1.5 year old dog suddenly refusing crate.. please help

[milkman93]

I am actually about to lose my mind, so I could really use some help/advice .

The title is basically where we’re at. I have a 1.5 year old mixed breed dog that, to say the least, has been a challenge. I’m sure anyone could go back in my posts and comments and read all about my little angel

He has a strong understanding of all of his commands but lately has been realllllly pushing his luck and boundaries. Sometimes he flat out pretends he doesn’t hear me at all, which is… lovely.

However, for the past 5 months at least.. he’s had the crate down pat. He sleeps in there every night, and on occasions that I need to, I will crate him when I’m having a lot of people over or if I feel he needs some time to himself. During the day, it always takes a bit more coaxing to get him in.. but at night.. nope. After I take him out for the last time, he would just run right in and lay down, and wait for me to give him a little treat before bed. I didn’t even have to say a word.

This week, out of nowhere, I brought him back in and he didn’t run right to his crate. Thought it was weird but just got his treat and repeated the command… nothing. Sat there for 2 hours trying to get him in and nothing. I have gotten him in one night since Sunday. I’ve essentially gone back to basics. I give him his breakfast and dinner in there, throw his treats in, and st bed time sit there for 2+ hours, giving him the command, giving him praise and a treat when he walks in a few steps etc.

But he’s doing the same thing he did when he was a puppy, except this time with little progress. He takes a step at a time, gets the treat, and waits for more. He leans as far in as possible without stepping over the threshold, or he will go in and just stand there while I give him the command, and then eventually back out.

I have given up after several hours for the 3rd night in a row. Possibly the most annoying part of it is, after I got to bed, he will eventually get up from sleeping next to his crate to sleeping in his crate, and as soon as I get up in the morning, he rushes right out.

PLEASE HELP. I am begging at this point, and on the verge of a breakdown lol. He needs to be able to go in the crate on command, it’s one of, if not, his most important command due to his fear aggression and anxiety issues. I usually put him in there when there are several people over out of an abundance of caution. I will not have anyone back to my house without knowing I would be able to put him in the crate if I need to.

I am out of ideas and have no clue as to why he just stopped listening all of a sudden. Perfectly healthy, no diet changes, no events that would have scared him.. nothing.

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[tempy1]

@milkman93 Give command > He refuses > put leash pressure on in the direction of crate and hold > as soon as he steps forward, release pressure and praise. Close crate door and leave.

2 hours of trying to bribe him and ultimately failing has taught him that it's more rewarding to play games with you then listen. He is working you.

 

[gmfdf]

@tempy1 Seriously! It's enough with the treats and the babying people, a dog isn't your kid! All it does is lead to more fear and more anxiety. All coddling all the time is NOT working, why keep trying?

Get a slip lead. Use pressure and release to guide him in the crate, no treats whatsoever! DO NOT let him rush out of the crate! Or any door for that matter! OP has to teach some impulse control! Open the crate door very slightly, and when he rushes out, close it again. Repeat opening the door a little more every time there is improvement until the dog figures out he has to wait for your invitation (free/release/okay) to exit. It might take 20 minutes the first time, but it solves so many behavior issues!

I don't know if OP constantly talks to their dog, but a lot of people do, and then wonder why their dog stops listening to commands. Your voice has become whitenoise to them! You mean what you say and say what you mean, if you issue a command and they blow you off for ANY reason, that's not okay! You have to follow through. Don't endlessly repeat commands, they have heard you after the first or second time.

Finally, if your dog is having any behavior issues, STOP letting them on the couch! Most dogs shouldn't be allowed on furniture until they are at least 2 years old and well behaved. Everything should be earned, especially freedom!

 

[milkman93]

@tempy1 The leash thing is good in theory, but the way the crate is positioned I don’t think it would work. I’ve tried moving his crate to a more accessible area and he won’t even go near it.

He’s had reactivity with his leash/collar in the past and I’m finally at a point where he loves his leash and collar. I don’t really want to attach any negative connotation to it by dragging him in the crate. I’ve worked through so much of his reactivity that it seems like I’m being soft on him, but I really just don’t want him to regress.

I really appreciate the suggestion though.

Also I feel I should re-point out… I don’t actually sit there for two hours. It was just over the course of two hours. Try for a few minutes… get up and do something else.. and repeat.

 

[brit218932]

@milkman93 I had a similar situation happen awhile back with my boy, but I wasn't afforded the ability to try on and off for 2 hrs like that. I have to go to work outside the home and my dog has to be crated while I'm gone for his and my other dog's safety. Being out while I'm not home is not an option for him.

We brought him home as a puppy and he has been crate trained from day one. He suddenly decided a few months back (around 10 months old) that he didn't want to go in his crate on command anymore (because he didn't want me to leave the house), so I laid out a bunch of high reward treats in the deep end of his crate, put him on a slip leash, weaved the handle end through the top/back of the crate, and used leash pressure till he gave in and went into the crate. Once he was in, I marked it with an excited Yes Good Boy, he got a big jackpot reward, and then I could remove his leash and close him in just fine.. After coming home from work, we'd do some crate games mixed with obedience and I spent a couple weeks following through with showing him that he isn't gonna be locked up for hours every time I ask him to go crate, but also that obeying the command is non-negotiable.

I had to use the slip leash one more day and then after that he was over it. Never damaged his relationship with me, the leash, or his crate training. But if you're worried about that, perhaps a new slip leash specifically for this purpose could be used, so he doesn't make the connection to his regular collar/leash?
(Also, a stray thought: perhaps there is something you can do to make the crate more comfy? Bigger, a bed, blankets, a cover of some kind? Both my crates are covered now and my dog likes it so much better.)

Some dogs are just stubborn and will push boundaries while making you feel guilty about it. Sometimes they are just like that, and you have to get firm with them or they will walk all over you, even if they're otherwise nervous or fearful. I've had to learn that the hard way, and the longer you let them get away with undesirable behaviors, the harder it'll be to break.

 

[marcin1337]

@tempy1 Forget the leash pressure act. Just throw him in there and pet. It has the exact same effect but saves a lot of time.

 

[jtrevor99]

@milkman93 Look into “crate games”. You can also build some intensity around wanting to get in/be in the crate by putting in a toy/treat he REALLY likes and then close the door and get him super excited, then let him in and let him get the super awesome treat but DONT CLOSE him in the crate yet. Play some in/out games where he gets in but you don’t close the door, then he’s released out.

My border collie went through a similar phase around that age and those are things that helped. Basically make the crate fun and interesting again.

Anecdotally, this was also my pups way of expressing interest in sleeping out of the crate. If yours is good at settling over night outside the crate, try puppy proofing the room and leaving him out at night. Maybe he wants options? There are still some nights where I want/need my dog crated for reasons and he will now (at 3 years) go in when I ask and settle just fine all night, but is happier to rotate between open crate, dog bed, human bed, and floor.

 

[milkman93]

@jtrevor99 Thanks for the suggestion. It’s not that he’s bad when he’s out of the crate at all… he’s actually very good. I wouldn’t mind letting him sleep out of it at night, however I want to be able to still have him go in on command.

If he’s not doing it often, I just know he will completely disregard the command in the future. He’s had some issues in the past, so for safety reasons I crate him when there are several people over, he’s anxious, etc. it’s really just for safety reasons and honestly, he loves sleeping in his crate. He goes in after I go in my room and leave him out there. He just runs right out as soon as I open the door.

Half of me thinks he’s just pushing the boundaries to get more food and I’m hoping it passes soon

 

[jtrevor99]

@milkman93 Got it, I would suggest going back to basics then. Crate games, making it fun, and making going in and out a game will really help.

 

[clintpauljohnson]

@milkman93 You sent your dog to board and train in the past correct? Have you reached out to your trainer? I'm sure they would be happy to give advice or maybe do a follow up lesson if it's not a simple solution.

I personally would leash the dog at the end of the last potty break and put him in the kennel. It's one of those things in life that must happen, whether the dog wants it or not, so I'm matter of fact about it, I put the dog in and then praise and treat once the dog is in the kennel. I've never had a dog try to refuse more than a handful of times once they realize it's not optional.

 

[tke129]

@milkman93 Sarah Stremming offers online classes called ‘happy crating’ and ‘teenage tyrants’ that might be helpful to you.

It’s kind of unclear if your dog needs to be crated all night right now or if this is more of a long term goal but I’m going to take the vibe from your posts and assume it’s more of a long term goal.

With my mixed breed I stopped with the crate at night around this age. He still does fine in the crate for travel, vetting, sports class.

I’m still a little annoyed about it because this is one time I was wrong and my husband was right - the dog started crying in the crate and throwing tantrums which sound like yours. He wanted to sleep so he started letting the dog sleep out. And you know what- it was fine. I have always been taught that adolescent dogs need more structure and more consistent rules but it really turned out just fine. I focused on other things that were more important to me (having my adult dog crate at home is not important to me with this particular dog) gave it a couple of months break and then did some remedial crate training for travel and sport and he took right back to it with not a ton of help. I just needed to let him get his teenage brain on straight. I WAS however strict and just pushed through with some of his other tantrum behaviors like being a dink on walks and that also was the right move.

This is all to say that fighting with your dog for two hours is the opposite of helpful and whatever it takes to make that not happen will make it more likely that your dog can be a good crater in the future.

 

[meritmaster]

@milkman93 It happens once in a while, keep calm, tell him to go in the crate clearly and with a strict voice, no treats in the crate at this point btw, if he refuses be more strict, once he goes in: give him a bone or lots of treats.

Also try changing where the crate is in the house, possibly somewhere he lays doen during the day. Dont give up.