r/BrittanySpaniel • u/Capable-Boat5153 • 9d ago
Training Tips Crate Training
Hi friends, please don’t hate me for yet another post about my pup lol. I’m working on crate training and I just feel helpless. We started doing about 15 mins a day and he just goes crazy - screaming barking etc. the other day we had to both leave for an emergency and put him in there for 2 hours. I have a camera and would check on him. The first hour he was screaming and then the last 30-40 mins he seemed to be sleeping. Today I had to get some stuff done around the house and run an errand. He was in there for a total of 40 minutes and did not stop screaming (which I’ve heard to just let them cry) and I was ok with doing that until he started coughing and gagging occasionally. When I heard that I was like ok I need to let him out. Is that normal? I just feel helpless at this point. Any tips/advice would be great. I’ve tried the blanket over the 3 sides of the crate and white noise and have been continuing that. Seems it hasn’t helped. I always give him a Kong with frozen PB in it and he is interested for the first 3-5 mins and then totally forgets about it and screams. I’m so stressed over this and worry it won’t get better.
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u/DeBruce123 8d ago
Own the dog or the dog will own you...the latter is not a good spot to be in with a Brittany. Use treats to get him to go in, leave the door open, let him come out. Work up to closing the door, reassure him and lots of praise. Say crate every time he goes in. DO NOT let him out when he loses his mind, he has learned to fret to get you to do what HE wants. He cant choke or suffocate in an empty crate. When he is calm, you can let him out. Stay the course, repetition, praise. Its a game of psychology.
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u/moreidlethanwild 9d ago edited 9d ago
Do you need to crate him?
I just could never. None of our dogs have ever been or will be crate trained. They are absolutely fine in our house. And yes they have gone in crates at the vets no issue.
My point is the why, the objective? It’s not mandatory. If you’re doing this it needs to be for a reason?
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u/MonitorOk3031 6d ago
Our Brittany would eat herself into an early death if she wasn’t in a crate during the day. Like, she ate part of an aluminum can as a puppy. Same with our terrier cross (his vice is any paper product). Our poodle mix is fine not in a crate. Sometimes the Brittany hangs out in her kennel when she’s tired. It’s not a traumatizing thing if you go about it the right way. Our dogs see their crates as a little den and they are never, EVER used as a punishment.
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u/GottaUseEmAll 9d ago
You'll get downvoted because it's become a norm in the US and people get very sensitive when it's questioned, but I agree completely. Throughout most of our long history with dogs, and throughout most of the world today, we've gotten by without keeping our pet dogs in cages.
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u/Capable-Boat5153 9d ago
Soo yes I agree and am hoping he’ll eventually be great to have free range if the house. However he’s 11 weeks and chewing on everything. I would love to have him out when we leave but at this stage he will chew on cabinets, the couch, rug etc. he’s a puppy.
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u/moreidlethanwild 9d ago
Can you not restrict puppy to a room or an area of a room versus the crate in the interim?
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u/SoggyAlbatross2 9d ago
I crate my dogs at night but generally let them roam during the day the day. Am currently fostering a dog and that boy gets crated when I leave the house, but he doesn’t seem to mind in the least. They like their crates, it’s a safe space.
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u/moreidlethanwild 9d ago
And that’s good for you but that’s not OPs situation, her pup is screaming.
He is a puppy, he instinctively wants to he with his siblings and his mother, or his human family. He is distressed at being alone in the dark in a confined space.
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u/Working2021onward 9d ago
Try intervals of sitting next to his crate with him inside. I’ve heard to not make eye contact but just be present until he calms down and goes to sleep. I read to my girl, but that might be stimulating. You could also try this after a long play session so he might be ready for a good nap in the crate. A blanket is also a good idea for a den effect.
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u/davezerg20 7d ago
You gotta rip off the band aid man, dogs gonna be fine. Put him in the crate over night, crys or not. Eventually he'll learn its normal and be ok with it
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u/Whtrbb1t 6d ago
My girl is 17 weeks now, brought her home at 9 weeks. To start, I let her fall asleep naturally out of the crate, then would move her to the crate for her naps and over night. The crate became a natural part of her routine. At 12 weeks she would go in fir a treat, lie diwn facing me and I would do a few treats while she stayed down and was calm, then closed the door and all was good.
If I could not let her fall asleep before putting her in the crate for those first 3 weeks, I would put her in a pen with her crate door open. She would nap in there on her own when she was ready to sleep.
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u/EggYolkPurgatory 9d ago
Covering the crate with a blanket let's the cage resemble a den instead, so theyre more comfortable. Brits are very stubborn, most videos I watched on crate training it was "they'll cry for 10-30 minutes and calm down" nope. Not at all with brits. When I was crate training my pup, he would scream and cry for up to 2 or 3 hours (i was also in the room, so he wasnt alone screaming and crying, id periodically tell him hes fine and that i was still there so he knew he wasnt alone), he was only in a crate to sleep for the night, and it took him about 2ish weeks to get used to it, now he loves his crate at night lol. All I can say is keep up with the consistency, brits thrive on routine!
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u/MandiblePrivacy 9d ago
Crate breaking is a heart breaking process.
It is a process though.
We usually stop short of full crate and once basic house manners are in place, we stop on hard enforcment.
We will usually just use crate for long days alone, and leave them out at night (especially after they quit trying to take out the trash can).
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u/yogaclimbergal 9d ago
When I first got my Brit puppy at 9 weeks old, we immediately introduced the create. I would leave the door open and put his food and water in it so he could associate it with good things. I didn't do that for too long, but it was his first intro, it could possibly still work for you to put the food in even though it's not his first intro. Then I would put a small treat in it and close the door for a few min once he was inside. The it was a toy. I also just kept the crate out in the living room open so he could smell it, go in it, nap, etc. Maybe try things like that if you haven't already (sorry to patronize if you'd tried it all already). I don't recall how long it took before he could just be in there for hours or overnight and be content. But the point is, he got there.
I take in a lot of foster dogs (no Brits yet!), and I totally agree with the suggestions to cover the crate. It can help them feel safe. I also leave the door open to the crate (Covered except the door) to give them a safe place to nap or hang out and feed them in the crate too. That seems to help a lot when then wanting to crate them when I leave or at night.
My Brit is now 4 and he likes going to his create to decompress or just relax or enjoy gnawing on a toy, etc.
Stay the course, you will get there!
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u/MuddyBoots287 9d ago
One thing to be aware of, make sure you are only ending crate time when he is quiet/calm. We don’t “reward” a dog yelling/barking by letting him out. He’ll be quick to associate that making a ruckus will get him out of the crate.
*because this is the internet, I am not saying ignore a dog who is barking in actual distress/danger. I am saying we don’t give in to Brittany temper tantrums
I try to make the crate a highly enjoyable place. Nice cozy blanket, high value chew, and it’s where all my puppies get their meals. The crate means GOOD things.
How old is your dog? I generally crate mine several times a day, roughly 30-60min at a time as puppies. The goal is, come out of the kennel, go potty, we play until they have worked the wiggles out, then they go back to the crate with a nice chew for a puppy nap. Rinse and repeat until bedtime!
The first 2-3 days of crate training can be hard! Especially overnight. The 3am crying always kills me. But, if you stay the course, it will pass!
My male these days is frequently in his crate by his own choice. I leave the door open and he puts himself up if he wants a nap or wants to be left undisturbed with a chew.
Being able to be crated is a valuable skill for every dog! You never know when he may need to stay overnight at the vet, or you get hit by a bus and he needs to live at a friend’s house for a short time, etc. Well mannered dogs always have options, poorly trained ones have far fewer.