build up more slowly.


----------



## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

I'm not a professional, but this is what I would try.... by slowly I mean over several days or even a few weeks.

I would start very slowly... place a very yummy treat in front of but outside of the crate... Don't make a bid deal out of it. I wouldn't even say anything to her, I would just make sure she sees the treat as you put it down. Let her move at her own pace.

I'm guessing that at first she will grab the yummy and retreat to the other side of the room. After she has decided to walk up to the open doorway a few times... put a second treat just inside the open doorway of the crate. 

After a few times... skip the outside treat and just put one inside the open crate but near the open door. And eventually putting a favorite toy or treat far inside the crate. 

When you get to that point.. work on closing the door the same way... at first close it for only a few seconds.... and let her out before she gets worked up.


There could be so many reasons that she has a crate fear. 

Since this is a secondhand cage I do like the theory of a strange scent. After you wash it put something in there that either smells like her or you. A used shirt perhaps. 

Or, perhaps she had a bad experience long before you got her. When we had a litter of puppies at about 5 weeks old one of the pups caught it's collar on the latch to a crate... fortunately I caught it almost immediately, just as the puppy began to panic. I set the pup free and immediately placed her back inside the crate. She sat and stared at the doorway for a few moments. And then she got up and very cautiously went through the doorway. When nothing terrible happened I suppose she decided that the entry wasn't anything to be afraid of.

I'm not saying that this is what happened to your puppy. Just illustrating one of many things that could bring on such a fear. 

Also, I seem to remember that puppies enter another 'fear stage' around this age. It only lasts a few weeks but traumatic events in this time period leave a long lasting impression.


----------



## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Ah, I see several of us are on the same track.


----------



## vvii (Apr 7, 2009)

This is exactly what I did to Candy when we got her in Feb, simply let your pup get used to the place by letting her play her toys near the crate, once she need to rest, she will always look for a comfortable place, so make sure you have the crate open, eventually she will find that the crate is the place for her to rest on her own.


----------



## RummysMum (Jan 9, 2009)

I'm wondering if she doesn't like other doggie smells on it.

First spray (to get all the wires) and scrub it down with white vinegar (pour white vinegar on the bottom tray as well) and then spray off with a garden hose and another mist of vinegar with a light wipe down (let it air dry the rest of the way) to get rid of any other doggie urine scent. If it is too large, make sure it has a divider so it feels nice and snug and they have just enough room to turn around.

Rummy prefers his crate with a sheet on it and his favorite toys and favorite pillow. We also give lots of treats for going in his crate and waiting to come out of his crate. When they whine, pretend you cannot hear (don't look or say or do anything.)

It gets better! Rummy loves his crate and goes in now all on his own, and he is only 14 weeks.


----------



## sladestrife (Apr 2, 2009)

Thank you all! your advice has really worked! I fed her once in the cage and now she even walks in when the cage door is open! Thank you all for the help!


----------



## timberwolf (Apr 1, 2009)

Go Gracie!!!


----------

