# Sudden aversion to sleeping in crate



## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

Oreo is now 18 months old, and has slept in his crate at night his whole life. He has suddenly developed an aversion to it. He used to walk willingly to it when I told him it was time to go nite nite, and now I have to forcibly put him in there. Until last night, once he was in, he calmed down and went to sleep. Last night he went bonkers, barking like crazy and clawing at the gate. He eventually calmed down and went to sleep, but was barking again at 6:00 a.m.. When I finally went in to let him out between barking fits, I found that he had managed to move the crate 90 degrees from all his commotion. It was not a case of needing to go to the bathroom, I had taken him out and he had eliminated right before I put him in, and he wasn't even in a hurry to go out when I got him out this morning...he just wanted to run and play. 
Oreo has always been a light sleeper. In the beginning we had the crate in the bedroom, but every time we would cough, roll over, or get up to go to the bathroom, he would start barking to get out. We moved the crate to the laundry room across the hall from our bedroom after a few weeks, and put a white noise machine in there with him. He has for the most part slept fine in there, except for being a bit more of an early riser than we'd prefer, or if one of us got up and walked past the door to go get water during the night or something. We learned we had to tip toe and sneak past his door. 
I think one thing that may have led to the problem is that when he goes to our pet sitter, she lets him sleep in the bed with her and her 2 Bichons. However, this crate aversion did not start until the last week or so, and he had not been to her house in quite a while. There is no way that my husband will ever let him sleep in our bed, so that is not an option. (It also wouldn't be safe as our bed is very high).
This is a very critical time to get this resolved, because our daughter and her 8 week old baby will be coming for Christmas, and they are already sleep deprived. I am even thinking about sending him to the pet sitter while they are here, but I will be sad and feel guilty not having him here for Christmas. 
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!!


----------



## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

Since he is potty trained and is old enough to hold his bladder, you might try giving him a nice 100% cotton sheet to sleep on under your night stand. Don't allow him on the bed. Havanese can be fearful if isolated. Tux has adapted quite nicely to sleeping under a bench on a sheet near our bed. We can get up in the middle of the night and he stays on his "bed". At first he would follow us to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but now he knows the routine. I can even turn on the TV in the middle of the night if I wake up and am having trouble getting back to sleep. Tux ignores it.

I never acquiesced to any sad little whimpers if he wanted us to get up when he was ready and we weren't. He knows that its entirely up to us what the schedule is.

The first few nights you try this, ignore Oreo if he jumps around the bed. Just tell him nicely to go night night, and back to bed or whatever he understands. DON'T get up or he will learn pronto how to get you out of bed!!!! You may find he is quite happy to be near you and uncrated. Good luck.


----------



## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I think you need to tell your pet sitter what his bedtime routine is and not to let him in her bed. My sister in law watched my Bichon once and let her sleep in bed with her while I was gone. She was never good for me in her crate at bedtime after that and I finally gave in to having her in my bed. If he continues to cause a ruckus about being in the crate at night maybe you could try leaving the crate door open and gate him in the laundry room so he has a little more freedom but is not in your bed. Good luck.


----------



## Cmward (Jun 28, 2017)

Molly120213 said:


> I think you need to tell your pet sitter what his bedtime routine is and not to let him in her bed. My sister in law watched my Bichon once and let her sleep in bed with her while I was gone. She was never good for me in her crate at bedtime after that and I finally gave in to having her in my bed. If he continues to cause a ruckus about being in the crate at night maybe you could try leaving the crate door open and gate him in the laundry room so he has a little more freedom but is not in your bed. Good luck.


Hahaha, my H and I made that mistake early on with our first Hav. Once he had a taste of the bed he was not going back to a crate or bed on the floor lol. We upgraded to a king size because he could be a bed hog when he wanted to be. He started out curled up in a little ball up between our head and then splayed out on his back sideways hogging an incredible amount of room.


----------



## abi38 (Mar 23, 2017)

When mine were young we started with them sleeping in crates in bedroom. I'd put the crate right next to where I sleep. When they start to whimper (not for pottying) I'd just reach down and bang on the crate and shush them. Loud enough to startle them and not enough to wake my husband up. Now their crate are at the end of the bed and they don't make much noise unless something is wrong.

I do let them in my bed a night or so a month, usually right after baths. I guess it is rare enough that they are willing to return to crate sleeping without complaints. Especially Zelda is really staying there in her own will, she can unzip her crate if she wants to. Although once in a while she'd sit by the bed looking at me asking if she can go up.


----------



## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

Thanks for the responses, but I came to a realization of the likely cause of the sudden objection to the crate, and it was not having slept in the bed with the sitter. When I picked him up from the groomer 10 days ago, she told me that one of his paws was red, probably from pawing at the crate, she wasn't sure if it was from home or happened while he was there. At the time, I recall thinking that it must have been there because he had never pawed at his crate at home. I had taken him where he has always gone, but there was a new groomer this time, and rather than the usual 2 hours, she was just starting to trim him when I went back 3 hours later. The usual groomer never left him in a crate more than a few minutes while she was waiting for me to come pick him up after she had called to say she was finished, and she didn't book other dogs for the same time slot. This time, I had not gotten a call, and it had been almost 3 hours, so I just headed over there, and found her just starting his haircut. Additionally there was a second groomer working that day, so there were other dogs back there at the same time. It is only logical that in 3 hours, he was in a crate for a long time, and was probably going bonkers in it over the other dogs. Needless to say, I won't be using that groomer again.
The timing coincides perfectly to when he started showing resistance going into his crate at night. Over the course of a week, it increased from resistance to totally freaking out. When I put him in his crate last night, he started pawing and going nuts again, so I let him out and took him to his play pen in the kitchen, and he walked right in and got on his bed. I didn't hear a peep out of him until after I got up this morning. My desk is in my kitchen, so he voluntarily spends a lot of time in the playpen (with the door open) while I am working. Since he is happy in his pen, I guess that will just be both his day and night spot from now on. We had only been using the crate to keep him used to it in case we wanted to take him with us when we travel.


----------



## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Sorry to hear he had that experience at the groomer's. It does seem like it would be handy to have him enjoy his crate. I confess, however, that Shama's crate always has the door open when she's in her pen (2x6). She rotates from her crate to her fluffy bed to her alley between the crate and the side of the pen. The only time she's in a crate with the door closed is in the car and at agility training.


----------



## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

It's a shame that one unfortunate incident can mar them for a long time if not for life. Dog's have long memories when it comes to self preservation. You might check into a mobile groomer who will come to your residence in a van outfitted with grooming equipment. I have not used one but have talked to lots of people who swear it is the answer for them.


----------



## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

That's a shame. However, if I were you I would try to get him back to being used to the crate. Would his crate fit in his pen - could you put it in there with the door open so that he doesn't see it as an evil place? Then perhaps you can gradually work him back to being ok with the door closed? If you travel, if someone else has to watch him or if he has to stay at the vet overnight he will need to be crated and it's probably better if he gets used to it in a non-stressful time rather than when it's a necessity.


----------



## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

I do want to try to reintroduce him to his crate, but thought I would give him a few days "breather", and then will bring it into the kitchen and leave the door open, and try to entice him into it with his Kong and some favorite toys. I really hadn't thought about the possibility of him needing to be in a crate at the vet, thanks for alerting me to that. I have found out where his former groomer has gone, and will take him back to her next time. Meanwhile, he is sleeping better in his play pen than he has ever slept (not waking up at the crack of dawn and barking to get out).


----------

