Crate SCREAMING

elegy

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#1
Oh em gee. Bean came home yesterday. He screamed the entire way home in the car. He screamed off and on all night. He screams any time I crate him. SCREAMS. Not just whines or complains. SCREAMS. NON STOP.

I drop treats in on him whenever he pauses to take a breath. I fed him in his crate with the door open and that was ok. I am only leaving him out when he's not screaming. But it tends to be a long wait.

He ignores a Kong stuffed with cheese. He has toys. He isn't bored. I let him out and he went right to sleep.

I really, truly, do not know what to do with this. He *has* to be crated at night for his own safety. He needs to be crated during the day. He will need to be crated in the car, at flyball tournaments, at agility trials. It's just not optional.

Halp?
 

Red Chrome

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#2
I put a dark blanket over the crate. If that doesn't help combined with what you are doing already, IDK.

I have been known to slap the side of the crate with a loud Knock It Off. Usually it catches them off guard enough that I can reward for being quiet right away and let out. That combined with what you are doing may help?
 

Shai

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#3
Yep I did the dark blanket, the food, ignoring, staying nearby, staying far away...nothing made a difference. Mira screamed so loud she could be heard from the side walk and she would do it for 8+ hours at a stretch (say, at night when we were pretending to be asleep).

Howling, screaming, the most horrible ear-splitting wails...my word that girl came with a set of lungs.

Two weeks and she gave it up. Thank goodness. I hope Bean gives up faster.
 

Laurelin

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#4
I gave up before Mia gave up. So I'm no help. The first warning should have been the six hour drive home where she shrieked for all 6 hours. I went about 2 weeks trying to wait her out overnight then we moved into my apartment and I was too worried about her making my neighbors mad that I just gave up and she slept on the bed overnight. She took to an x-pen with Summer right away thank god.

It wasn't until Mia was 2 (ish) that I could crate her without her screaming. I know that doesn't help at all, but I really think it was a maturity thing with her.
 

Barb04

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#6
What kind of crate are you using? My dog only liked the vari kennel (hard plastic). If we put him in the wire type crate, he cried.

Do you have the crate next to your bed? They seems to do well starting out there knowing you are close by and slowly move the crate further away.
 

*blackrose

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#7
Yah, I gave up on Chloe, too. LOL She would scream and stress and freak out when she was crated, but if she was left loose in a confined area (like an ex-pen, or baby gated in a hallway) she was fine. So I just stopped crating her. She has no problem being crated in certain situations (like, when we're at the groomers, she stays in her little crate/kennel without any problems whatsoever), but she will still scream if she is stressed out about the situation (which has less to do with her not liking the crate and more to do with the fact that she's stressed - she'd scream outside of the crate in those situations, too).

So....I'm no help, unless an x-pen is an option to try while you work with her on the crate to see if it helps.
 

Shai

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#8
Since I'm guessing you plan to bring babydog to trials and such, just remember that staying consistent and strong now WILL pay off...Mira hits a crate at a busy trial now and just goes to sleep... :)
 

SaraB

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#9
Zinga was AWFUL in the crate, I'm talking screaming, trying to climb out and bonking her head, trembling, wouldn't eat or even glance at treats. There have been a lot of car rides where I thought my head was going to explode. Here is what worked for us (keep in mind she's still not perfect and will scream if I put her in a crate when she's not tired):

-At night, I don't stick her in the crate right away. We do 5-10 minutes of forced cuddle time until she has fallen asleep and then I put her in her crate. She hasn't made a single noise in the crate at night since.
-In the car, again I made sure she was tiiiiired before going in the crate, but there wasn't a whole lot you can do while you are driving, so I just stuck it out.
-About her refusal to go into the crate, we have done a lot of crate games. Every single meal consists of me hand feeding raw ground meat with her in her crate. We practice staying in with the door shut, holding her stay with the door open, driving into the crate, releasing out of the crate, etc. While this is great in general, what it does is teaches the puppy that it is OK to eat in the crate so that you can start introducing kongs and RMB's and what not to work on the duration aspect. Zinga is officially finishing kongs and staying engaged in RMB's at this point (she's 12 weeks old).
-Because I think a lot of Zinga's resentment towards the crate resulted from her long flight overseas, I have only used plastic crates unless we are working on crate games. I don't want any of those negative feelings transferring to wire crates so I have always made sure she enjoys her time in those crates.

Hope that helps some!!
 

elegy

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#10
I have been trying to feed him in his crate, but he's not impressed with kibble. He was raw weaned, and obvs that is tastier than my stupid kibble. But I am not comfortable with raising him on raw. Clearly I need to buy something to help bridge that gap.
 

Doberluv

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#11
Personally, I'd find somewhere else, like an ex-pen for him to spend the long periods of time he must be confined and then work on gradually conditioning him to the crate...open door first like you're doing with the food. Then close it for under a minute while you sit next to him, then let him out. Then gradually close the door for just a little longer while you still sit close. Then shorten up the duration, but go a few feet away. I'd spend 3 - 5 minutes several different times during the day or night just getting him use to longer spells and having you be away from him, but gradually. Only step away for a few seconds, then return and poke a treat through the grate. Frequently, quickly and like it's a game. I'd be careful not to ask too much too soon so that he isn't as apt to throw a tizzy fit and won't associate being locked up in the crate with a rotten time.

Anyhow, it's hard for a pup to immediately have to spend a long time in a crate if he hasn't been conditioned to it. Just like teaching a dog to wear a muzzle or getting him use to something else unpleasant. It seems to go better if they're gradually conditioned to it.
 

SaraB

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#12
I have been trying to feed him in his crate, but he's not impressed with kibble. He was raw weaned, and obvs that is tastier than my stupid kibble. But I am not comfortable with raising him on raw. Clearly I need to buy something to help bridge that gap.
Have you tried soaking the food a bit before feeding it? Sometimes that will help bring out the smell.
 

elegy

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#13
Personally, I'd find somewhere else, like an ex-pen for him to spend the long periods of time he must be confined and then work on gradually conditioning him to the crate..
He screams in an xpen. He screams babygated in a room. It's not crate-specific!
 

xpaeanx

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#14
ugh. That sucks. I think I would kill myself.

I know you don't want to raise him on raw, but what if you just buy some RMBs so he has something super tasty to distract him in the crate?.... and then put him as far away from earshot as possible so you can sleep until he stops with the screaming?

Does it make a difference if you get him super tired from playing when you put him in the crate?
 

elegy

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#16
Why is the rum gone?!

I waited until he was passed out asleep last night, shoveled him into his crate without waking him up, celebrated victory, turned out the light, and he started screaming approximately three minutes later.

I need to get him something super tasty like rmbs. I will do that... whenever I have time.
 

Doberluv

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#18
He screams in an xpen. He screams babygated in a room. It's not crate-specific!
Oh...I see. Well then, I guess tough love and ear plugs would be the next best thing and just wait him out. Don't cave. He'll get over it, probably in the next few weeks. There. How does that make you feel? :p *runs and hides.*

I know...it is awful. Lyric was a screamer when I first got him. He had been accustomed to a crate from the get go. His breeder had one in the puppy area...the kitchen with the door off and he slept in there. But the new environment, all the changes puppies have to go through in their new homes...well, it's an adjustment. I think it just went on though, for maybe 4 or 5 days. I hope your pup gets use to it soon. ;)
 

elegy

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#19
So things are getting MUCH! better. Thank goodness. He is still LOUD when he is loud, but much less screaming.

I took him to work yesterday so that he could get his exam (checked out well!) and he hollered a little bit at the beginning and a little bit mid-way through my shift, but mostly he just chilled in the big dog run with his little crate and his toys. I popped back and dropped tasty treats in with him when he was quiet and I had the opportunity.

Last night he went right to sleep, slept until 4:15. He started fussing, so I took him out to potty. Settled right back down and went back to sleep. Unfortunately he woke up at 5:30 and He! Was! Up! SCREAMSCREAMSCREAM

But that's way better than all night long!

He'll also tolerate being babygated away from me now, which is great.
 

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