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Both dogs barking when one gets in the crate

Posted : 5/9/2006 9:16:25 AM

When I first got Max's plastic crate, he would happily run in and sit when he saw his kong. A few weeks after he'd had it, and we had a great routine down, Millie started barking when he was getting put in his crate, which in turn caused him to bark (we used to have the same problem with his wire crate actually. So, I started making sure Millie was far enough away to not hear his crate door closing, but it was already too late, because Max had figured out a new routine of go sit in the crate, then bark and try to push his way out as soon as I put the kong in. I probably didn't help by just letting him push his way out once or twice out of total frustration, and needing to leave, but it's too late to go back now. So, now he tries to push out, but I shove the door shut. As soon as the door is shut, he calms down and eats his food, but as you might imagine, trying to shut the door with him trying to shove his way out is rather annoying. It also causes a problem in that nobody else wants to ever have to put him in crate, so they are even less like to take him out when I am gone than they were before, and my obnoxious mother likes to claim he is the one barking all day, even though A)He doesn't, B) It's Millie who does, and C) It was Millie who started this. I am also thinking that I don't want him to teach this to any future dogs, because having to get them crated that way is much more difficult. Any suggestions on how to get Millie to stop barking when she hears his crate close, and him back to going in nicely?

griffinej5

Posted : 5/12/2006 10:47:58 AM

Bumping this to the top. I hope someone has some advice for me, as this is really becoming a bigger problem now. Max now tries to get the food from me without going in the crate. He wouldn't go in his crate just now, and I have to leave in a minute to work. I even was going to cancel the job, but I had to do that by 8am, so I have to leave him, and hope he doesn't ruin anything.

boneyjean

Posted : 5/12/2006 10:54:08 AM

I really don't know an answer but just have a thought. I wonder why Millie is barking in the first place? Is she getting a Kong too? Maybe if you can give her a Kong she will not bark, which in turn causes him to bark. Have you tried any other types of treat ball in the crate that he might think are more "special"? In my house the minute I get a treat out, Izzy RUNS to her crate now b/c she thinks that is all she has to do to get a treat. The other night, I wanted to work on sit and down and she kept trying to run into her crate but that wasn't what I wanted. Now I am having a hard time getting her in her crate too so I have to bribe her with even more special treats to get in.

Dogs! You can't live with em, but you can't live without em!

griffinej5

Posted : 5/12/2006 3:31:23 PM

Well, you answer is better than mine, which is that she barks because it pissses me off (I know that's not true, but it really does piss me off). No, Millie doesn't get anything when he goes in his crate though. He was just running right in like you said for his kong, but the last two times, he ran down and sat in front of the crate, then he tried to grab the kong from me. I even tried going back upstairs with the kong like I wasn't going to give it to him, which had worked in the past to get him in, but it was no good this time. I tried putting his food in the orbee ball yesterday, and he tried to grab it then too. I'm totally stuck on what to do. Most of the times when I leave him out, he's ok, but other times he gets in to stuff.

boneyjean

Posted : 5/12/2006 4:56:22 PM

I know the feeling....my DH always gets mad at me for putting Izzy in her crate EVERY time I leave...so today I had to run to the post office and was only gone 20 minutes and I had put her bedding in the washer so I left her out. She managed to SHRED the blinds on the front window while I was gone. I am leaving all of the evidence in place for him to see when he gets home that I tested his theory on how the dog should stay out and what the result was! He better be glad she didn't chew through the cord on the TV.

I am not really sure what else to try....I don't feed out of a kong but maybe giving him his kong with his food in it AND a ball with some treats in it....that would be my answer for trying to get him in the crate...and as for Millie barking, I would try giving her something to keep her occupied while you are putting him in. Does her barking work him up and make him push try to push through, or are they really two different problems you are facing?

griffinej5

Posted : 5/12/2006 6:05:24 PM

In the beginning, it was her barking that triggered him to start, but now he does it with no help from her, although she still doesn't mind giving it. So, I think the first part would be to solve the issue with her, and then solve the issue with Max. If I go after the issue with him first, I think it will only resurface in a few weeks. Today he was fine out for 4 hours, but another day I left him for 15 minutes, and I came back to my pillow across my floor, and yesterday he got up on a table and knocked a lamp down (he actually goes on that table all the time, but he usually never hits the lamps. He also pulled the shade from the window. I suspect he did that because there were men working in my neighbors' house, and Millie was barking at them. He hears her, so he joins in.
This is going to be really bad come Monday when I go back to school for my summer class 2 days a week, and if i'm working ESY, i've really gotta get it solved, because there is no way I can trust him for 6 weeks 2 days a week by himself for about 6 hours (if I am working, he is going to daycare 3 days a week when I would be working longer, so I only have to worry about him for 2 days. As for not working, that is not an option, as it's an oppurtunity that I would be very stupid to pass up, so i've gotta try to figure something out by then (and removing everything including the bed from my room and hoping he doesn't go after the walls doesn't seem like a good option).