# problems with crating.



## noice (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a 2 year old female that has been crated since we got her at 8 weeks old. The last 3-4 week she has been acting strange when we crate her. Whining, crying, pawing at the crate. The behavior has gradually gotten worse. She actually broke the bars on a metal crate on Thursday and on Friday, we changed her back to a plastic crate. We returned from a funeral on Friday to find her covered in blood inside her crate. Trip to vet found nothing wrong, no broken teeth of toenails. He thinks she may have either bloodied her nose or bitten her mouth somehow. I need to find out what to do. She has always been crated as have our two males and it hasn't been a problem. They are only crated about 4-5 hours at a time as my husband comes home from work at lunch time and lets them all out. I get home around 4-5 and they stay out the rest of the day and night and are crated again when we leave for work in the morning. Can anyone help??? I don't understand why she would have this reaction when she has always been crated...


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Noice, I assume you have her conditioned to going in on her own. Here is an article that might help. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/errorless-housetraining


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## iluvhavs (Jul 21, 2008)

Is she is in a very hot and stuffy area now? Sounds as though something has her frightened or troubled badly. How about moving back to a larger wire kennel? The plastic ones can be so confining.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

WOW. Deja vu.

This happened to me almost exactly. Gucci would go NUTS in the crate and I was doing everything by the book and just like the trainers recommended and then we went out to dinner with friends and I came home to a neurotically panicked dog covered in blood from trying to escape the crate and I was HORRIFIED.

That was the last time she was ever in a crate, I invested in a larger xpen and set that up, that seemed to work a LITTLE better, but she would still panic and have separation anxiety issues...

I think part of it is intrinsic because they are companion dogs and don't like to be left alone but then some (like my Gucci) take that to the extreme and cries if I don't let her follow me to the bathroom, lol

I"m sorry I don't have an answer that really helps, but switching to the xpen did help and then I would leave her with free roam for short periods building up and she sits at the front door the whole time and waits for me and has never destroyed anything or given me any reason to restrict her access to the house, once I gave her full roam of the house is when she stopped freaking out when we'd leave.

Kara


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Could there be a sharp edge in the crate some place that her and she remembers it and fears it?


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## Lynn (Jan 2, 2007)

it is strange...I think she is trying to tell you something though. Could she have a bladder infection? Maybe have a vet check up. If she has been in a crate since she was 8wks old and is two now, seems like she would not be having these problems.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

1) Something has happened to scare her. Think back to what this could have been, bug bite, static shock, other dog aggression or needing to go. One of my Boxers would never stay quietly in her crate after having a bout of diarrhea. 

2) And/or she has been let out when she is in this state of mind. Dogs learn with what works. It is amazing how long it takes to teach them what you want but only one time for them to learn what works to get what they want.

Good luck and please keep us posted.


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## noice (Apr 21, 2010)

She has always gone in her crate on her own. We are trying letting her roam during the day. 1-2 hour test on Sunday worked okay. The really strange thing is that this happens, then a while later she will go over to her kennel and lay down all on her own and be just fine. The vet checked her out and found nothing wrong, but put her on some vitamin K and cortisone. There was lots of blood in the incident on Friday, and he said this would help. Thank you all for your input. We just cannot figure out what changed that she reacts this way. Hopefully we will be able to let her just roam the house while we are at work.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I agree that it is some intense fear, I guess I just was overwhelmed wiht worry that it would happen again and went to the ex pen.

I know with Gucci, she cut her ear and her paws/pads trying to scratch her way out 

But she had *never* liked the crate, so maybe there is a better chance for you to work this out since crating had been successful before (?)

Kara


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## iluvhavs (Jul 21, 2008)

I agree with kara. I never liked the confinement of the crates and used an x-pen instead. I used to leave the wire kennel inside the x-pen area with the door always open. They would go in to sleep, with the door open. 

Once they were housetrained, we removed the x-pen and they had the run of the house. The kennels are there, with doors open, and they do sleep in them (when we're not home). They are allowed to roam around wherever they want while we're out. I don't think they do much of anything when we're not around. I have a feeling they sit in the kitchen, by the door to the garage and wait for us to come back through it.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I would have to agree, whatever the intense fear had to be, if you're able to give her free roam or have her in an ex pen instead, it would help. I can't imagine the terror they have to be feeling when they try so desperately to claw their way out.

Good luck with it. I hope she continues to do well with her exposure to the house.


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