My pup of nearly 9 months is still crated at night but I would ideally like to get her sleeping out of the box without worrying about my room getting trashed. How can I get her sleeping out of the box?
She's also developed a nasty habit of biting my legs when i'm at my desk and smacking or shouting doesn't help. I initially took her outside to play but I think this just rewards her for that behaviour. I've been taking the easy road lately and giving her a few bones to chew on but she tires of them eventually and then leg eating time. I think all the bones are making her want to chew 24/7 and hence not helping with biting me?
Melissa Thom Webboard User Reg: 12-04-2007
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My first thought is it's way way way too early for this expectation. Alot of us never stop crating, and in my own case out of the six dogs I own only two are not crated routinely at night because they're past the age of chewing cables, counter surfing, shredding newspaper, and are very well behaved housedogs.
I would wait until your dog is at the point of the long stay if you're committed to having her outside of the crate at night. Try to get her to stay on a dog bed or rug for a few minutes and extend it out.
She's also developed a nasty habit of biting my legs when i'm at my desk and smacking or shouting doesn't help. I initially took her outside to play but I think this just rewards her for that behaviour. I've been taking the easy road lately and giving her a few bones to chew on but she tires of them eventually and then leg eating time. I think all the bones are making her want to chew 24/7 and hence not helping with biting me?
aren't you going to do sport with this dog? i'm completely new to this, and hopefully more experienced people will weigh in, but if you are, i wouldn't smack or shout (and even if you aren't, i don't think smacking would be helpful, unless i'm misunderstanding) - but i would redirect. keep biting fun do you keep a tug or rag with you that you can direct your pup onto when she bites? my pup is only 5 months, so i can't say, but even at 9 months that just sounds like puppy behaviour to me. everything i've been told here and by our FR trainer is to teach the pup that biting is positive and fun, even though it means redirection and not teaching bite inhibition or going 'oww!' from what i can tell, scratches, nicks, and bites are part of raising a sport puppy
eta: when my pup gets overstimulated to the point his direction onto the rag or tug is....poor, i will put him in his crate so that he can calm down. i do make sure to make the crate a positive place for him so it's not like he's being 'punished' going in there.
Cameron Feathers Webboard User Reg: 03-11-2008
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Why would you want to wean her off of something that gives you "quiet time" and gives her a place of her own? Most dogs actually prefer to be in the crate - it provides security. Take that away from her, and she will probably try to "re-create" a den environment in your house. (Like under a coffee table, in a cubby hole of a desk, under the bed/couch, etc.)
When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
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Weaning dog out of crate and off legs?
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do you keep a tug or rag with you that you can direct your pup onto when she bites? my pup is only 5 months, so i can't say, but even at 9 months that just sounds like puppy behaviour to me. everything i've been told here and by our FR trainer is to teach the pup that biting is positive and fun, even though it means redirection and not teaching bite inhibition or going 'oww!' from what i can tell, scratches, nicks, and bites are part of raising a sport puppy 
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