For the last 3 months that I have had my pup, I have had problems crate training him. He is pretty mild, lives people, however in his crate he gets VIOLANT, attacking the metal bars on the door of the plastic crate, and many times after leaving him for only an hour or so I come back to find that he has tipped the crate over on it's side or upside down trying to escape by clawing at the sides. I have tried EVERYTHING everyone has reccomended to no avail When he knows I am there he just whiles abit, but if I leave the room, or God forbid, leave the apartment, he goes WILD. I have tried giving him treats, feeding him in it, playing going in and right back out games, and so on. it has, however gotten to be a problem. A few weeks ago he broke some claws trying to scratch at the metal bar doors, and recently he has been able to pop off the crate door (don't ask me how), so now I wedge the crate in between heavy boxes so he can't escape. Also, now he has grinded ALL his front teeth down to the gums attacking the metal crate doors. They are all flat lined with the gums and he no longer has any fangs. A friend who owns a pet shop told me that that was tough, he would have to learn then that biting the crate means pain. But the vet is worried that if he did that to his baby teeth, if he doesn't get over that, that he will destroy his adult teeth. he is able to hold his bathroom urges for a VERY long time in the crate, and I was wondering 1) Should I give in for his health and well being 2) Since he is pretty much potty trained at 4 1/2 months, could I go up to a crate that is bigger and wire so he has room to play, or is it still too early, and would that affect him by giving in when he may still have to travel in a crate 3) Should I up his crate time to all the time with the exception for eating and bathroom and 2 hours for walks and play time to try and break his determiniation for being out of the crate, before his adult teeth come in (as he is starting to teeth)?

Hi Jon,

Have you ever tried spraying the inside of the cate door with Bitter Apple Spray, it may deter him from biting on it and injuring his teeth (though my pup loved to lick this stuff). How old is your pup? When my girl was younger she would chew through crates, now she only makes a fuss if she really has to go to the bathroom.

You could try leaving a used t-shirt in the cage with him, just to leave your scent with him. One other thing I would try is covering the cage with a blanket while he is inside and leaving him in there when you are around. I think you should try prolonging his crate time to what you suggested to condition him to it.

Kimberly

I have not tried the apple spray, however, the t-shirt is a complete failure as anything cloth I put in there he rips up by biting and when he went to the bathroom parts of the cloth came out too...

How much exercise does the pup get daily?

Be careful if you decide to cover the crate with a sheet, my dog has pulled things through the side and front wire gating (once she pulled through a thick terry cloth robe, she is a very determined dog :crazy.

Kimberly

Go back to the thread http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=16&Number=137606&Searchpage=1&Main=14683&Words=Still+puppy+crate+problems+AGAIN+Jonathan+Hensley&topic=0&Search=true#Post137606
and make sure you are exercising that pup. You didn't really address that part that I could see anywhere in that thread. You live in an apartment and he probably isn't getting enough exercise. Don't underestimate the importance of exercise for a dog or puppy. It has a way of alleviating a lot of bad behavior because it changes the mental state of the dog. It gives him "a way out" of his mental and physical frustration. It satisfies both body and mind. It's absolutely positively crucial your pup gets enough. I hope you'll address what kind of exercise you're giving him.

That being said, yes, you can go to a bigger wire crate since he's potty trained. One of those enclosed plastic crates would never hold my dog, he's already broken out of one before just by pushing on the door so hard that the pins come right out of their holes. Just make sure on the wire crate that you absolutely latch that gate securely; my dog has gotten out of that type crate by lifting the door with his nose and teeth, so now it's always latched.

So please do address the exercise concerns, Jonathan. It's the most important. Lack of exercise breeds boredom, which is probably the primary cause of a bad behavior. A lot of dogs are bored, some die inside and stay in that mental state the rest of their lives. Other dogs fight for survival, which it sounds like your pup is doing. Survival to them is trying to break the boredom in order to LIVE.

Edited by Sandy Moore (06/07/2007 10:46 AM)
Edit reason: add another sentence