- This topic has 1,249 voices and 6 replies.
-
Posts
-
Hi all,
We’ve had a rescue dog since April (Elijah, better known as Benny!)
and he’s kicking up a rumpus at night scratching the doors and barking etc, I’ve left it as long as possible to see if he’d give it up after a few nights but he hasn’t. Sunday nights are particularly bad for some reason!
Bottom line is, we need to crate him out of this habit and before I go out and spend upwards of €70-80 on a brand new one, I’m wondering if anyone has one that they’re finished with and would like to sell?
You can email me directly on andellanna1@hotmail.com if you do.Thanks
AndrewI don’t want to be devil advocate but crating him alone will not get rid of this problem. Because he has been allowed to do this behaviour for so long, it’ll take a lot of training and patience to get him to stop – crating him all night is not the solution.
Getting a dog used to a crate (esp if they have never used one before) has to be a slow and steady process otherwise the dog may take a disliking to the crate and you will have bigger problems to the ones you have now. Leaving him in the crate overnight off the bat will turn him off the crate – he’ll be very stressed, probably cry the house down and could potentially injure himself trying to get out of it. Slow introduction with toys, treat, food etc. while you are around is the best approach. Feeding him in the crate, putting him bed and toys in there, giving him special treats when he goes in himself and generally making it a fun place to be. To get him comfortable with the crate could take days, weeks or months (some dogs never take to a crate if they are introduced when they are older) – it all depends on the dog.
Even if he gets used to the crate, locking him in there all night is not a good idea. Most dogs see the crate as a safe place and shouldn’t be left in there for more than a few hours (eg. if you are going out shopping and he could potentially tear the house to bits – leaving a dog in a crate for an hour or two (as long as they are used to it) is fine). Plenty of dogs choose to relax in the crate, while the owners are around and of their own accord, but this is only achieved with a lot of patience and work.
One thing I want to mention about getting a second hand crate is that if your chap can smell the other dog(s) that have previously used it, he may not want to use it so buying a new one is probably your best bet. They are pricey but your guy is small so a small crate is all you need (you need it big enough for him to stand and turn around, to have his bed in and a bowl of water) and a good one will last forever.
A crate is not a quick fix to your problem and by using it alone to deal with this issue could cause both you and your dog a lot of stress (and sleepless nights!). Training is your best solution. Just be prepared for quite a lot of patience and persistence and you should be able to stop the night time madness.
Good luck!
Kinsealy Pet Store in Malahide are selling Medium Crates for 62.00 euros which is very good. I dont know how many of them are left.
They are the black plastic coated coated complete with two doors anf foldable.Zooplus.ie have the medium size for €49.90, with free delivery.
Zooplus.ie have the medium size for €49.90, with free delivery and 5% off that if it’s your first order.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.