When I reach for my dog's collar to put him in the crate, he tries to bite me. I think this is because of hatred for his crate. Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce his hatred for his crate?

Dear Cindy,

I hope this email finds you well. I am inquiring on the concept of full crate submission. I recently adopted a 3 y.o cattle dog mix this past April. He has come a long way with his training but still has a long way to go.

Every morning before class, he gets fed and we go on a 25 minute walk. When we get back, I make breakfast for myself and watch some TV before class. Right before I leave for class he gets put in his crate. Because of this routine, he knows when he will be put in the crate. Often, shortly before I put him in his crate, he will go over to his bed, in the corner of my room beside his crate, and lie down.

I have not been able to get him to enter his crate on command, so whenever I want to put him in his crate I must walk him over to the crate and then he will walk in. He knows when he is going into his crate and every time I reach for his collar in the morning (only while he is lying on his bed) to put him in the crate, he tries to bite me. He will lay on his back, show his teeth, and strike at my hand with his mouth when I try to reach his collar. I still manage to get his collar and have tried to discipline him when he does it but the behavior continues. I think it stems from his hatred for his crate. Once he walks into his crate, he turns around and lies down.

He has been crated almost every day since I got him last April.

Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce his hatred for his crate?

Thanks,
Jeremy