My dog has decided she doesn't want to sleep in her crate!

lorihmatthews

lorihmatthews

A taste for the arts
O.G.
Oct 7, 2006
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#1
My little Pup Zoe can be a little headstrong sometimes. Our nighttime routine is that we go for a walk, and then she heads into her crate (I call it her "house"). She gets a cookie and goes to sleep. Easy, right?

Last night she made such a fuss when she was in her crate. I thought she was sick or something. I heard her from down the hall and I let her out. When I tried to put her back in the crate she wiggled away and hid under the couch, where I couldn't get her. I had to leave her out all night. When I woke up in the morning, there was a mess on the carpet.

Tonight it's more of the same. We came back from our nightly walk and instead of going into her "house" she went and hid under the couch.

I don't want her to think of her crate as punishment, up until now it's been her safe place. She even naps in there, she loves it so much. Why the change of heart over the past few days?

Here's my pup in her little bed, next to her "house."

Zoebed030610.jpg
 
#2
You are going to have to be strong and just make her do what she is supposed to do. Keep her on leash when you bring her back in the house, give her the treat and lead her into her crate and leave her there. I would say try and see if she can be out of the crate but if you woke up to a mess you would have to spend some time night time potty training her if you want to let her out. Just remember you are the boss and this is not punishment it is just the way things are done. Don't make a big deal out of it just do as you have always done even if you have to give her a little push to get her in there. She will settle down and get back to her routine.
 
#3
I don't have any words of wisdom. I didn't crate train:shame:, but I will my next fur baby. I just had to say that your baby's face is just too sweet! OMG, I couldn't say no to that precious face. :love:
 
#4
OMG Lori - she is adorable!!! I love the look on her face in that picture.

Second, all my dogs are crate trained. My youngest lab will get in moods when he doesn't want to be in his crate at night, this is when he wants me to wash his blankets and bed cover - I am not kidding! I always know when he wants the "out of the dryer" smell. When was the last time you washed her bed cover, blankets?

Also, as "romantic" as it is, all 3 of our dogs' crates are in the master bedroom with us - the dogs consider us part of their pack, if they can't see us/hear us before bed they get very upset. Will you consider putting her crate in the Master?

Lastly, is is possible she has a bladder infection? Perhaps this is why she doesn't want to go in the crate, because she already soiled in there nights ago, or is afraid she will and won't be able to get out?

Just some things for you to consider!
 
#5
Aww, little Zoe!! Gosh, don't know why the sudden change. Maybe something scared or startled her that first night she cried?? The bad thing is that she may have learned in the past couple days that if she makes a fuss in her house, you will let her out. Or if she hides under the sofa, you will let her stay there.

Agree with Cindi...keep her on her leash and put her in her house at night.

Try putting her in her house for short periods of time occasionally throughout the day. Make sure she has a few toys that she likes. Only let her out if she is calm and quiet, and reward her with a cookie. She has to learn if she barks or cries in her house, she will not be let out.

Maddie was crate trained, and I still put her in her crate occasionally...or when I go out on errands. Have you thought about having her crate in your bedroom? We have two crates for Maddie, one in the family room, and one in the bedroom.

Let us know how she's doing!
 
#7
Loganz said:
OMG Lori - she is adorable!!! I love the look on her face in that picture.

Second, all my dogs are crate trained. My youngest lab will get in moods when he doesn't want to be in his crate at night, this is when he wants me to wash his blankets and bed cover - I am not kidding! I always know when he wants the "out of the dryer" smell. When was the last time you washed her bed cover, blankets?

Lastly, is is possible she has a bladder infection? Perhaps this is why she doesn't want to go in the crate, because she already soiled in there nights ago, or is afraid she will and won't be able to get out?

Just some things for you to consider!
Click to expand...

My little Daphnie is a stickler when it comes to her "room". We use to keep a towel in there for her as she liked a little softness. One day she just stopped wanting to go in there. When I was "pushing" her in I smelt ammonia. She had an accident on the towel the night before and wanted me to clean it. When we had the towels in there she would let us know when they were getting gross.

About two months ago we had to take the towel out because it was making her break out (She cannot deal with the textures). She never really liked to go into her room after that. I went to PetSmart about a week ago and got an actual bed for her that is antimicrobial and fake velvet (a texture she can have). Now she loves going into her room and is extra excited when we show her a treat.
 
#8
our pom reggie is similar. when he was younger, there were times he'd bark and dig at his crate simply because he didn't want to sleep in it. there were many nights i'd have to sleep on the sofa and let him sleep in the living room just so he wouldn't whine all night and wake up other people. now at night, he loves sleeping underneath the dining room table but we don't like leaving him downstairs all night by himself so we end up having to chase him and catch him (it's like wrangling a frickin pig). he does love his crate and naps their willingly and once we catch him, he's fine with going to sleep in his crate. but it puts him at ease that i have his crate positioned so he can always see me, and i always give him a treat and let him bring a toy into his crate. he never even plays with the toy at night, i think it's more of a comfort item for him.
 
#9
What a cutie Lori~! You've got some great advice here!.. Only suggestion I could make.. is a combo of what the others have already said. :smile: Wash her blankets & move the crate to the bedroom (if its an option for yah) and stick to your guns when it's bed time for her, and reward her when she's in the crate (maybe throw in a chew toy to keep her occupied)

Best of luck, keep us updated with tonight's progress~!
 
#10
Thanks for the replies everyone! The one thing I can think of is that she did walk with a group on Monday instead of solo -- this is new for her. She has fear/aggression with other dogs, probably a result of being a stray. (I adopted her from Animal Control.) So maybe she's stressed out about walking with a group?

I know she's not sick, I just had her urine tested by the vet and everything is OK.

And ... her bed cover was just washed last week! She won't pee/poop in her "house," just on the carpet in the living room.

I'm waiting to hear back from the trainer to see what she says.
 
#11
Your dog looks so cute. Can someone please explain why, especially in the U.S. you are so in to crates???? I have had dogs all my life, Rosie is nearly 12 years and has never been in a crate. The breeder I purchased her from completely disagrees with them (with the exception of when dogs are at shows i.e. Crufts and even then she keeps it to a minimum). She questions all prospective owners (very subtlety) about everything from dietary to how long you are out on an average day, one of the questions she asked me was how I felt about crate training. If she did not think that you were willing to put the hours into training your dog and obviously expecting accidents (especially at night) she would politely state that she did not think her puppies were right for you and you would not be invited to even view the puppies. Is this so wrong, are they not part of our families. These puppies are frighten, away from there mum, brothers and sisters but for some strange reason a lot of people seem to think you should just be able to bring them home, put them into a crate all night and expect the animal to be happy!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#12
^ rosie - your dog is beautiful.

Dogs like dens. My dogs are ONLY in their crates to sleep. They are not crated during the day, ever. My dogs like their crates at night, each of my dogs is 100 pounds, I can't have 300 extra pounds on the bed at night.

Also - My dogs are my children, there is no way I would have them be my alarm system, that is what ADT is for. My dogs are safe in their crates at night, they have mattresses with foam and memory foam, blankets and a "human" feather pillow.

Trust me, they are not unhappy sleeping in their dens; in fact, when Dh has been on vacation I have left the crate doors open and they have opted to be in their crates instead of on the bed.
 
#13
a friend of mine just told me that her and her husband got a puppy. i said "i hope your kitties like her!" and she said "they will never meet her, she will live in the garage. she has a hay bed and a heat lap. she was born to live outdoors!" that made me so sad. why get a dog just to make it live outdoors and not be part of your family? i don't get it.


and re:crates - there are studies that show that dogs do love sleeping in closed confined spaces (what studies, i have no idea, just what i've been told by a friend who owns dogs - when i asked why they didn't get their dog a bigger crate when it was a puppy)
 
#14
rosie50 said:
Your dog looks so cute. Can someone please explain why, especially in the U.S. you are so in to crates???? I have had dogs all my life, Rosie is nearly 12 years and has never been in a crate. The breeder I purchased her from completely disagrees with them (with the exception of when dogs are at shows i.e. Crufts and even then she keeps it to a minimum). She questions all prospective owners (very subtlety) about everything from dietary to how long you are out on an average day, one of the questions she asked me was how I felt about crate training. If she did not think that you were willing to put the hours into training your dog and obviously expecting accidents (especially at night) she would politely state that she did not think her puppies were right for you and you would not be invited to even view the puppies. Is this so wrong, are they not part of our families. These puppies are frighten, away from there mum, brothers and sisters but for some strange reason a lot of people seem to think you should just be able to bring them home, put them into a crate all night and expect the animal to be happy!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

You beat me to it. If the dog is only in there because it loves it so much, why do the crates have to be shut or locked?
I've never personally known anyone who crated their dog, except people who brought them to work and did it when they briefly had to leave their office.
Our dog has dog beds under our bed that he sometimes sleeps in, other times he sleeps on his bed downstairs and he has never ever peed in the house or woken us up unless he is ill and he doesn't come jump on the bed etc. We did have a canvas crate for camping, and he liked to go in there for a few months to sleep, but the flap was never closed and he chose to go in or not. Unless they need to go on a plane, I don't understand the point of crates, nor will I ever believe it is neccessary for dogs or good for them.
 
#15
Everyone -- thanks for your comments. Allow me to address the crating concerns.

I adopted my little Zoe from an animal shelter. If she wasn't adopted she would have been euthanized. She was picked up as a stray, so I don't have any history on her. All I know is that she was about 4 years old when I took her home last May.

She does have fear/aggression issues, and I am working with a dog walker and a trainer to help her overcome them. When I adopted her, the shelter told me she was house trained (which she really isn't) and they never mentioned that she had aggression/fear issues with other dogs. Many people would have turned around and returned her to the shelter. But I felt that she is my responsibility and I am doing the best I can to help her.

Since she was not house trained, I was advised by a respected dog trainer to keep her in a crate at night so she would learn not to pee/poop in the house. She has gotten better but not perfect yet. I do not have a backyard so I cannot let her out without taking her on a walk. Currently she goes out in the morning before I go to work, the dog walker takes her out mid-afternoon and I take her out again at night.

I do appreciate everyone's concerns, and I want to let you know that I am doing what I have been advised to do by several professionals. I would never mistreat an animal, and since Zoe is a "special needs" pup these are the steps I am taking upon advisement.
 
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