Answers to Questions:

Answers to Questions:- I hope these answers help some of you.  If you want ideas about how to solve other doggie related problems, I am glad to offer advice. ~Sydne

•  How old is too old to crate train? 

I have never found a dog too old to crate train.  I crate trained every Great Dane that came into my rescue. I have actually found that older dogs take to the crate better than many puppies.

• My dog cries all the time in his crate, what can I do about it? 

For young puppies, I use a trick my mother used  when I get puppies and am training them to the crate.  (My mother was not a dog lover... go figure???)  She made sure the puppy (We lived in the country and I brought home foundlings on occasion) was warm and comfy in the crate (in our case, a laundry basket), then she wound up an old fashioned alarm clock that ticked real loud, wrapped it in an old towel and tucked it in with the puppy.  She claimed it reminded the puppy of its mother's heartbeat.  It seemed to work and I have done it many times since. 

It is normal for any dog to whine or bark for a while when you first start crating him.  Sometimes you luck up and find one that doesn't; but it isn't the norm.  First try ignoring it.  See if he stops after a couple of hours. If it is driving you nuts, leave the house or use earplugs.  The important thing is to see if the dog will adjust without any interference.  Usually they do.

If that doesn't work it is time to resort to actively modifying the dog's behavior.  That will require work on your end.  

- my first suggestion is to employ the reward system by taking advantage of every lapse in the barking/whining. At the beginning, every couple-minute-stretch of quiet should be rewarded by a treat or release to play. Quickly let the dog out and put him outside for a few minutes in case the pup needs to relieve itself then play with the pup for a few minutes before putting it back up. Remember to give a treat every time you put the dog in the crate. Never let the dog out or give it a treat while it is acting up.  As the dog barks less and behaves more, stretch out the time you let him be good prior to letting him out.  It is important not to reward the barking and whining, only the good behavior.  Most dogs adapt quickly (within a couple of days). Some don't.

If your dog is not responding to the positive reward behavior modification, you can try negative reaction behavior modification (that's what his mother did when he and his litter mates acted up).  

I have done this successfully with the older rescues that I had to get crate trained quickly: 

Put a training collar and long lead on the dog.  Put the dog in the crate, say "BED", give the treat, close the crate with the long lead hanging out of the crate. Take the end of the leash and go somewhere the dog will not see you.  When the noise commences, jerk the lead very quickly. Make certain to release the lead just as quickly, you aren't trying to strangle him, just surprise him. Most of the time, the surprise will shut the dog up.  Maybe only for a minute, but that is a good start.  The dog will not connect you with the correction.  At first he also won't connect the barking with the correction either most likely, but be consistent and jerk the lead EVERY TIME he starts to bark.  That doesn't mean wait until he has been barking ten minutes to jerk; it means the sound comes out the dogs mouth and the dog finds himself yanked from an unseen source almost instantaneously.  When the dog starts staying quiet ten or fifteen minutes at a time, you can switch to using a combination of the positive and negative reinforcement methods.  I had to use this method on a Black and Tan Coonhound, talk about stubborn! He tested the limits of my imagination in every training endeavor. If something worked for him, it will work for any dog! I am willing to bet you can crate train that dog you thought was a lost cause in a day or two.

•  My dog tears up the bedding in his crate. How do I stop it?

I wonder why the dog feels compelled to do this? Make sure he has a couple of favorite chew toys available.  Puppies, in particular have to chew.  Give him an alternative to using the bedding as a chew toy.  Also, be sure you aren't just leaving him in the crate too long and he is bored and frustrated and taking it out on the bedding.

If the above suggestions don't seem to have an impact, my personal preference would be to remove the bedding.  If you have an airline crate it has a smooth bottom and sides. There is no need for bedding.  If you have a wire crate, use the pan that comes with the crate.  It is smooth and you won't have a need for bedding, None of my dogs have now or ever have had bedding in their crate except when they were pups and needed it for warmth and emotional comfort.

If there is a good reason to use bedding, like the dog is getting sores from the crate you are using, consider not using the crate so much, for starters.  But some dogs do have really sensitive skin and need padding.  For those dogs, do two things, 1) buy or make a cover for the bedding of a very strong material...heavy denim, ripstop nylon, or something similar, and 2) saturate the cover with a product called "Bitter Apple" "Bitter Orange" or "Bitter Yuck".  Those are non-toxic training aids that taste bad (I can assure you they taste awful).  That should discourage the dog from tearing at the bedding.  

•  I am trying to house break my dog and I have heard that crate training is the best way to do this. How do I go about it?

Crate training is the easiest way I know to housebreak a dog.  The whole idea is that until the dog has learned that he only does his business outside, his life away from you is in the crate.

The only time the dog is out of the crate is when you are physically right there with him.  Watch for signs the dog needs to use the potty.  The signs include, sniffing around the floor and corners, trying to sneak away and hide from you, and whimpering.  You may notice other behaviors that you will begin to associate with your particular dog needing to go out.  If your puppy plays a lot, watch for him/her to suddenly become still or quiet or appear confused.  That's a sign. Immediately take him outside.  Don't be surprised if he "forgets" that he needed to go out.  OK, let him back in, but either put him in the crate and repeat the trip outside about every 10 minutes, or keep him with you and don't take your eyes off him.  

Timing is everything with housebreaking with a crate.  Every time you take him out of the crate make sure the first destination is out the door! 

Just to make life easier for you, try to impose a schedule on the puppy.  Take him out of the crate at about the same time every morning, and again at all the same times every day.  Don't let the dog have water after 7pm to prevent the dog having to urinate in the middle of the night.  Just like a child, put your dog to bed at the same time every night.  The dog will get the idea very soon.  You will be surprised how your dog becomes a creature of habit, only needing to go out at the times you scheduled and sleeping through the night.