Dog (about a yr old) doesnt want inside crate now??

ezbtr

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Weird, started maybe 2-4 nights ago, she was always good, her and her brother have separate large crates in same room since day one, now as of 3-4 days ago she WON'T go inside? I hosed off crate, washed blankets (now), gonna look under bed there by all for ????, I' dont get it, her 18 mo old brother dog fine and his crate like 5 feet away.
The only thing i can maybe think of is my gf(live together 4 yrs) put her/dog in her crate to punish for something and I told her as soon as I found out 2-3 days ago ,thats dumb, thats theyre haven, had to coax her in there last 2 nights, tonight letting her stay in backyard, plenty water, rinsed crate/cage, an old jacket of mine, temps down to bout 75 tonight (central TX).
She fine rest of time and hangs w/ me and other dog all day/normal
Comments???
 

alldodge

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I think something happened to her while inside the crate.
 

aspeck

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A loud noise? An insect bite? A storm outside? Anything that might have hurt or startled/scared her while she was in the crate? For some reason that is not her comfort zone at this point in time.You will want to do what you can to help her over that fear.
 

southkogs

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This is what I would try: 1) Wash the crate out. If the dog has/had a bed in there that was used by the other dog, buy a new one. 2) Leave the original dog out of the crate for a few days. Don't make them go in. BUT leave the door open and the new bed in there. If the dog goes in on their own ... leave the door open. 3) After a few days, randomly instruct the dog to go in the crate. Close the door. Wait about 30 minutes, and the let the dog out. Rinse and repeat periodically throughout the day for a day or two.

Then try the overnight again.
 

ezbtr

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This is what I would try: 1) Wash the crate out. If the dog has/had a bed in there that was used by the other dog, buy a new one. 2) Leave the original dog out of the crate for a few days. Don't make them go in. BUT leave the door open and the new bed in there. If the dog goes in on their own ... leave the door open. 3) After a few days, randomly instruct the dog to go in the crate. Close the door. Wait about 30 minutes, and the let the dog out. Rinse and repeat periodically throughout the day for a day or two.

Then try the overnight again.

THIS ia EXACTLY what I did and am doing, I also checked all over room, no bugs etc, other dog in his crate there fine, I don't want to let her go inside and out all night, so I let her sleep outside in backyard. They usually put themselves to bed of go when we tell them, geez the other dog 1.5, can read my damn mind, I can just point and boom there he goes, in or out - they are super smart, home with me all day.
 

ezbtr

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Thanks to ALL you guys, yup I thought out same, huge storms, she goes out w/ me in back, she Gold retriever(LOTS) sheperd and BIG she loves getting wet, lightning.
She has a thick fur, I brush her at least once a week, which she LOVES, and I also read do NOT shave your super furry/thick dogs in summer as the layers help them reduce sweat/heat, I'm taking all this in, Thanks again for 17 yrs of fun and advice, beside this issue she is another awesome Sheperd mix parvo/pound survivor
Heinz
 

ezbtr

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Made a step in the right direction!! Had other dog go into his crate, tossed a snack in, closed crate, she saw from other room, then tossed a snack in her newly washed crate, happened to check an hour later(got busy) and she was asleep in her crate after eating snack, on her own!!! Yayy!!!Yeah I know, I 'm a bit attached to our dogs, but hey 18 mos ago kid free first time in 31 years :rolleyes:
Will see how she does tonight!!
 

alldodge

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Sounds great
I have always had 2 dogs, one old and one new. Old one dies and get another pup. The pup helps us get over the old one going, and the pup gets help from the not so old one.

Last one passed a couple years ago and we decided not to get another. Figure when this one goes (13) just maybe we will try traveling, but sure miss the 2 dogs most days. Not sure travel is going to work out
 

ezbtr

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yeah travel can be tough, we just got back from CA for daughters wedding, had to get dog hotel etc, $80 a night!
 

aspeck

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We leave the crate door open ... it is Maggie’s safe place, but if an intruder were to enter the house, she can get out and lick them to death till I get there with a gun! LOL!
 

southkogs

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We crate trained 'em when they were young - mainly while we were house breaking them. We've had a couple over the years who needed to be crated while we were out of the house, but not much more than that. Otherwise they roam as they wish. The lab hangs out wherever the party is. The hound wears a groove in the floor between my daughter's bed to the food dish.
 

82rude

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You may be over analyzing this.Could be simple as she just doesn't feel like crating anymore.The house is the safe place now.Also yes ,shaving a dog like that is a no no .People still do it falsely believing their cooling the dog etc.BALDERDASH!
 

ezbtr

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You may be over analyzing this.Could be simple as she just doesn't feel like crating anymore.The house is the safe place now.Also yes ,shaving a dog like that is a no no .People still do it falsely believing their cooling the dog etc.BALDERDASH!

yup I could be, I worry bout my dogs like my adult kids, lol, well tonight, I tossed a snack in, her brother asleep in his / same room, checked on her an hour a go, she was snoozing away in it :)
 

Old Ironmaker

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We no longer have a dog. I plan on travelling sometime before I die, hopefully not solo. Cats are even worse My girlfriend of 26 plus years gas 2 old kitties, thankfully they are old.

I 1st have to ask as well. Why a crate? That Dog of yours equates the crate as a "punishment" as you said, yep dumb, your girlfriend not the Dog. It has to be a positive thing. When my dog was a puppy treats and her favorite chewy thing was put in the crate before she was house trained which included not chewing anything up less dense than Granite. The crate was kept in the unheated garage, when it was far too cold to keep her in there I had to leave her in the finished basement or let her freeze and miss my brothers wedding. She chewed some things but not everything up including MY the loose throw pillows, the loose couch cushions and MY remotes but not the chairs or sofa. She never chewed anything up for the rest of her life and would never get into a crate for the rest of her life either. Noway nohow I could get her into a crate at the Doggie Hotel. I tried. When these cats are gone I know my lady will get 2 more, I know it. The 1st thing I am going to do is book them into a Kitty Hotel to get them used to it. Either they do or they will run away soon after.

I don't purport myself as a Dog Whisperer but experience tells me I might be right.
 
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alldodge

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Have never used a crate but after research, and seeing them in use my next will be using one.

A crate becomes a safe place for a dog, like their bed, special area. Nothing ever happens bad to them in there, only good stuff. If they Pee in there it gets cleaned up, no muss or fuss. When puppies, they go in to sleep and when owners leave some where. When owners come home they come out get praise and go straight out side to do their business

My previous pups, like all pups like to chew. They like to chew wires, so they chewed the wires on my car trailer 4 times, and the air conditioner thermostat wires once. After the 4 trailer repair I was peev'ed big time. I took an old extension cored and plugged it into a outlet and placed it in the same area of the trailer wires. I came home that evening and there were a couple marks on the wires and Tigger has never looked twice at wires again.

If I had a crate, she may have never chewed on the wires and I would have not gotten peev'ed
 

Old Ironmaker

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Once our Puppy chewed the rec room up once she never did again but never went her crate again ever. I tried once and she snarled at me. That's when we started to call her my wife's dog.

A side note, my pal and his wife got a "FREE" dog from the SPCA. That free mutt cost $750.00 out the door. Free should come wkith one of these things * . I'm sure the price of her needles, de worming,spade and neutering has gone up a bit in 35 years.
 
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