Crate Talk, need to know?

We keep Bella crated from the AM till we get home from work and then she has basically free range of the house until bed time when she goes back in the crate.

She is 7-months old now. It can take me up to 15 min's to get her in her crate when it's time to go in. She runs around the coffee table and man is it a workout for me - LOL.

My question is, I hear as the dog gets older, she will just go into the crate automatically when she is tired? If this is true, about what age does this happen?

When Bella is in her crate, she does not cry or anything and she just puts her head on her pillow and lays down so I don't think it's a matter of her hating it and she knows it's her home, safe place, etc...

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

My dog is 18 months old and we still crate him from 9-2. We just tell him to go in his crate and he goes, because we always said it to him when he was younger and we would give him a treat when he obeyed.
The most amount of time he has been crated at once is 8 hours due to DH having to work late and me getting stuck in traffic when I worked in Westchester.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Oh, and as far as him going in on his own, he used to when he was younger, to nap. But now he goes on his bed in the living room. He only goes in the crate when we tell him to.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Katie goes in her crate on her own sometimes when we aren't around. I've come home at different times during the day and she is walking out of her crate.
Have you tried using a command? I say crate and she goes in and gets a treat so I don't have to chase her at all.
At bed time she runs into the crate and waits for her treat, I don't even have to say anything.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Message edited 5/16/2008 2:13:43 PM.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

My dog never willingly went in on his own. He hated it. I tried everything. But yes, some dogs do like it and will willingly go in after some training.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Posted by Mrs-D-Girl

Posted by dita

Katie goes in her crate on her own sometimes when we aren't around. I've come home at different times during the day and she is walking out of her crate.
Have you tried using a command? I say crate and she goes in and gets a treat so I don't have to chase her at all.
At bed time she runs into the crate and waits for her treat, I don't even have to say anything.

Oh god I wish!!!!

I am going to try and train her to start doing it on her own. Every morning it's a comedy act of me running around in a circle trying to get her and she loves every minute of it

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

We keep the dog in the kitchen, mroe room while we are at work. She is now 1 year and still sleeps in the crate all night. No issues getting her in, we say crate and she goes right in

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

OMG, my Bella was like this too! I hated putting her in the crate in the morning because she would run around and around the table until I got her. As she got a little older, the chasing became less and less, but every once in a while she would do it. I don't think she ran because she didn't like her crate, I just think she thought it was a game. Anyway she is 2 1/2 now and hasn't been crated since Oct/Nov.

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

It used to be a workout for us too.
Now that Iggy's older (10 months) he goes in when we tell him "in" or he just goes straight in when we go to bed (his crate is in our room).

Re: Crate Talk, need to know?

Porter is crated from 7:30am - 6:00pm during the week. He sleeps on his bed next to my side of the bed at night. If we go out on the weekends and he does not come with us he just stays in the kitchen. We never rewarded him for going in his crate. He was 5 months when we got him and in less than 2 weeks when we sadi get in your crate he went rght in. I dont even have to tell him anymore. HE knows at 7:25 am when i am shutting my computer down he just goes straight for the bedroom door to go in the crate. Sometimes we just leave the door open when we are home and he will just go and take a nap.