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The best way to crate train is to expose them to the crate and let them get comfortable with it as their own space. When we first crate trained Abby Béla and I fought over the best way to do it..he wanted to take the shove her in and close the door approach which upset her a great deal. She must have cried for a couple hours straight that night.
I made a deal with him after listening to her cry that if I couldn't crate train her my way that we'd use his way, he agreed and I let her out.
The next day I moved the crate to a busy room of the house (living room). I took the blankets, toys and such she had been using and put them in there. I also put the shirt I had worn the previous day in there so that she would begin to equate mommy with crate. I left the crate door open and let her explore the crate freely, sniffing, going in and out, etc for most of that day.
That night I moved the crate from the living room to the bedroom and left the door open, allowing her to fall asleep on the bed. The next day I found her sleeping in her crate when I woke up.
I moved the crate back to the living room and whenever she would go in there on her own I'd shut the door for short periods of time. The first time I closed it and opened it right away then praised her. I did this a couple times allowing her to hear and see me before I closed it and walked out of sight. She was fine and eventually the amount of time I left her increased until finally I would close her in and go outside for a bit.
That night I dragged the crate back to the bedroom and she sleep the whole night through, door closed in her crate. We kept the crate in the bedroom for many months.....more for me than her, lol. but eventually moved it to another room. Whenever we would go out we would crate her and she'd be fine.
We never came home to temper tantrums or pee/poop fits, and she never again cried at going to her crate so I think I did a good job
:lol2:
I made a deal with him after listening to her cry that if I couldn't crate train her my way that we'd use his way, he agreed and I let her out.
The next day I moved the crate to a busy room of the house (living room). I took the blankets, toys and such she had been using and put them in there. I also put the shirt I had worn the previous day in there so that she would begin to equate mommy with crate. I left the crate door open and let her explore the crate freely, sniffing, going in and out, etc for most of that day.
That night I moved the crate from the living room to the bedroom and left the door open, allowing her to fall asleep on the bed. The next day I found her sleeping in her crate when I woke up.
I moved the crate back to the living room and whenever she would go in there on her own I'd shut the door for short periods of time. The first time I closed it and opened it right away then praised her. I did this a couple times allowing her to hear and see me before I closed it and walked out of sight. She was fine and eventually the amount of time I left her increased until finally I would close her in and go outside for a bit.
That night I dragged the crate back to the bedroom and she sleep the whole night through, door closed in her crate. We kept the crate in the bedroom for many months.....more for me than her, lol. but eventually moved it to another room. Whenever we would go out we would crate her and she'd be fine.
We never came home to temper tantrums or pee/poop fits, and she never again cried at going to her crate so I think I did a good job
:lol2:
