# Hello, New Member in need of Crate training help!



## Runawaycow2 (Apr 23, 2012)

Hello all! I have occasionally visited this site and have found a LOT of helpful information! But now i'm in dire need of some advice.

So, Our little Tippi is about 2 1/2 years old now, and we crate trained her from the get-go. for the first year she would not go in her crate unless we placed her right in front of the door and said "In Your Crate"

From year 1-2 we would be lying down in bed (My wife, myself and Tippi) and would merely say "In Your Crate" or "Time for Bed" and she would willingly jump off the bed and go in her crate. 

The last 6 months have been similar, where a few times she actually got in her crate herself without us asking. 

This is where it gets weird. My wife just got a job 2 weeks ago where one or two days a week she gets off at 2 a.m. So i'd go to bed and lock tippi up, my wife would get home and let her out as she got ready for bed, then locked her back up. At this point tippi would bark or grunt every 15/30 minutes for the rest of the night! Usually if she did this i would say "AAH" or "NO" and she would hush up for the rest of the night. But this didn't stop her!

Then, 2 nights ago, nothing different going on, my wife wasn't even working, and tippi started going crazy in her crate. Barking, growling, screaming, whining, grabbing the bars with her teeth and shaking the crate violently. She even pulled the blanket through the top of the crate we had been using to give her a more "secluded" feel so it wasn't all open. Same thing happened last night. As soon as we put her in her crate, she turned crazy, even if we tried to calm her down, command her to sit/down, nothing would work. 

Eventually, after going crazy for 2 hours i let her sleep in our bed because i've been deathly ill with fever and needed some sleep! What should we do!

do we need to start from square 1 with training?


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

You say she is 2 1/2 years old do you think she still needs to sleep in the crate. My Zoe was 5 1/2 months old when we got her and from day one she slept in our bed. We never used a crate.

If you don't want her in your bed maybe you should get her a comfortable doggie bed and place it in your bedroom where she can feel close to the both of you. Just a suggestion.


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## munchkn8835 (May 23, 2010)

Ollie only goes in his crate when we are not home. He does go beserk when we get home but we ignore him until he calms down. Ollie had always slept with us...DH wasn't thrilled at first, but he knew it was either in the bed with us or downstairs by himself!! Now he tries to coax Ollie to snuggle next to him!


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

:welcome1:Those more familiar with crate training can give you better advice. My feeling is that at this age, I would definitely leave her crate door open (or take it off) or try getting her a bed as suggested. But I really wouldn't bring her up on the bed if at all possible. Once you start it's impossible to go back. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't let Tyler up. I find that I'm in very uncomfortable positions at times making room for him. :blink:


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## Runawaycow2 (Apr 23, 2012)

Interesting, Thanks for the quick responses!

I guess we will just have to be more open about her not sleeping locked in her crate. I guess we kept her crated for so long because about 1 1/2 years we started to leave her door unlocked, but as soon as we fell asleep she jumped in bed with us. also, we've let her sleep in our bed a handfull of times and we did wake up to a surprise in the hallway. 

She does quite well going potty outside but in the middle of the night she doesnt really like going all the way downstairs and out the doggie door.


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## Katkoota (Feb 18, 2006)

I agree with what was suggested already. I don't have a new idea to share, other than how it is like with my malts. The malts are no longer crated night times. Puppyhood days (when the malt is few months old / much less than a year old) is another story though.

I personally find it better when they have their own doggie sleeping beds. And leave the humans on their own beds. Snowy & Crystal share one doggie bed together (although they have two sleeping beds, but they prefer to be together:wub. 

Welcome to SM by the way


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Maybe her behavior has to do with your wife's new job, and her sleep is interrupted when your wife comes home from work. Laurel is 2 and still sleeps in her crate.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

We just leave the Crate door open and anyone of our little furries can go in there when they feel like it. Our two Kittens also love the crate and make themselves at home too. Chrissy goes in there at any given time of the day and the door is open at all times. Maybe that will help your sitiation as well. And, Snuggles and Chrissy do sleep on our bed with us during the night.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Another suggestion could be to leave a pee pee pad nearby (close to your bedroom) so she doesn't have to travel so far to relieve herself. Most dogs do hold it in for the night till the morning when they get up......6 - 8 hours.

Good luck!!


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## cyndrae (Aug 30, 2009)

I keep our crates open but in a pen so they don't have free run but they can get to the pee pad or water. The pen is right next to my side of the bed. Daisy loves to sleep with me and I'll bring her up at some point during the night but Lily loves her bed and wants nothing to do with us during the night.


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

I think it is the new job as well... Ozzie is used to my bf coming home around 1 or 2am from work and taking him out, but if he is away for a weekend (he is in the National Guard), Ozzie will wake me up in the middle of the night! So annoying!! And I think the general consensus with Maltese is that they prefer to be IN your bed with you!! The only night Ozzie hasn't slept in our bed with us was his very first night; and he doesn't even use his doggie bed, we leave his crate open so he snoozes there or on the couches.


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