Looking for suggestions on crate training our boxer, Danika, who is 1 1/2 yrs old who we adopted from humane society about a week ago. She will go into the crate with treats and will stay in the crate when we are in the room with her. She does not go into the crate on her own. Will sleep on bed during the day. Last night was the first time we had her sleep in the crate all night and she did not whine or cry. We have tried leaving her alone while in the cage for about 15 minutes at a time and she goes crazy. Danika has been through alot these past weeks - spending almost 2 weeks at the humane society. The day we adopted her we could not bring her home with us- the humane society sent her to a vet to get spayed and the next day we picked her up from the vet - in stitches. The humane society said she is a very timid dog and felt the previous owners did not treat her well. Danika was housebroken. She doesn't know commands.
Is it possible to crate 1 1/2 yr old?
- Thread starter renzo
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caruse
Boxer Insane
lucky dog
The poor baby!...I don't have much experience as Laila has been with us only 2 weeks and is only 10 weeks old...I would think you would have to be very loving and caring..get him to trust you and start slowly to train her with commands ect...maybe dog socialization and classes might be good...but I know there must be people here with more experience than me...I am probably not the best to give advice but I think he is a lucky dog to have been adopted by you both!...Barbara
The poor baby!...I don't have much experience as Laila has been with us only 2 weeks and is only 10 weeks old...I would think you would have to be very loving and caring..get him to trust you and start slowly to train her with commands ect...maybe dog socialization and classes might be good...but I know there must be people here with more experience than me...I am probably not the best to give advice but I think he is a lucky dog to have been adopted by you both!...Barbara
drewkins
Boxer Buddy
You say that you try to crate her for 15 minutes, and she goes crazy. What exactly is crazy?
If by crazy you mean she is howling, and barking, this is pretty normal behavior during this adjustment period.
When you are home try doing frequent stays in the crate, with the door shut but you in the room, slowly leave for more and more time, treating and praising when she has been quiet. I also find a radio left on is helpful. I also use one consistent phrase when I leave, "Love you, be back" I would hope that my woof starts to learn that I always say this and I ALWAYS come back.
I have also been known to spend some time in the crate myself
If by crazy you mean she is howling, and barking, this is pretty normal behavior during this adjustment period.
When you are home try doing frequent stays in the crate, with the door shut but you in the room, slowly leave for more and more time, treating and praising when she has been quiet. I also find a radio left on is helpful. I also use one consistent phrase when I leave, "Love you, be back" I would hope that my woof starts to learn that I always say this and I ALWAYS come back.
I have also been known to spend some time in the crate myself
meliss&kash
Boxer Booster
I'd say in general it's definitely possible to crate an older dog, but given that she's a rescue and you don't know much about her, she may have some aversion to the crate from bad experiences. What exactly does she do in the crate? If it's just barking, or whining, I'd say you can definitely work on it. Give her treats to go in, a stuffed kong to keep her occupied, and gradually build up the time she spends in there. If she's flailing herself around and is in danger of hurting herself, I'd try gating her in a small room where there's not much she can get into. Unless of course she's a perfect angel when you're not home... in which case you could leave her loose! Another idea is to try something that'll calm her down, like Rescue remedy or a bit of lavender oil on the back of her neck (i have it in a spray bottle).
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