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Cleo just turned 5 months old. Until now, she has taken all her naps in the crate and slept in the crate all night. i would almost always close the door even during the day so i could leave the house or even just leave the room. She has toys in the crate and a towel she likes (no bed until i'm sure she won't chew it). I always tossed treats in her crate, and she'd go in, i'd close the door, and she'd settle in and go to sleep. No barking or whining at all. Then, a couple weeks ago, we were away and she stayed with my parents for a week. They have the same crate we have, and she was sleeping in there at night and at least sometimes during the day. (She had stayed with my parents once before, and she is comfortable with them, but she was definitely out of sorts there and missing home--she woke up in the middle of the night a few times, which she never does.)
Now, she refuses to go into the crate during the day. I don't know if something happened related to the crate while I was away, or if she was simply not told to go in during the day and now likes it better that way.
At first, i tried higher value treats. I tried tossing treats in the crate over and over, and leaving the door open for her to retrieve them repeatedly. Now, if i'm near the crate she thinks i'll close the door, and she stays away from it. She'll sit and stare at it instead of going in. I am feeding her meals in the crate to improve her associations with it, and that is working fine. At least she will still sleep in there at night.
So, i'm trying to cue her to go in, but while i'm far enough away that she's not worried. Then while she's inside i treat her from the closed end of the crate. (She doesn't respond the cue very often, but if she decides to go in, i'm treating her while she's in there, regardless.) I feel like this could work, but it will take a long time.
i don't know what to do when i have to leave the house. The room is puppy-proofed the best i can get it, but she is teething, and she could decide to chew on the wall or a cabinet (she has done that, but it's been a while...). And if she is not in the crate i can't be guaranteed she won't pee in the kitchen, although, the only plus side of this is that she has had a chance to show how well potty trained she is! She goes and sits by the back door if she needs to go out, and if we don't notice she barks once.
Anyway, for a bunch of reasons, i need her to be okay in the crate at times during the day. All advice welcome!
Now, she refuses to go into the crate during the day. I don't know if something happened related to the crate while I was away, or if she was simply not told to go in during the day and now likes it better that way.
At first, i tried higher value treats. I tried tossing treats in the crate over and over, and leaving the door open for her to retrieve them repeatedly. Now, if i'm near the crate she thinks i'll close the door, and she stays away from it. She'll sit and stare at it instead of going in. I am feeding her meals in the crate to improve her associations with it, and that is working fine. At least she will still sleep in there at night.
So, i'm trying to cue her to go in, but while i'm far enough away that she's not worried. Then while she's inside i treat her from the closed end of the crate. (She doesn't respond the cue very often, but if she decides to go in, i'm treating her while she's in there, regardless.) I feel like this could work, but it will take a long time.
i don't know what to do when i have to leave the house. The room is puppy-proofed the best i can get it, but she is teething, and she could decide to chew on the wall or a cabinet (she has done that, but it's been a while...). And if she is not in the crate i can't be guaranteed she won't pee in the kitchen, although, the only plus side of this is that she has had a chance to show how well potty trained she is! She goes and sits by the back door if she needs to go out, and if we don't notice she barks once.
Anyway, for a bunch of reasons, i need her to be okay in the crate at times during the day. All advice welcome!