Puppy suddenly hates crate

[beachykeen01]

After the first week of being in our room the puppy went into the crate in the dining room, and every night for the following 7months and then all of a sudden two/three weeks ago he decide NOPE he didn't want to be in his crate and bloody barked and howled the house down.

We asked in a positive dog training FB site and they said bring him back into your room until he sleeps happily in crate. We got him happy in crate for 4 nights and then last night was the worst ever... I'm at my wits end... I need sleep! He ended up fine with crate door open, slept all night in crate 😳😳

I need him contained overnight / when we go out but he's going nuts when crated now. Got home after 3hrs today and he was barking. He is used to full access inside and out normally as I'm a SAHM but he hates being left outside when we are home, can only assume he'd be as bad left out when we are not home. Our living areas are open plan, gated off from rest of house but no way of making area smaller (like kitchen only).

We could put him in the garage without crate (carpeted kids hang out area) but I don't fully trust him at 11mths .

Any advice on how to get a dog back on plan with the crate would be great 😔

[BiteyShark]

My dog went off his crate at around 1 year old. He just resisted going in it at night. However, at that time he was really entering adulthood and wasn't destructive so we were happy to get rid of it at that point. He stays in the kitchen when we are out which is actually a large area as it's a kitchen diner.

I am a little unsure what the issue is with leaving him uncrated? Is it that he is still destructive? I have a camera which streams to my phone which you can pan around almost 360 degrees so I can follow him and check up that his is ok. Would something like that help to see how he behaves uncrated when you aren't around?

[Floralnomad]

You could try a large pen instead for when you are out , although this is not an issue I’ve dealt with as I don’t use cages .

[bringbackthestripes]

He ended up fine with crate door open, slept all night in crate

So don’t shut him in a tiny space then, it disturbs polyphasic sleeping. This explains it all well.

themuttyprofessor.co.uk/2017/07/20/crate-debate-crate-not-crate/

[Lucisky]

You say you need him in the crate when you go out. How long have you been leaving him in there? Could he have decided that being confined to a tiny space is unpleasant? I am not getting at you op, but I can remember when crates didn't exist, and we all managed perfectly well with puppies by confining them to a safe area when left alone. This could be a lobby, a hallway or a kitchen. Our pup was shut in the kitchen if we went out. (and still is at nearly 2 years old) It is warm, quiet and safe, and easily cleaned. I have a crate, but it was barely used, except in the bedroom when she was tiny.
If your dog doesn't like the door shut, don't shut it. You are not going to be shutting him in a crate for the rest of his life every time you can't supervise him. I think you will just have to make a safe, decent sized area for him somewhere in your house. Difficult, I know, with open plan.

[Wolfiefan]

“Got home after three hours”
Maybe that’s the issue? Your dog may not be happy to be left so long.

[geekone]

I posted a similar thing on here 3 months ago and got it in the neck for using a crate at all.

We decided (not because of some crate haters in here) to just have him sleep in the kitchen on his bead and that works, he has been happy ever since he just didn’t want to be confined at night anymore. We had 2 wee’s on the floor at the back door but no other issues.

Unless you have a good reason to still use the crate I think that it might be time to collapse it down and put it in the garage.

Sorry crates are great when they are little but if they behave are unnecessary really when they get bigger unless they love and need it and as I discovered not all dogs do.

[Veterinari]

Why does he need to be crated? He’s clearly made the negative connection between being locked in his crate and you leaving him. Is he showing signs of separation anxiety? If so you need to address that ASAP rather than focus on crating

[adaline]

Why do you need to crate him? Can you puppy proof a room and leave him there while you're out?

I wouldn't want to be shut in a box and left on my own for three hours either, so I don't expect my dog to like it.

[CallMeRachel]

Could the time of year (fireworks) possibly be a factor here?

Also, yes that he's possibly associated the crate with being left.

It's important the crate is never used as punishment or as a place only to go to be left.

My pup goes in an open pen to sleep willingly and has door closed at night and also while I'm in the room.

If you need to crate at this stage you'll need to work hard to build positive associations with it. Feed him in it. Sit with him in it etc.

Why not get a Furbo dog cam?

[beachykeen01]

Thanks for all the responses... even the slightly narky ones lol. This is our first dog and when I did the research in to using a crate I dont remember reading that we would eventually stop using it... I was probably overwhelmed in the puppy stage... I just thought he would always use it 😝 but I can see that Charlie has matured somewhat and is pretty trustworthy for the most part so maybe it's time to adapt. His appetite has dropped a little and his breeder says he is probably stopped growing at that crazy puppy rate.

Unfortunately our kitchen / dining / lounge is kinda all one room and I know he'd rather sleep on the couch than his bed 😄 so I might have to put some thought into how we can get him out of our room but not have full access!

He often spends hours alone while my husband works in the study and he's fine with that and behaves fine but he can come and go out the sliding door as he pleases (it's spring in NZ). I am thinking of making the garage his space when we are not home (carpeted, couches for gaming, not used for cars) and put a dog door in so he can come and go. That would solve A Lot of problems 😊

[Alfie190]

I think maybe he has outgrown his crate. I also find putting him in a crate when you are out totally unacceptable, you might only plan to be out for two hours, but what if something happens and you are out for seven hours? He is stuck in a crate.

I think you have made the crate into somewhere he does not like to be. Your need to lock him in a crate, put him outside or in a garage makes me really sad for him.

[BiteyShark]

OP I originally thought we would never stop using the crate especially as the one we bought was massive so space wasn't an issue. However, when BiteyDog started to not want to go into it I just didn't want the battle as it wasn't providing anything more at that time than we could do then with a baby gate (although I appreciate you have open plan which is harder).

Alfie190 the garage sounds like a much nicer space to be left for a few hours than a lot of peoples kitchens so I don't see what the issue is. If he has a door flap which is common outside of the UK then he wouldn't even have to hold his pee.

[beachykeen01]

Alfie -

[beachykeen01]

Ugh sorry fat fingers... the garage is very nice by garage standards, it's our laundry / play room / study / kids tv and gaming space so basically a second lounge / sitting room so dog would be in my kids favourite room in the house I don't think it's worth feeling sorry for him 😆

Honestly up til 2 weeks ago he was just fine with the crate but thinking on it, over last 3mths we've used it less and less during the day as my husband started working from home so it's been far more occasional than it was when my husband worked out of town.

Anyways, now Guy Fawkes has quieted down we shall try him out of our room but with more freedom in the lounge or maybe garage. Just need to figure out best way of transitioning him.

[beachykeen01]

Funny thing is to me keeping him shut up in the house doesn't seem that much kinder than using the crate... he's just going to get cross he can't chase the birds or investigate the veg garden whenever he pleases 😂

[Floralnomad]

I don’t see how being shut indoors able to roam around and sit on the couch is remotely comparable to being shut in a cage .

[adaline]

But if he's shut indoors he still has run of the house - he can go and look out of the window or investigate smells and noises. He has much more freedom and comfort that way.