Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:59 pm Post subject: crate training a 1 year old
My dog Wiley is just over a year old. He is a pain for stealing and chewing. Today came in from work and found the carpet in the hall ripped up. My missus is against crates and is why he was never crated since we got him at 8 weeks. Now is the final straw and i can't trust him to be left while we're out. She is now resigned to the fact he is going to have to be crated whether she likes it or not What is the best way to go about crate training a 1 y/o and what is the best size of crate to get? I have been looking at the XXL sized crates, W48" x D29" x H32" so he isnt too cramped and has space to move or is it better to have one where he just has enough room to stand and turn around? I have not wanted it to come to this but it isnt going to stop and we can't stop him while we're out.
I have small labs - under 25kg in weight and they fit comfortably in 42" crate so a 48" one should be fine.
Tucker is a rescue boy I brought home 6months ago and straight away I began to get him used to a crate. He was about a year old and had spent some time crated at his fosters before coming home, I don't think her was crated in his previous home but can't be sure. If I am out of the house he goes in. At night he sleeps in my bedroom.
I built up the time he was in there slowly, sometimes I'd be in the house with him in there sometimes I'd pop out for 5mins and then return. Sometimes I'd let him out straight away, sometimes I'd leave him in there for a while after getting home. I used to video him with a webcam to check he was ok. I got him used to doing a few hours in his crate over a period of about 6 weeks. He ALWAYS gets 1 or 2 filled kongs in there and as soon as a Kong comes out of the fridge he sprints for his crate, sits in his crate and waits and waits for me to bring them along. Once the kongs are gone he lies down and curls up and snoozes or rests. I put in an item of clothing that I have worn recently to reassure him that I am 'with him and coming back' and I leave a 'marrowbone' chew in with him incase he wants to chomp. The crate's top is covered with a blanket but the sides left open as he likes to keep an eye on his free-roaming sister. He has a squishy comfy bed in there and a crate bowl with a bit of water in. I leave the radio on so that outside noise is deadened and not as disturbing.
Crates really can be a dogs onw little den and many dogs on here get upset if they have ther crate removed. I am in no hurry to have Tucker free-roaming in the house as the set up we have is working and if I leave him while I pop out of the room he generally finds something to do that is trouble!
Introduced and set up and used in the right way crating can be successful for everyone! Make it the best place in the world to be!
i also have a app on my iphone called JumiCam which connects remotely to my laptop that we used to use when he was kept in a pen as a young pup at our old house until the day he jumped the pen he hasnt been in it since. so he has had a "taste" of crate life although the pen was huge. But we will at least be able to keep an eye on him while we're out through our phones.
He gets a 30+ minute walk in the morning, a 5/10 minute lunch time walk for a pee, a 30+ minute walk in the evening then another quick 5/10 minute night time walk for a pee so he gets plenty of exercise every day and he's still detroying things so it has finally came to getting a crate for him
Is it possible that he is suffering from a level of separation anxiety? Although crating may stop the chewing of the carpets, it won't solve a separation problem. You may find he tries to chew his way out of the crate and potentially injure himself in the process.
It is just a thought and may be worth considering at the same time as going the crate route
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
My boy has a 48" crate and he chooses to go in it now for a bit of peace(very rarely)or if he has a new treat he'll take it to his "den".We covered it with a dark sheet and its nice and cosy for him,good luck,he'll be fine x
does anybody have a guide or able to advise me the best way to go about crate training and how to get him used to it? i've came home today at lunch to find the sky remote destroyed, a couple of candles detroyed that were on the tv unit. a couple of ornaments on teh floor, the livingroom rug flipped in half, newspaper destroyed. he has a rawhide chew ring which he hasnt even touched and plenty of bones toys to keep him amused. but he decides to go destroy everything else. he knew i was angry when i saw it he went and lay down at the back door, he usually wont stop leaving me alone when i come in. I am really at my wits end with this
and the principal will be the same for a 1 year old. It needs to become somewhere for him to retreat to, a safe haven and a place to relax.
In the meantime, have you tried giving him his breakfast when you leave stuffed into kongs and frozen and/or a treat ball. I know that mine pay absolutely no interest in standard chews/toys if I'm not there so they get something different that is a special treat. You could also restrict his access around the house to there is some damage limitation (assuming you haven't already tried this of course ).
If you haven't already, have a read through the link in Laura's (Luna-Tuck) thread as the detructive behaviour may be related to separation anxiety issues, which can be addressed and overcome.
____________ Owned by Bella, Shadow & Cats ....
Never forgetting Harry : 18/01/11 - 14/05/11 RIP
and the principal will be the same for a 1 year old. It needs to become somewhere for him to retreat to, a safe haven and a place to relax.
In the meantime, have you tried giving him his breakfast when you leave stuffed into kongs and frozen and/or a treat ball. I know that mine pay absolutely no interest in standard chews/toys if I'm not there so they get something different that is a special treat. You could also restrict his access around the house to there is some damage limitation (assuming you haven't already tried this of course ).
If you haven't already, have a read through the link in Laura's (Luna-Tuck) thread as the detructive behaviour may be related to separation anxiety issues, which can be addressed and overcome.
his breakfast is always out after he comes in from his morning walk but he doesnt seem interested in it. Most of it is usually still in the bowl come lunch time but it is all gone by night. He has a kong that we often fill and freeze but he gets through them in 10 minutes flat so doesnt keep him distracted for long. He has been used to this routine since we've got him at 8 weeks. Theres no barking or whining when we leave. When we go out the door he runs to the window and watches us get in the car and then just jumps back down. When i come back at lunch and get back in the evening he's almost always lay on the couch as his head always pops up from the couch in front of the window when we arrive. He's been great and barely touches anything, but this week he is just suddenly a terror and is destroying everything he can get his jaws on
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