# Crating a puppy who does not want to be crated..... HELP!



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Do you think using a metal crate would change the situation? Perhaps being able to see out of a crate from all sides would be more comforting to start?

Not an ideal photo but you can see I have a metal crate inside of a pen for my puppy. I have toys and an old cat bed. I fed my puppy some of his meals in the pen and played games in the pen so it was a fun place. Some people keep a potty place in the pen if they train dog to potty on a pad. I trained my puppy to potty outside so I don’t have a potty area in the pen. BTW don’t have a dog bed in your pen area until you know your dog won’t potty in it or chew it.

My puppy wasn’t happy at first to have the crate door shut so I left the door open, but the pen door shut. I trained him to go inside the crate but didn’t shut the door for a few weeks. Then I trained shutting the door by shutting it briefly and treating. Over time I shut the door longer. I now have puppy that will run from another room when told to go to crate. He goes in and lays down, I give him a small treat and shut the door and he goes to sleep. Training this way was easy and not upsetting for my puppy.

The blue travel crate next to the pen is my older dog’s crate. My puppy is 10 months old now and I still pen him In the evening during Kong treat time. I crate my puppy when I leave the house and will do so for another couple of months. I will probably remove the pen in a few months too and leave just the crate so each dog will have their own special place.


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## Genny (Oct 16, 2021)

This looks perfect.... I saw something similar to this in a Zak George video. I think this would work for him. Now I just need to source it. 

BTW. your puppy is beautiful.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks.

this Is what I bought for my minipoo. For your tpoo you could use something smaller or lower. I like this one because the gate goes to the floor, there’s nothing to step over and trip. Also given your tpoo is a climber I would look for slats that are vertical so there’s no place he can get a toe hold on and climb out.









Amazon.com : Amazon Basics Foldable Metal Pet Dog Exercise Fence Pen With Door Gate - 60 x 60 x 36 Inches, Black : Pet Supplies


Amazon.com : Amazon Basics Foldable Metal Pet Dog Exercise Fence Pen With Door Gate - 60 x 60 x 36 Inches, Black : Pet Supplies



smile.amazon.com


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I have always crated my puppies but I keep the crate where they can see me also just pop them in and latch the door. Yep they cried a bit in the beginning but the adjusted, during the day they were in an xpen with the crate with its door in there as well


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

I agree on the metal crate. The carrier is meant to keep the dog tight. More safe in the car. But, it is harder to turn around and the dog or cat has trouble seeing what lurks out there.

I think for this dog you need the wire crate. As long as he is housebroken, I would use a crate sized for a slightly larger dog. A Boston terrier or mini poo. Also, I would put the dinner dish in the crate first thing. No cajoling, just put the dinner dish in the crate and walk away.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Since he's a toy and winter's coming, you may want to use a blanket or crate cover to help keep him warm and make a cave. Leave as many or few sides open as you want, just make sure it's not something he can chew through the openings. 

Our dog's crate is open on two sides. That allows ventilation but makes him feel safe and warm.

btw, when I put my shoes on and grab my purse, he goes into the crate on his own.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

You’ve had good suggestions. I wouldn’t let him get on the crate. Toys’ legs are easy to break.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Dogs being considered "den animals" may come from some flawed science. This may be why many dogs don't take to it naturally.
Is a dog crate really a den? How this very American practice took off — WHYY

If the breeder didn't start the training, then you're starting from scratch.



Skylar said:


> I would look for slats that are vertical so there’s no place he can get a toe hold on and climb out.


Here's a visual for that description. Poodles haven't been used as circus performers for nothing . The vertical slats with no footholds keep them off the high wire.









The slats above are probably too far apart for a toy.










I had to go with a different build to keep my mpoo boypups contained.














Dechi said:


> You’ve had good suggestions. I wouldn’t let him get on the crate. Toys’ legs are easy to break.


_"Hello, today my six month old toy poodle (4.2 lbs) got dropped accidentally by a friend. It wasn’t a negligent drop, but probably a foot or foot and a half from the ground. She started crying with extreme extreme pain and I’ll cut to the chase she has a broken front leg.
Luckily I was able to get her into a vet clinic on the same day. They suggested a surgery through a different clinic which would cost ballpark $6000. I asked what the other options were which were either amputation or splinting which would require multiple re-splinting of the leg for the next 6 to 8 weeks which at the end may or may not work. I was told there’s about a 25% chance that she’ll be able to keep her leg after the splinting if it works. And after that time if the splint doesn’t work it’s too late to do the surgery. The splinting all in all will cost ballpark in total 1000 to 1500. And amputation will cost about 2000. "_

This thread had a better ending than it might sound, so far as we know.


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## I_love_dogs (May 30, 2021)

Of the three dogs I have tried to crate train, only one of them ever liked it. The other two hated it. Loki is the most recent. He pretend to tolerate it by going in at bedtime, but would wake up in the middle of the night. Once in the middle of the night, okay fine. In the middle of the night, and an hour before I am supposed to get up. Annoying. Every two hours. Gets checked for a UTI. Every two hours, but it is pouring down rain so he goes back to bed without using the bathroom. Busted. At 5 months, I was so sleep deprived that I gave up and let him sleep loose in the room. He has a chew toy to help him sleep, but for the most part he just sleeps quietly through the night. 
We have the Richell playpens shown above. He used those during the day and did much better in them than he even did in a crate.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Crate Games by Susan Garrett. There's a ton of free resources on Youtube, and here are two to get you started:
5 Games for Puppies
Zelda Part I


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## buddyrose (Jul 27, 2011)

I'm in the metal crate camp also. I originally used a puppy playpen but my Tpoo learned to jump over and out of it! That scared me so I went with a crate. It's large enough for a big bed. Your kennel is very closed looking and that maybe scary to your pup who was probably in a pen with littermates. Here's 2 photos of Ginger sleeping in her metal crate with door open and shut. She's 9 months old now so I gate her in my kitchen when I go out. And she sleeps in bed with me now. I still have the crate against the wall in the living room because she goes in sometimes to nap.


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

My dogs all love their crate, although Raffi took about a month of slowly acclimatizing (a week or two for night, but longer for days), but I think his main issue was being alone. My dogs and I prefer the plastic type, but from what I can tell on the picture they like a larger crate compared to their size than what you have. So consider upsizing.
Here's some great free resources to help:





Crate Training: Puppy Owners | Austerlitz German Shepherd Dogs







austerlitzshepherds.com













With Open Arms and a Level Head: How to Bring a Puppy Into Your Life


Madcap University



madcapuniversity.com


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## Genny (Oct 16, 2021)

buddyrose said:


> I'm in the metal crate camp also. I originally used a puppy playpen but my Tpoo learned to jump over and out of it! That scared me so I went with a crate. It's large enough for a big bed. Your kennel is very closed looking and that maybe scary to your pup who was probably in a pen with littermates. Here's 2 photos of Ginger sleeping in her metal crate with door open and shut. She's 9 months old now so I gate her in my kitchen when I go out. And she sleeps in bed with me now. I still have the crate against the wall in the living room because she goes in sometimes to nap.
> View attachment 483839
> 
> View attachment 483838


This looks like a great setup If you can recommend a crate I'm all ears...Mine is a toy too. He is just under 5lbs and is just over 4 months old. He's a climber and a jumper so I know the playpen is not an option. I have a gate on the kitchen (same one I had for my last pup, who was a mini poodle) but I discovered yesterday that this little guy can get his head and shoulders between the grates (which are vertical) so I can't trust those to contain him or when I am not there to monitor. He climbs out of everything else... and he is super strong. A metal cage may work well for him...


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Precision Great crate
I used this for my boy


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Opal (Lab) and Zoe both sleep in their crates at night. Opal loves her crate and often naps in it during the day. I never close the door to her crate. On the other hand, Zoe finds her crate vastly inferior to the people bed. She never goes in her crate just to nap. In fact, I still have to provide a little treat at bed time to soften the insult of being crated, and I do have to close the door. Her breeder crated her as a small puppy, so she certainly was not spoiled in infancy. Basically, Zoe wants to be within 2 feet of me at all times!


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## Deere (Jun 25, 2021)

Johanna said:


> Opal (Lab) and Zoe both sleep in their crates at night. Opal loves her crate and often naps in it during the day. I never close the door to her crate. On the other hand, Zoe finds her crate vastly inferior to the people bed. She never goes in her crate just to nap. In fact, I still have to provide a little treat at bed time to soften the insult of being crated, and I do have to close the door. Her breeder crated her as a small puppy, so she certainly was not spoiled in infancy. Basically, Zoe wants to be within 2 feet of me at all times!


Ivan turned 1 year old on Thursday November 12, 2021. He is spoo that also hates his crate. I have tried everything; you tube, trainer, raw hamburger balls, read all my favorite dog resources and I have read everything on PF. He is the only dog that I have had in 44 years that wouldn't use a crate. He used a medium sized crate until he got to big for it and when I went to 42" he refused;he will keep both rear feet out stretch for treat or special treat/baby if he can't reach it no go. Ivan now needs a 48" crate but I haven't purchased it yet. He [email protected] the bottom of my bed or in his bed(located on floor touching my bed) during the night and the kuranda bed or his bed in family room during the daytime. He does have separation anxiety. I would prefer him to be crate trained for emergencies and I also use baby gates to close off access to other rooms or keep him contained.This is not my ideal situation but it's working for the time being.


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## Genny (Oct 16, 2021)

Deere said:


> Ivan turned 1 year old on Thursday November 12, 2021. He is spoo that also hates his crate. I have tried everything; you tube, trainer, raw hamburger balls, read all my favorite dog resources and I have read everything on PF. He is the only dog that I have had in 44 years that wouldn't use a crate. He used a medium sized crate until he got to big for it and when I went to 42" he refused;he will keep both rear feet out stretch for treat or special treat/baby if he can't reach it no go. Ivan now needs a 48" crate but I haven't purchased it yet. He [email protected] the bottom of my bed or in his bed(located on floor touching my bed) during the night and the kuranda bed or his bed in family room during the daytime. He does have separation anxiety. I would prefer him to be crate trained for emergencies and I also use baby gates to close off access to other rooms or keep him contained.This is not my ideal situation but it's working for the time being.


OKay, that scares me a little.... I can't imagine not crating my dog. Like you, I always did with all of my other poodles. Just out of curiosity, does your spoo like to be on high surfaces? I'm wondering if that's my little guy's problem with the crating... During the day he likes to perch on top of anything he can get on. (RIght now his basket of supplies in the kitchen) I'm wondering if putting a perch of some sort in his kennel will help him want to go in....

Last night it took me nearly 30 minutes to get him in there (he is 4lbs!!!) He only cried for about 5 minutes once i got him in (it had been closer to an hour of kennel crying at its peak when I first brought him home 2 weeks ago) And miracle of miracles, he stayed in there asleep from 12:15 until 6:45. I woke up at 5 but stayed in bed because I didn't want to wake him up. 

He did this one other time (slept most of the night) last week so I am not sure if this is the new norm or a fluke....

But if I can get him to sleep until 7 or 8 each morning I will be THRILLED. 

He is almost 17 weeks old (got him at 15 weeks) The breeder told me he slept in a pen with his littermate so I am thinking it is not the pen that is the problem but the lack of littermate that is. I did get him a snuggle puppy (with heartbeat) for him to sleep with but he treats it as a chew toy and not a sleep friend. ($40 for a chew toy is sort of steep, LOL)

Of course if I can't get him to used to using a kennel I honestly don't know what I'll do. I don't think it is safe to leave him loose when I leave the house. My mom has been staying with him when I am at work but this can't go on forever and there are places I need to go without him (lots of places) so he needs to get used to it... Like I said, he can get his neck through the gate I have (because his head is still tiny) and he climbs like a monkey so a play pen is not working... kennel is the only way....


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