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To Crate Or Not To Crate...

by Cindy
(Tyrone, PA, USA)

Hi. We rescued an Aussie a little over a month ago. He’s a great dog and will go in his crate but will scratch at the crate door and cry excessively as we leave. He may only have to be in his crate once or twice a week, sometimes 3, and it’s never more than 4-5 hrs.

It’s making us feel extremely guilty but we don’t quite trust that he will be ok alone in the house. We tried gating him in the kitchen area once, but he jumped the gate.

Had anyone dealt with this issue that can give us tips?

Comments for To Crate Or Not To Crate...

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Crating issues
by: Anonymous

It took my boy, now 2yrs old, a long time to be comfortable in his crate. I started giving him a frozen Kong full of a mix of kibble, fruit, peanut butter - you can use whatever you like - when I put him in for a few hours during the day. It kept him occupied as we were leaving and made the crate a happy place.
I tried putting him in the crate at night but he would get really agitated after a few hours, so I just gave up on that, and he has been fine out at night. We still crate him when we go out and will until he is 3.

Crate
by: Shaun

Does he sleep in his crate all the time? Our 5 month old loves his crate at night and doesn't mind during the day. Of course he'd rather be out when we're gone, but like you not sure if he can be trusted yet lol.

Fun times
by: Dustin

My gf and I just got our Mini aussie Ahleigh about 2 weeks ago. We tried to crate her the first night, put it right next to our bed. She was good for an hour and then she screamed till I wanted to rip my hair out....after 3 hours of that we put her in bed and she past out instantly. Now she sleeps either in the head board cubby, or right in between us. I leave for work at 2pm and my Gf works till 6 to 8pm during the week. She goes into the kennel and has yet to go potty in it. We usually turn on some music on our google home and she calms right down. When my gf gets home she is usually sleeping. Hope this helps!

Trust your dog
by: Anonymous

I'm not into crate training. Particularly for Aussies, I'm not trying to judge others for their choices, but to me it seems me like a fad. Dogs and people have been living together for 10,000 years without crates. Dogs only need to understand what's expected of them within your pack\family structure.
They will choose their own safe\ calm space in the house.
And schedules are important. They need to know when you're going to be home, and that it is fairly consistent.
That said, puppies will be puppies!

Crating
by: Anonymous

I have pup and I was struggling with the same thing. I thought that I could outlast her wailing. I was wrong. What finally worked for me was this process. I began feeding her in the crate door open. Then after a few days I put her in the crate with the door open and me on the floor blocking her exit with my leg. I would praise her as long as she was quiet. The next night we did the same but when she drifted off I latched the door and progressively moved away until I was on the couch. I spent the night on the couch giving her an uh uh when she whined. The next night I moved the crate to our bedroom and she has been making it through the night ever since with a minimum of whines. I wasn’t sure she was ever going to get but I was very happy when she did. It’s a nice option. Hope this helps.

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