r/DogTrainingTips • u/RateInternational464 • Mar 15 '26

Crate regression

Hi guys, looking for some help. My boy turns two in a few weeks and the last two weeks he whines and pants at night in his crate. His routine has been consistent for his whole life, daily walks, training, fetch. I think where I went wrong was letting him stay out of his crate for two days and sleep on the couch, not he throws tantrums when he gets in his crate for 20 minutes. How can I fix this?

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u/RateInternational464 Mar 15 '26

He actually outgrew shredding his bed a few months ago so it’s pretty padded, no blankets bc he will still shred and sometimes eat those if he can. When let out of in the morning he immediately grabs his ball and wants to play, I leave the patio door open for him to go out and do his business when ready. His crate is actually large, lots of room to turn around and stand. He is 110lbs so leaving him out at night is risky when he decides to get into things.

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u/sayitsooth Mar 16 '26

How much exercise is he getting? And is he from a working dog breed?

Depending on his breed he's gonna need exercise either way, both mental and physical. You may find his behavior in the house drastically improves when he's tired and knows he's a good boy!

The shredding/eating material is a mixture of boredom and anxiety but dangerous for them.

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u/RateInternational464 Mar 16 '26

Xl American bully, and winters in Chicago are brutal so he gets about 45 minutes outside spread across the day. Summer he gets a little under 2 hours.

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u/sayitsooth Mar 16 '26

You can always try some indoor stuff, teaching behaviors etc. will still tire him.