Crate training tips for a newly adopted dog

My post from MC:

Shane is still adjusting to his new surroundings and people. I agree with feeding him in his crate. Try some tough love on the not eating his food. Pick it up after ten minutes and offer it again at the next meal time. He won't starve to death but you and your DH might worry to death that he will. :) I'll see if I can find a clicker vid on crate training for you. I'd stick with one person doing the crate training and that would be you.

Here's one of many I found. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/3_8/features/5135-1.html

I liked antoher article that suggested putting the crate where you and the dog hang out when you're home. This won't be it's permanent home but just while you're crate training. When the dog even looks at the crate, click and treat. Do this twenty or thirty times or as often as possible. Pretty soon the dog will be trying to figure out what got that treat. If he approaches, C&T. If he sniffs the crate, C&T. Remember there's no hurry and if it takes weeks and weeks, so be it. It has to be at his pace so he doesn't get stressed. If he were mine, I'd have him skip a few meals (yes, I am that heartless, lol ) and use something like roast beef to do the training for a few days until you see he's making a positive association with the crate. Then feed him half his normal ration and continue to use treats to crate train him. Again, he's still adjusting so you may want to wait a few weeks to try any of this. Let him relax and settle in. I would start the tough love feeding though, ASAP. It's going to work. :)

 I did it a bit like Jackie suggests, but I went a bit quicker. I actually used the Susan Garrett Crate Games. You can find it on YouTube. But, basically, in order to get the dog into the crate, I set myself up with the dog in front of the crate. First, if he looked at the crate, he get a click and treat, if he moved toward it, then poked his head in, the one foot, two feet, three feet, all four feet, then started working on duration. I would typically not work 20-30 trials at a single step. If you are shaping, and you stay at a certain step too long, you run the risk of getting stuck at that step. I generally don't stay more than about 10 trials at a single step, then I try for the next step. If I get three non-successes in a row, then I go back to the previous step for a few trials, then try again for something in between the successful step and the step we were stuck on. I actually never finished the whole thing with any dogs, but the beginning will show you how to get the dog familiar with the crate, liking it, and teaching them not to come charging out of the crate.

Here's a video of the first part, and she has the other parts. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HNO79bZMY

Wanted to add something Karen mentioned in the other thread because it's important, IMO.  Any age dog can be crate trained.  Shane is definitely not too old to train.  Any articles or videos that talk about crate training puppies are just as relevant to training any age dog. 

Rex and Belle were both at least a year old when we got them and were both successfully crate trained.  Belle destroyed the first crate I ever put her in.  She took longer but she's now perfectly happy in any crate, anywhere.  She often naps in her crate with the door open, as do all my dogs except Twister. lol  He does go in any crate willingly but prefers to use the human furniture for naps and lounging if at all possible.

So I guess there is often someone who does not clicker train , today that would be me. I raise an African Hunting Hound. They are large , independent and often suspicious of newer things. They are truly more Feline than Canine.  We take all Ridgebacks through the same process. We ONLY feed in crate. Anything not picked up in our case in 5 minutes is gone. Our RRs only eat once a day which keeps they motivated by treats for training. ( In fact if we are fostering a Rescue who is reputed to be picky about food which is VERY rare with our Breed, we simply make meal times unexpected. Eat it or Don't you have one chance. The rest of the food is coming directly from our hands so we can be very sur ethey are getting enough, just not all at one time. Hunting Hounds respect their stomachs, they rarely mess about and if they do dollars to donuts it's because they have an owner that is obsessing about meals. ) We feed everyone in their crates.  We currently have 6 Ridgebacks from 4.5 months  to 13 years. No one misses a meal. Our Puppies begin crate training at 8 weeks old. They howl and bark, I turn the TV up and keep a calm attitude. Not easy when the crates are literally less than 3.5 feet from my bed! After the first night they protest much less, after the next even less you get the idea. Not every dog, or every owner  is receptive to Clicker Training. If you can do it God Bless you, if the dog is not the type that cares about the clicking noise you would need to buy clickers by the case just to throw to get their attention. So please if you are not personally invested in the concept of clicker training do not beat yourself up. My RRs have titles in many different fields, from Lure coursing in which clicker training is useless to Obedience where many Die Hards Swear that is the Golden Standard for Training.  Our dogs are highly titled in Agility ( again another mega clicker field) to Hunting where a Clicker would be counter productive in a true hunt.  We make the Crate a place of comfort. We prefer wire crates as our dogs tend to be claustrophobic or depressed when in an Airline style crate. Like others have suggested they are alsways crated in the middle of things. Never alone or to the side. We fill the crate with a rotation of Great Treats and Toys.  We have them go in the crate many , many times a day for varying times. Never letting them out if they are barking or raising a ruckus. When they are quietly waiting for us we open the door and out they go. Never , ever apologise for the crate time. Instead we are just matter of fact. Time to Crate Pup, Time to go outside Pup. Reguardless of the age. They know when we have to be gone everyone is crated. I have set up cameras to be sure no one was stressed and I always felt like a dope, because shortly after I left they settle and snooze.  When I would come home anxious they would greet me as if there was something horribly worng. They were just feeding on my feelings. Once I decided I had enough of my home being destroyed by bored Hounds I got smarter , my house began to survive :0)..... Some folks have enourmous patience and discipline and THEY can clicker train anything from a turtle to a flamingo! Others are more like me.... We love our dogs every bit as much , we are just more matter of fact in our approach. Either way You are concerened and THAT means you are on your way to having a wonderful relationship with your pup! Best of Luck 

BTW We are also raising 5 grandkids from 6 to 12.5 , they have been with us since birth and yes We are the same way with them. All Honor Students, All Beautiful and Happy.  Love is what you make of it, I promise Your Dog will understand this faster than you think!

There are tons of photos of our Dogs and Kids on our Website.

Here are the comments I posted in the MC thread about my experiences with crates.  They may not make sense out of sequence and context here.  And I know they don't contain the same valuable info that the more skilled owners have posted above! 

I started my comments by saying we crate train for the dog's safety, not because we'd be that upset if some furniture got damaged.  I also noted that we were fortunate that both our dogs took to crates easily, eventually going in on their own when they recognize certain cues in our routine (like leaving for work in the morning).

It's too bad Shane's not food motivated.  It's much easier if you can toss in a treat and they go in after it.  What if you fed Shane his meals in the crate?  Even with the door open, you could put the bowl in there maybe? 

When we had the stray puppy last weekend, she cried and barked when we crated her and went out of her sight (that's why we took turns lying on a cot next to her crate the first night!).  But the next day she quieted down in it after 20 minutes or so.  We put a radio on nearby, too.  Maybe Shane would feel more secure if you practiced with him in it for short blocks of time while you puttered around in the same room and he could see you?

Edited to add:  I was telling DH about this tonight, and he reminded me of his coworker who got a puppy last year who FREAKED out in the crate (nearly getting hurt trying to escape from it).  She did a lot of desensitizing stuff with him (including feeding him in there, keeping it in main areas of the house where he could see them when he was in it for small blocks of time, etc.).  Things now are much better (not 100% fixed, but better).  So, time is the most important factor!

 There's  no problem with not clicker training if for some reason it doesn't work for you, though there are reasons to use a clicker over a word. Either way, do what works for you.

I think one of the  important points Bonita made is not to let a dog out of the crate if they are freaking out. I'm not insistent upon it anymore, and I really would like to be, but in crate games, the door doesn't open unless they are sitting, and if they were told to go in, they don't come out until they are told to go out. Luke is pretty good with this because I am pretty much the only one who takes him in and out, Callie doesn't do this, but she is taken in and out by many people, and they do not insist on this behavior. I started with Luke when he was 11 weeks old, and Callie when she was 8 weeks old, which is when we got each of them. I honestly just get whatever crate can be had cheapest at the time. Luke has plastic because it was what I could get cheapest, though he will go in wire, and I do also have a wire crate for him. Callie has wire because our local SPCA sells crates that people give them when they turn in dogs very cheaply, and that's what they had in her size when we got her. She rides in plastic in my car.  They will each go into either type of crate, but they prefer what they were first trained in. Callie basically slams herself into the crate when she is told to go. She'll even typically slam herself in there from across the room at Flyball class when she's done working and told to go back in. Luke is really funny about the crates, and will check them all out, and I apparently trained something weird in which I have to stand behind the door for him to go in his home crate.

Wow - thank you all so much for the great tips and advice and mostly, the encouragement. I'm going to order the wire crate today. PetCo is having a great sale and I don't want to miss it. My husband really thinks we could get away with just putting a baby gate up across the master bath area but think it'd have to be a pretty high gate to prevent Shane from jumping over it. It'd be great if it worked though. The area is large and tiled and open to the master bedroom. However, it wouldn't solve the problem of if we wanted to travel with him.

I'm training with a clicker for most everything right now, so I think it can only help the situation. Our trainer hates the sound of clickers but is doing the class for Homeward Bound anyway. I find it fun and I've seen it work really fast. I also think it's helping me as much as it's helping the dogs I'm working with. I haven't had a young dog for about 10 yrs now, so I need a lot of refresher training myself.

I do have one significant question. Just about everything I've read says that keeping a dog in a crate longer than 4 hours is bad/cruel/etc. I had thought if we could get Shane used to it, he'd stay in there at night and on some days when I can't bring him to work. Does no one use the crate for that?

cakana

Just about everything I've read says that keeping a dog in a crate longer than 4 hours is bad/cruel/etc. I had thought if we could get Shane used to it, he'd stay in there at night and on some days when I can't bring him to work. Does no one use the crate for that?

Cathy, when I first brought Bear home, I crated him at night as well as while I was at work. I live close to work, so he'd have 45 minutes out midday, and then I played with and walked him before and after work. It was about 2 weeks before he gained the privilege to sleep in my room at night and not in his crate. He'd cry at night, but would settle. I had to make sure he wasn't going to tear up the house or kill the cats while I slept, but I found him able to quickly adjust to staying in my bedroom at night with no problems.  It was another year before he got to be loose in the house when I was at work, but that was mostly because Moose the cat would attack him.

I don't know why it would be considered cruel to keep a dog in a crate for more than 4 hours.  As long as the crate is the right size for the dog, I don't think it's cruel.  Many, many dogs spend up to 8 hours in crates and sometimes more with no ill effects physically or mentally. All of our dogs are crated all night, except Rex. They sleep. :)  Same with our dogs that are left at home during the day.  They sleep, they chew. :)  Obviously I have my dogs on a feeding schedule and they are all allowed to do their business before being crated for any extended length of time.  

One reason I feel it's so important to crate train a dog is because you never know when the crate will be a necessity.  A dog that is happy in a crate will suffer much less anxiety if he ever has to be crated post surgery, during an emergency or at a vet's clinic.  Even if you never crate the dog at home, knowing you've made the crate confinement a good thing may prove valuable at some point in the dog's life.

Okay - whew! I was pretty sure people were using them for longer periods of time. Maybe I misunderstood and the reference was more to a puppy and potty training. That would make sense.

I placed the order for the wire crate thru PetCo. Normally $149, on sale for $89 and free shipping. I got the largest one they make (48" long) so it won't fit just anywhere but even if it's in the master bathroom, it'll be fine.

JackieG

I don't know why it would be considered cruel to keep a dog in a crate for more than 4 hours.  As long as the crate is the right size for the dog, I don't think it's cruel.  Many, many dogs spend up to 8 hours in crates and sometimes more with no ill effects physically or mentally. All of our dogs are crated all night, except Rex. They sleep. :)  Same with our dogs that are left at home during the day.  They sleep, they chew. :)  Obviously I have my dogs on a feeding schedule and they are all allowed to do their business before being crated for any extended length of time.  

One reason I feel it's so important to crate train a dog is because you never know when the crate will be a necessity.  A dog that is happy in a crate will suffer much less anxiety if he ever has to be crated post surgery, during an emergency or at a vet's clinic.  Even if you never crate the dog at home, knowing you've made the crate confinement a good thing may prove valuable at some point in the dog's life.

EVERYTHING Jackie said!!

My dogs are crated -- and usually about 9-10 hours (I work, and I have a commute) - NO Problem at all.  Now actually Tink and Charlie are crated -- Luna is loose only in the bedroom (where the crates are) but she -- unlike most dogs -- just plain doesn't like ANY small space.  None of ours are crated at night.  They are ALL restricted by baby gates when they are lose, at night, etc. 

There are some rescues and individuals that are now doing  knee jerk reaction against crates -- there's one rescue here in town that just plain will not adopt out to ANYONE who says they use a crate or have used them in the past.  (I wonder if they adopt out to folks who have lost dogs to obstructions, etc. that they 've gotten into because they weren't crated??)

You don't just stick a dog in a crate and walk away.  You train them.  You monitor them.  It's not a permanent baby sitter.  And you don't crate them for a long day and then go out "after work" with friends and leave them another 10 hours.  But because some people have done insane things like that some people feel compelled to react.

We Do keep our crates in the bedroom.  Not convenient and not pretty -- but with dogs there really is a comfort thing about "sleep smell".  You really want the crate in a room where people either sleep or at least *relax*. 

Yes, I've seen some bad reactions to crating too. I think it's a total misconception and DH has a little of it but I'm going to show him how well it works. The crate will be in our bedroom, unless we need it somewhere else temporarily.

Today, Shane has tried to chew on the wooden door stop, brought me paper out of the trashcan, chewed on the metal base of my chair and lastly, he's tried chewing on the edge of the wall below the window. He absolutely needs to be crated when we can't be with him.

Cathy -- remember ... at a year old he is STILL very much a developing puppy -- he needs stuff to chew on. 

Try him on a "durable" Nylabone.  I bought Tink the "Keys" and a couple of different nylabones -- at this point they are her "go to" thing when she's stressed or nervous or just plain NEEDS TO CHEW.

You nearly need a college degree in Nylabones.  There are a ZILLION of them.  The ones I get for her are marked "Durable"

Look on here and you'll see what I mean:

dog.com's Nylabones - -there are four freaking pages of them!!  Tink likes the chicken ones -- frankly liver sux (who knew!!)

As she chews these break off in teeny teeny little slivers -- seem to digest with no problem but it's virtually impossible to just 'break' one of the durable ones.

She doesn't care for the dental chews -- Luna and Charlie both like them once in a while.  But Tink??? GOTS TO HAS

When we had Tonka, our work schedules made it difficult to come home during the day, so he was crated 8-9 hours during the week.  But, his crate was huge -- he could stretch out and lie down, stand up and turn around completely, with plenty of extra space on all sides.  We also got a giant water bottle thing to attach to the outside (like you'd use in a gerbil or hamster cage), so he had water.  And we had thick cushions and blankets in there (he wasn't a chewer).  He was pretty comfortable, with a radio on for some company.

Having said all that, we felt terribly guilty, and therefore rarely left home in the evenings because we didn't want him to be crated any more than he already was during the day.  As I said in another thread, I still feel pangs of regret that we never let him enjoy complete freedom when we were gone, even when he was a very senior dog.

With Ruby, DH's schedule is more flexible now, so he goes home at lunch and walks her.  We try to limit her crate sessions to 4 or 5 hours, but if she had to be in there longer, she'd probably be fine.  We have friends who use baby gates to contain their dog to a couple safe rooms, but Ruby would need a 5' gate, since she can jump incredibly easily over anything lower!