Ollie hates his crate!

[em&ollie]

Hi everyone,

I've had Ollie for 3 days now and in general he has been a real delight. The only major concern is that he has not started to like his crate AT ALL.

During the day time his crate is in the loungeroom where he will be around the family most. At night time it's next to my bed. We keep a blanket over the top and in it he only has as much space as he needs, as well as some blankets and toys.

Everytime I put Ollie in his crate (when his sleepy) he will usually cry for 1 minute-2 minutes but at night time it can be a little longer. If Ollie is wide awake and I need to do something and can't look after him, he will continue to cry in his crate. I let him out if he is being quiet but sometimes he is only quiet for a second so I'm not sure if his getting the idea.

I need Ollie to go in crate when I'm busy and that can be several times a day, and I need him to go in there without a fuss even if he isn't tired. I've tried feeding his meals in there but he is too stressed out to eat. I've tried chucking treats in there but again, he won't eat them. Toys get a little bit of attention but not if he REALLY wants to get out.

Everything else is going well though, toilet training is great and he is getting to be very playful! Last night was a little much as he just would not settle. It was all jumping up, running around and going crazy. I took him outside to release some of his energy but he came back even more excited. Is this just normal puppy behaviour? Is there anything I can do to calm him down a bit?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

Also if anybody knows how to get a cat to relax and start eating and acting normal again I would love to hear

 

[showpug]

It is normal for puppies to cry/whimper/scream when put in their crates. He will get the hang of it and he wont cry when put in there eventually. Just remember to be consistent. Do not give in to or pay attention to him when he is crying in his crate. This will only reinforce the behavior and cause him to do it more. Don't let him out until he is quiet. All of my dogs and I have 5 of them cried in their crates as puppies. They are all silent when crated now. They do get the hang of it. It just takes time. I should also add that it's not that he hates his crate, he would just rather be with you. You need to teach him that it's not always possible for him to be with you and when separated, he needs to have manners and rest in his crate quietly.

 

[showpug]

Forgot to add that for you cat, you may want to try using Feliway.

 

[em&ollie]

Thanks showpug I will keep at it.. it gets difficult at times like dinner especially when my parents are saying 'come on just let him out listen to the poor lad!' Got to stay strong Also, whats Feliway? Is it a medication?

 

[em&ollie]

UPDATE

Ok so I put Ollie in his crate for a nap with the blanket off and fed him a carrot through the wire. I put the blanket back on and could only hear chewing no crying! His alseep now

 

[Lizmo]

YAY! That is Great! So he likes carrots! That is awsome!

*you shall be getting a dogster pup pal request soon*

 

[em&ollie]

Thanks Jen! Just put him to bed again and he wasn't as good as last time.. let him gnaw on a bikkie but that didn't stop the crying Though he had an egg at lunch and loved it!

 

[YorkieLover]

If you can stick with it that would be awesome. We, on the other hand caved in with our 2nd one. The first one seemed to do really great, although we only crated her when we left the house or at bed time. We always had a blanket over the crate, an old fashion clock that ticks and we put the crate in another room from us so we wouldn't break down. I always set my alarm clock for the middle of the night to get her out to go potty and then back in the crate she went.
Now, the 2nd one wanted no part of that crate, he screamed, scratched peed in there, pooped in there everything. And, the crate was just the perfect size, he didn't care if he slept in his mess. So, it was out of the crate and baby gated in our bathroom with much more room and his bed in there. Well, I thought that was going great (even though he cried and howled,) by the time I was backing out of the drive way I could no longer hear him. Well, come to find out, our 17 year old daughter was getting out of bed and saving him from the bathroom and putting him in bed with her. This went on for a month or 2 before we figured it out... Needless to say, as of now, we have all our babies sleeping with us at night and nobody is crated during the day. They won...lol

 

[Herschel]

Don't cave in! Ollie will thank you later if he has a safe, comfortable place to rest. Whenever we travel, we take Herschel's crate and even if everything feels foreign to him, his crate is still as safe as always.

You have the right idea. Give him a small treat every time he goes in the crate. Then, thoroughly ignore him. If that means walking to the next room and watching a movie, do it. He will cry, but at his young age he will surely fall asleep very quickly.

 

[Spirit2010]

thats great! hmm, maybe thats why we couldn't get Hershey crate trained.. (sister got him out when he cried) but that is great that he is already getting used to it!

 

[Olivia]

My little Isabella nearly 9 weeks old cried when first put in her crate but now I make sure she is tired from playing, we have lots games then into the crate. When she is in there I do not have eye contact with her although I am peeping , I never talk to her in there and tell others to do the same and now she is really good. The odd time she grizzles I just bang the crate lightly and say NO and she stops straight away. I think the important thing is to ignore Olly while she is in there and then you might notice a difference.I have only had her a week and am very pleased with the progress.Good Luck Olivia