[lucky8926]

Tyson is 12 weeks old and gets crated when I leave for work until my girlfriend gets home which is usually about 3 1/2 hours. We have had him for 4 weeks now and he still cries when I put him in there and she says sometimes he is crying when she gets home. That is the only time he is in there. He sleeps with us, bad I know but he barked 2-3 hours straight for the first week we had him and couldn't take it anymore.  He definitely doesn't mind pooping in his crate and being in there with it, sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose because he's mad we put him in there. We've left him in the kitchen and put gates up and he will have an accident sometimes. I want to get him used to the crate just in case we go somewhere and can't let him roam free or need to crate him at our house for some reason. On the weekends he doesn't  get put in his crate since one of us is usually home (our weekend are 3 days long sat-mon) I tried all the recommendations. Covered the crate, put a ticking clock next to it, put a worn shirt in there, hot water bottle (the rubber kind) in the cage. We recently removed the divider to see if that helps since having it in there didn't stop him from messing in his crate. Maybe he just felt confined an needed a little more room...

 

[sully]

Sounds familiar!  Oggie had bad separation anxiety for a while, he absolutely would not stand for the crate.  He pooped all over it and just went berzerk.  I ended up started leaving him out of the crate and he was better behaved!  But as he got bigger he did start to chew on some stuff.  So he's back to the crate, and while he has tried to poop in the crate, I didn't give in this time and he's progressing nicely.  I do believe it can be a mechanism to get out of the crating.  Dogs do what works for them, and if they find out they can get their way by misbehaving, they will keep doing it!  Just don't give in.  12 weeks is very young so I do think if you stick with it you will see progress.  Believe me, it will save headaches in the future if you get him crate trained now.  It only gets harder as they get older.

 

[CrazieKC]

Try feeding him in his kennel. That way they associate the kennel with something they like...food.

 

[Bryan-Melissa]

or giving treats for going in on their own, that has slowly worked for us.

 

[borisv1203]

Also try leaving the tv or a radio on when you are gone. When we first started crating Misty she would just go nuts in her crate, but then someone suggested to leave a radio or tv on and from that moment on she really came down.

 

[BOXERBOYS]

Mine is doing better in his crate now he is 10 weeks.
I always feed him in there and he always gets his kong with the peanut butter in his crate.
He still cries a little when i get up i the middle of the night and take him out side to go potty, when I put him back in and go back to bed he cries for 5 mins and thens gives up and goes to sleep.
I can only suggest keep the good work he will get used to it.

 

[JeepKuntry]

Both ours have been crate trained since the beginning.  One bit of advice is to use a crate that is for all stages, so you can dictate how much space your pup has.  I doubt he's laying in his poop.  Also, Sadie I could hear Sadie whining from outside the house when I left.  I would hear her bark when I returned.  I'm a firm believer in they know when your home, they hear the car door shut, garage open, etc.  Your boy isn't crying the entire time your gone.  More than likely he wimpers for 5 minutes or so, then sleeps.

 

[sully]

My dog did lay in his poop...it got all over him, the cage, all over the floors, the walls.  No joke.  And he would bark non-stop for hours.  You can ask my neighbors   :lol:

And he had no interest in kongs, food, toys, or anything while in the crate.  Yes it's an extreme case of anxiety, but it does happen.  I think at 12 weeks though it's too early to make any judgement since all puppies can exhibit some separation anxiety.

 

[samsonsmom]

I have to agree with Sully, at that age Tyson is still a baby and the more you give in now the harder it will be as he gets older..Feeding him in his crate might not be a bad idea, also on the w/ends when you are home, work with him, play games involving his crate so he won't think it's such a terrible thing....

 

[JessiesMom]

Jessie is almost 2 and she just recently got used to her crate.  Maggie will never get used to her crate with out serious professional training.

 

[lucky8926]

Well here is the update. When my girlfriend came home today she found a cage with poop smeared all over the cage floor and on Tyson. He had the whole cage (and it's a big cage, the biggest one I could find) and he still managed to poop and get in it..... :aua:  I think part of the problem is he is a very cuddly dog, he alway has to be right there with us touching us at all times. If he is on the floor, his head is resting on a foot, if I roll over in bed he will scoot over until he is right next to me. Is that separation anxiety??

He is fed in his cage, but he dislikes it in there so much he won't put his whole body in it, he will be half in and half out when he eats. It's like he thinks if he goes in there the door will close and he will be stuck in there.

I turn my itunes on when I leave so he has some noise. I even made a "soothing playlist" to play for him. LOL :yes:

 

[ZaraBoxie]

I had never heard of crate training until I came to this site or one like it and it has been the best thing ever so I love to vouch for it when I get half a chance.  There are heaps of good threads on it here but remember whatever hardships you have to go through, the outcome of having your dog safe is worth it.  I think that allowing your dog (and this opinion will vary from person to person) to sleep with you will make it harder for you to crate train.  If your boxer knows at night that the crate is his den and place to rest, it will make daytime crating easier and it will train him to hold on for longer periods of time.  Zara did the puppy howling/barking thing at night but she soon stopped when we banged on the top of her box and then after waiting we affirmed her with a "good quiet".  Probably it took four nights of getting up and reinforcing this (during the middle of the night we would let her out for potty) and we have never heard anything out of her since.  Now we just have to mention "in your box" and away she goes and half the time she takes herself off to bed.  Anyway there is heaps of info on it so read up and good luck.

 

[SummerLuv]

I only had a few issues crate training my three. Its weird because ****** will go in on his own just to lay down but the minute you close that door on him he starts crying. Molly will go running in there all by herself and I didnt really train her to do it. I think Summer may have been crate trained before I got her. But if they see me (If I have to crate them so I can get some cleaning done) They all start getting mad because they have to be put away for a while.
It has gotten better.

 

[lucky8926]

He does really well when we gate him in the kitchen, but we still want him to get used to his cage just in case we need to put him in there he won't be barking for hours. I guess I need to make it a more positive place.

 

[Donya]

i give Maverick a treat when he goes in there himself...when he tries to get smart with me i just tell him in a firm but even tone...time to lay down..or get in the cage please sir and he goes inside and sits down waiting for his treat...it takes time until they get that light bulb moment where they say oh if i go inside i will get something good and they will come back for me...give it time he is still really young.