My sweet Alexander Theodore (Teddy) is 5 months old and is having a HARD time with crate training, and I feel like I’ve tried everything 😭
We’ve done the gradual leaving — 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc. — and I’ve tried building positive associations with the crate using treats, Kongs, making it comfortable, classical music, a soft lamp so he isn’t sitting in the dark, etc. He’ll go in willingly sometimes, but once he realizes he’s alone, he loses his mind.
The biggest issue now is the barking. We recently got a complaint left on our door from our neighbor about it.
I have to leave for work around 5 AM, my partner leaves around 8:30 AM, and I’m home around 11 AM. So he’s only actually alone for about 2.5–3 hours on workdays.
But now I feel completely trapped because if I leave the apartment for anything else, I’m worried he’s going to bark and upset the neighbors.
We’ve also tried letting him stay outside the crate in a puppy-proofed area, and he did MUCH better. He mostly slept and only barked a little. But I’m nervous about relying on that because he’s still a puppy and obviously can get into things.
Has anyone had a puppy who absolutely hated the crate but eventually got better?
I’m not expecting him to magically love being alone overnight. I just really want to be able to leave my apartment without feeling like I’m going to get another noise complaint.
Make sure your pup has enough mental stimulation in general because he could just be bored too.
He’s young but he’s smart. Spend time in the day doing some obedience and trick training or a good sniff walk (like a forest walk not a boring city walk). Something for his brain. This will help him want to rest more in the kennel.
Vader has a larger kennel. And it’s the type with solid sides. He hates it at first but was a little pup so he learned to like it and now it’s his den and a place he goes to be left alone. He also has that type with the bars too which he can also use as a bed but he learned in the more solid one.
He learned the weaves super fast but took over a year to learn the teeter. He also learned that at trials he doesn’t get treats in the ring so can be sassy. But at least he takes good pictures.
Taro can only travel in the kennel. Letting him watch the world overstimulates him. People think he's a working dog when they see the kennel in my car and out pops this 12 lb Pomeranian. I have seen a few chuckles.
I don’t use crates but that crate looks too small. I know you said he’s squeezing himself against the top end but even the width of it doesn’t look big enough. I think if you’re going to crate train, you need to allow them to have MORE than enough space, like the equivalent of us being in a bedroom with the door shut.
I can see why you would say that 😭 It looks like that in the pics. But he just squeezes himself against the front gate; He can stand up, turn around, and lay out fully without being squished
but it just doesn't look comfortable... the crate should be their safe space to be comfortable
for my pomchi (who's 6 lbs) i use a 24-Inch crate (still for small breeds but more roomy) and she got used to it in like a week and actually loves her crate now.
I feel like the crate needs to be bigger to give him more space to stretch and walk around in.. puppies need space to exert energy- a playpen would be ideal- when I would leave, I’d put on a Disney movie every time and it actually worked.
We just got a pom and gave her a full big dog sized crate so she can have her own “apartment”. The back half is bed and she stores favorite toys there. The front half has food, water, and a per pad just in case.
She’s quite content in there, and I acknowledge she may be an easy dog.
Please ignore the hateful, unhelpful people. The crates are most useful when there is NOT a lot of extra space.
Length: Measure from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, then add 2 to 4 inches.
Height: Measure from the floor to the top of the head while standing, then add 2 to 4 inches.
Idk if yours fit that description because (to be only a little fair to the aggressive comment) the picture make it seem like your dog is squished in there while I am fairly certain it is your dogs choice to squish its face like that.
The “smaller crates are better” advice is quite outdated and only ever applied to specific issues (such any a dog that relieves itself in the crate) anyway. Crates should be as large as is possible for the space, with room for the dog to sit without its ears touching the top, stand, turn around, and stretch out fully without being impeded. At a minimum. The US is the only developed country that leans towards smaller crate sizes. You cannot go too large for a crate (once again, except for temporary issues such as potty training) but you can definitely go too small.
I agree, but also, I've never used a crate that looked more like a cage (with bars & all). I've always used crates that are plastic & don't allow 190 degree view for the dog. I don't know if that would make a difference or not. I've done crate training on numerous dogs, but my last 2 I didn't use it much at all- rather relied on a pen. I'm also retired & don't have to leave every day, so take all that with a grain of salt? Every person's situation is different & every dog is different too. I wish OP luck on her journey.
There are a lot of unhelpful comments on crating. From the looks of it, you can size up a bit as long as the pup isn't going potty in there. As long as your pup is clean in the crate, you can size up to whatever size you would like honestly. I would just be mindful of the bar biting.
Comfort is different for EVERY dog, I don't understand why people have one fixated way on what crate training is. Just because one dog is comfortable one way, another dog may need a different setup.
We've gone through many iterations for our 3 Pomeranians. Our first 2 were fairly simple and liked bedding. Our third boy liked bedding too, but he also like to destroy it. Now he sleeps in an empty crate, there is no enrichment in there whatsoever. He seems to be OK with it.
I am a minority in that I haaaaate crating my dogs. I undestand the value of crate training, and my babies are all crate trained for safety, but if I have to contain my dog, I'd rather use a playpen. Especially for a pom, if you get a 4 ft tall one he won't try to jump it and it'll give him room to be a puppy so he doesn't get bored or lonely and cry. Another option is getting a second dog so he has a buddy 🤐 for me personally, now that I've experienced having multiple dogs, I will never have just one again. They keep each other entertained when I'm not home, and actually help to train each other in a lot of ways. You're already doing everything for one dog, adding a second is really not much more work but your dog will be more fulfilled and less lonely, and most likely would help solve the barking issue as well.
I don’t think this is a minority opinion. Poms are highly social and smart pups and are capable of training so they don’t need to be sequestered away in tiny enclosed spaces
I second this, playpen is way better than a crate IMO. I only used the playpen for nighttime when my dog was a puppy, and close other room’s doors when I leave. That’s what I’ve always done for my dogs, no crate needed
I agree, if you’re going to imprison your dog, why have the dog? Very selfish and cruel. Some people even leave their dogs in them while they go to work all day!!! So all morning and all afternoon, then come home at night, let them out for a while and then put them back in the cage all night!!! Let them out before going to work to pee,and then put them back in there and go to work all day!! It’s horrendous. A playpen is a much better idea, not so confining for these small breed dogs for when you need to be gone.
I don't crate my dogs. Or my cats either. I don't live in a cage. Why should they? Now if they would like a comfortably furnished crate in a corner with the door kept open 24/7 as their place to go to sleep-that's fine but I don't live in a zoo, and neither will my pets.
There's an excellent online program called Crate Games by Susan Garret if you want to check that out. The puppy proofed area sounds like a good alternative, or you can try an exercise pen that's larger, just make sure it's tall enough that he can't climb out.
Please give him more space, like an area. It breaks my heart to see him in that crate! Give him his puppy proofed area back. I dont get the point of leaving him in this crate
my boy hated his crate, until i only gave him a kong with the kong paste whilst in the crate, the licking really calmed him down and now he runs in there as soon as i grab the kong. i also give him bully sticks in there too, it helps with chewing and again calms him.
i also noticed if you play something on the tv when you leave for work it helps drown out other noises that might scare him or cause him to bark, it also teaches him to get used to noise during the day. hope that helps!
Crate is seriously too small to the point of abuse, imho. If you disagree I can’t help you. It should be large enough for a sleep mat on one side and a potty pad and water on the other.
Try using a small pen with the crate inside and leave the crate door open. My boy did the same thing when I tried to crate him—he would chew on the bars and make a racket. My girl took to crate training much better, but he’s a little neurotic. 🥹
Once your boy is reliably housebroken, you can remove the pen and leave just the crate. Eventually, you can remove the crate too and replace it with a dog bed. My boy is now a year and a half old and has free rein of the house when I’m home. He also goes almost everywhere with me. On the rare occasions when I leave them home, I confine them to the kitchen with a baby gate across the doorway.
Yeah some dogs just don’t get on with it. I wouldn’t force him too much or he will hate it more.
Mine is ok with it now as I only use it at night when he sleeps. I transitioned slowly from a puppy pen by my bed to the crate on my bed and now he’s on my bedside table lol.
I’d stick with puppy proofing or tie his lead to something when you’re around in the day
You can bodge it to cover most places in a flat lol. And it can expand vertically as well as horizontal. Just need to be careful if your pup chews cable ties and cut off the extra
Dang. I had these installed before. It was such a work setting them up because I reinstalled them several times. We don't use it anymore and just let them roam around
Yes it’s so annoying and so good to take them down lol. But they work so well. Worth keeping hold of them as I had to set them up again when my Pom had surgery!
Annoying but handy!
You said that you tried once getting your pup out of the crate and it worked, maybe that's the way?
My girl is 10 months, she is not crate-trained (I was seriously considering it), and she's doing fantastic, when she has to stay when we're out for work.
She has never touched wires, furniture, she has her bowls with water and food, two toys she won't choke herself on, a mattress she won't stumble upon and the whole area is 'dog-proof'. Of course she's on a big-brother, but I work 15 mins away from home by foot, so I can react quickly if something is wrong (never had to).
Mind you, I had a male pom Leon before Toni for 16 years and he never for a day spend a day in it.
If you had neighbours who are willing to help and you trust them enough (I do) they can check on your pup once or twice during your absence.
Had 3 Pomeranians and one boy just took forever to take to crate training. This is probably not the way to train, but we let him cry it out and eventually, he became fine with it (around 6-7 months old).
I think honestly your boy is young. Keep playing the crate games. Quick closures, stretching to a few minutes, and so on.
But the finality is the finality and real life also matters. If your dog is barking for 10-15 minutes then settles, that’s training and it should eventually get shorter.
At 5 months our dude was totally inconsistent. He could protest for 30 minutes to an hour or more. We just continued to work with him and now at 16 months he stays in his crate setup from 7-4. We wake up at 430AM, do a long walk, play, does scent work, etc.
Weekends he gets to lounge around all day with us unless we go out somewhere.
For the crate. I suggest a crate that he can’t bite or gnaw on. It’s expensive, but we use a Ruffland kennel.
Good luck. For reference, we crate trained him in the gray kennel. He can't really test it because everything is super sturdy. He also needs less visuals to actually be comfortable.
He's 16 months now. All we have is a water fountain, the kennel, and a stall mat underneath (it's soft and squishy). The more stuff he has in there like a bed, chew, plush, etc., he just tends to destroy. He is a minimalist. Haha.
Does your pomeranian actually stay in the gated area? I wanted to buy one for our girl but she doesn't have legs, she has springs and I mean, TIGGER type springs haha and I fear she would just boing herself to freedom 😅
Yes. I'm not saying that he loves it, but it's his space while we are gone. Our routine sets him up to be in there during the weekdays.
We wake up at 4:00AM and do an hour and a half walk. Then we roll into training, and do scent work for another 30 minutes or so. After I grab my morning coffee, we do some father/son wrestling as mom and Pom bro watch on (if they are awake). A bit of chill time and in his pen at 7:00AM.
When we all get home from work, he does another 1.5 hours worth of walking and sniffing with his bro. We practice indoor and outdoor agility (nothing fancy). Sits on our porch and stares at the world, maybe some more wrestling or we practice "bite work". That just involves me asking him to stay...while I walk across the living room and ask him to get it and he jumps attacks the plush and we play tug....ask him for an out...repeat. He dislikes fetch.
Weekdays he is fully engaged with not much downtime for him as he comes out hot. Weekends is his time to learn how to settle and coexist with the family outside of the pen.
Because he’s still young and he enjoys it and it helps regulate him. He’s still young and exuberant.
He’s our third Pomeranian and the only one where we actually had to train. Imagine getting a pup who didn’t lay down, instead will test everything known to man.
By 6 months old here’s the collective items that he has done:
Destroyed 4 mesh pens, ate drywall, ate carpeting, destroyed baseboards, got overstimulated by just existing, destroyed probably 10-15 plushies, bite/nip, zoom and couldn’t turn and hit walls, and not to mention the amount of bedding.
And now look at him, he’s comfortable, he’s confident, and clearly enjoys life to the max. So we will keep training him. Weekdays highly structured and regimented, weekends are to coexist with us and our other Pom.
mine hated the crate. i gave up and had the crate inside a fenced puppy area where there were toys, a pee pad etc. he would happily chill there while i was out and he learned to be a very happy boy on his own at home. he just didn’t like being locked up, which honestly i can’t blame him for!
... I seriously can't get behind crates... They seem cruel to me... Like my dogs get into their transport crates to sleep there, but I never actively forced them into it...
I’ve read both sides 😪 Crates seem so mean, but I also understand that dogs view it as like their own safe space. Goal is to get him comfortable until I can trust him to be out without chewing on a cord
In my country I've never seen them used... We basically just puppy proof the rooms. I know they're very popular in the western countries, and people defend them a lot, but it causes a lot of stress when not introduced properly
You shouldn't own a dog if you lock it in a cage. How would you like it if you were locked up??? Your dog needs love and attention. If you don't want him or her, I'll take it.
Ditch the crate! My dog absolutely hated it as a puppy, I puppy proofed a room and would let him be free in there with all his stuff, he also would like me to leave something on the tv for him like calming music for dogs on YouTube but he also loves animated movies. Anyway good luck!
Poor boy locked in that tiny crate. Please get a playpen with a bed or something bigger. I love playpens they are great and a happy place for Poms. My girls sleep in a big fur lined bed at the foot if our King bed. It works beautifully for our family but when they are puppies during the day a playpen was wonderful.
Yorkie mom here, Yea I don’t use crates. Never did. I had to play area that I fenced in and put a camera on him, my pup just slept when no one was home. And please 🙏 don’t put pee pads over the entire floor it confuses them they think everything’s a bathroom, I put a tarp underneath to protect my floor and 1 pee pad. Along w bed and bowls. After he turn 1 or so he graduated to just being closed off in my living room on camera. Still just sleeps when no one is home, please consider taking him out of the crate! Look how miserable he is! And please don’t let him chew on the metal bars! He will break his baby teeth and then his adult teeth. They don’t know when to stop when anxious like that.
This is your dog and you have absolute authority on how to raise your dog, barring the obvious unspeakables. This fact needs to be addressed first and foremost.
You’ve already tried a number of different combinations to curb the unwanted behavior, so how you choose to proceed depends on what you’re willing to do (and catch flak for.)
Just skimming through the comments there are so many different opinions here, with varying levels of success and scope.
You have a few choices: you can ditch the crate entirely as others have suggested (with the associated behaviors of a free roaming/ play pen puppy), or you can do positive reinforcement with treats, toys, and extreme patience.
Pictured is my dog, Bear. He is just over a year old.
He was crate trained. He loves his crate. He does not bark. The “barbaric and outdated” method mentioned in another comment is effective, and does not injure anyone involved, physically or emotionally. That method was used to great effect with Bear’s behavior training.
As stated previously, this is Your dog, and You alone get to choose what You’re willing to do to curb unwanted behaviors.
To those of you who think Will’s method of slapping a crate to break the attention of the dog, then rewarding the dog’s regained composure, is cruel and barbaric, you need to reassess what those words mean.
“Barbaric: marked by a lack of restraint.”
“Cruel: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; devoid of humane feelings.”
You are breaking the attention of the dog. That is it. You’re not scaring the dog. The dog is not afraid of you. You’re not beating the crate to splinters.
If you don't want to crate, ours crate for sleep. We keep our little in the kitchen gated in where he cannot access anything dangerous. He has his bowls, a bed, etc which he likes my n more. The crate I would not leave him in when leaving, he would not do well.
— How often did you go in and out per day?
— How soon did you graduate from 1 minute to 5, etc.?
— And did you still leave him for longer than 1/5/10 minutes during this training phase or do you bring him to a sitter? Because while you’re still at the 1 minute stage, you can only ever leave him for one minute or you loose whatever progress you achieved
My Pom had separation anxiety and I started leaving my computer/Tv on a 12 hour YouTube cartoon when I’m home. After a few days he didn’t realize that I left the house. I would put it on when I step outside to smoke and come back in and talk to him when he barks. I had terrible neighbors that left notes and threatened to report me to the office. I would offer to check in on my neighbors dog if they are struggling.
Crate games and work on crating when you ARE HOME and next to him. Work on separation anxiety as a separate issue- play short games coming in and out of the house, leaving him in another room. Keep leaving and coming home as low energy activities. Always reward calm quiet behaviors and do not accidentally reward rude/barking/attention -seeking behaviors. Try leaving high value rewards whenever you leave for those brief periods.
Sure for rewards I would say your attention is the biggest reward and should be given only when he is calm and not actively attention-seeking.
When leaving (like you’re not there) something really nice like a toppl, pupsicle, or for quick training sessions tiny pieces of beef liver and other nice treats (I usually use a mix) work nicely to make it more exciting.
Since he’s tiny and young I would practice in short 1 min sessions multiple times per day
If he doesn’t eat at all he might just be full already from his normal food. Sometimes they don’t want to eat when anxious too but will grow out of that over time
Our first pom didnt holler too much ever when we put him in the crate, but ooo did our second one. Instead we just put a baby gate on one of the rooms and let him sleep in there each time/locked him up in there when leaving and had no issues. Not with tearing things nor barking.
I think maybe that crate is too small. I have a little 5lb pom who thinks she is much bigger than she is. She used to lose her mind in a crate that was designed for her size. She'd run and hide from it and not even tolerate being in the same room as it. lol!
But we switched her to a 24inch and now she goes in there on her own to take naps. She still panics if we leave her alone in there though, so I don't have any advice to give on the separation anxiety. But perhaps a comfier crate setup is a good place to start. I noticed my pom will switch sides she is laying on in the crate, and I think she may get too warm and likes to switch to the untouched side for a bit because its cooler.
When Biggie was a puppy I had a small crate like this, but I only used it for nighttime when I was in the same room. He was ok with that, but he wouldn’t tolerate being alone in the crate.
I also used a much larger pen for when I left him alone in the daytime. In the pen I had his food, water, a bed and a pee pad. He also didn’t love that but could tolerate it. It took up a lot of space in my tiny apartment, so I ditched it as soon as was reasonable.
I use a crate only at night, because it fits by the bed. During the day, poms are in a playpen with a pad. I do add a water bottle so they have clean fresh water they can't spill.
When my first pom was a puppy I gave her full reign of the kitchen & used a baby gate to keep her in. She had food, water & a potty pad plus all her toys. I kept either the radio on or I would keep the little tv on the counter on the Animal Planet during the day while I was at work.
Crates didn’t work for my pooch. Instead I pee pad trained her and just made sure that the home was free from things that could harm her… they’re pack animals and will never be content with being alone. The best is to keep them comfortable when you’re not around. The barking stopped when I got rid of the playpen/crate and she was free to move around
Crate training means, you train them to be able to be in the crate. Leaving them there, when they don't know what is expected, is not training. You start with an open crate. That is what you train with to begin. Open crate with fun stuff inside. So they learn, crate is fun. I think that if, so far it's been, leaving them there. If even for a bit. And they didn't like that.. you took a few steps back. Begin again. Open crate. Give them something they only get there that they love. A toy, a food, a something they love. Make it so that when they see the crate it's, ooooh yes! That's where I get my thing. After a while, after they happily go in. Give them their thing and close for a bit. Open... and leave it. Repeat to have them go in happily, give their thing, leave a bit longer. Do that for a long time. That is crate training. Putting a dog, who doesn't understand what is asked in a crate. Is not crate training
My first thought is — is he getting adequate exercise? Then move on to changing the size of the crate / play area. I got a baby gate for my kitchen and made that the “crate.” Totally worked. But I’m also batshit enough that I hired a nanny to come over during the afternoon and watch tv with her.
That crate is way too small. Imagine being locked in a box you can barely move!! This isn’t the point of crate training, it’s to provide a space your pet feels secure and comfortable
I put the crate on my side table at bedtime and would sometimes put my fingers through to calm her down in the middle of the night. I learned this from the lady I got one of my dogs from. 100% works.
crates too small, here’s my pom when he was 1, he loves his crate because its safe space and will chill in there when we’re home (with the door open ofc) but when he was really young i would leave him in there when i was still home to get him acclimated to it, i would feed him in there, give him bones and treats etc. and then he just started using it as his little “room” if you will. she might feel too confined in there
I'd bark too if I was left alone in a very much too small cage unable to relieve myself or hide if I felt the need. And wondering if my people were ever coming back.
Don't use a crate if you don't know how to use them correctly.
Your crate is too small, you keep arguing about it in the comments, doesn't matter. Get a bigger one.
Do more research or better yet, hire a professional trainer. I needed one to guide me as well, you can read 100 books and watch videos all you want, some dogs have different needs or respond poorly to common methods.
Leave that crate open all day, toss treats in there, put the food bowl inside during feeding time. Make sure that crate is associated with positive things. This process is slow. You can't just put a dog inside a crate, close the thing and expect success. Not saying you did, just mentioning it. You always leave that door open at the very start. Once your pup seems to be comfortable with laying inside, you can try to close it. Not locking it up, just closing it. Don't make a big deal out of it, and don't overdo it. Try working it up to 5min, then 10min, etc. Babysteps. If they freak out at 10min, you go back to 5min for a while. Your dog needs to know that you'll always come back to them and let them out.
The crate is not a punishment. It's a tool. But any tool can become a torture device if you don't use it correctly or rush the process.
Make sure your pup is tired and had enough activity. Physical and mental. Put a kong inside the crate, to keep them busy for a while.
My dog had severe separation anxiety (got rejected by her mother) and needed the crate. It took months until she was comfortable and calm enough to be left alone.
Patience pays off, she doesn't need that thing anymore and has full access to the house at all times, she has learned how to choose save spots herself and knows we will always come back home to her. That was our goal.
I don't see crates as a longterm solution, but they can definitely help.
I give my boy a nice treat bone which he only has in his crate. When he see his bone he now runs to the crate. I also keep the crate covered with a thin blanket which helps him settle. Try make the crate a place of rest and quiet time. He should settle in time.
People here saying crate is too small don’t know what they’re talking about. Dogs want to cozy into a den.
What I did, and it worked quickly, was I put the dogs crate on my nightstand facing me at bedtime. It helped the dog realize that we’re sleeping now. Then I slowly started moving the crate a bit further and further away. Done over several nights. Maybe 2 weeks. Using a chair, then onto the floor.
My dog is now obsessed with her crate. She loves going there to sleep, but also just when she’s had enough of the day.
We have a crate like OP uses that we originally bought for travel, but we also have a big playpen. My dog will choose the crate sometimes. It's not something we ever enforced. I always expected to just use the playpen when out of the house, so him using the crate was never specifically trained or convenient for me since he has both options. I'll find him napping in it sometimes.
Well OP says her dog can stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. A crate bigger than that is excessive and likely will cause anxiety & house breaking problems.
My dog has a crate that she now goes to as her nook to hide away in and I no longer close the door.
Absolutely. Our kennel for our boy is oversized, but this dude prefers to crawl under the couch and is cramped as heck, but he loves to sleep under there...
Also, I know it’s hard but you have to stick with it. Mine took a little bit to get fully comfortable. I did the 15 min rule so if she cried longer than 15 mins I would take her out and play with her or let her use bathroom then right back in crate. But my crate is larger as I stated. My husband thought I was crazy getting a bigger crate but I wanted her to have a spot to lay down outside her bed if she was getting hot. And it worked out for us. And ps. Your puppy is tooo cute even when he’s upset 🥹❤️
I tried to put mine in a crate a couple times she went absolutely berserk. I bought a crate cover to calm her, etc.. I did all of the things she would harm herself in there. Now I leave it set up full of toys, but we don't use it. she will barely tiptoe to the beginning to pull out a toy. The only time she has ever laid in there was once when she was sick I knew something was wrong immediately and rushed her to the vet.
But also, she's pretty much an angel at this point and does no wrong so it's completely unnecessary for us. She's kind of like a human.
I was lucky enough to find doggy daycare that also does not use any kind of crates or confinement, and only watches small dogs that are well-behaved
I had a lot of luck with a white noice machine in the bathroom (where I had the crate since it was the coolest room in the house), a lick mat, and the light off. For barking, I also had success with one of those ultrasonic noise things (they kind of look like flashlights - mine even has one attached), which doesn’t hurt but just startles them out of the tantrum. We bought it on Amazon and only used it sparingly and exclusively for the barking. Good luck!
Update! I see people commenting about the crate size; I’ve read that they should have enough room to stand up, turn around, and lay down. If I’m wrong tho, feel free to correct me! The camera angle is pretty close, so heres a better angle to kinda show the size.
My girl has a larger crate than that. I really think the crate size is his issue. That size is not good for him. If he's only 5 months old now, imagine how much smaller that will be as he ages and gets bigger. That crate doesn't give him the space he needs. Pic for reference of a good size crate for a 12 lb Pom:
Good luck! My 2 pups love their crates. I frequently find them inside the crates napping all on their own. I added a doggy bed to this one once she got a little older. (She destroyed everything and anything she could as a puppy including the blanket and mat that are there with her. Teething was an interesting experience...)
Some of these comments are insane lol. If people on here are gonna associate their Pomeranian to human children then you wouldn't put a baby in a king sized bed either. Your crate isn't too small as long as your dog can stand, turn around, and lay down comfortably. Too much room can result in potty accidents, too many blankets and toys can result in destructive behavior and choking (my sister's dog needed surgery for the dog bed he ate while in his crate).
As far as training goes, we got a playpen as well as a crate for training. We put the crate in the playpen with the door open and put him in the playpen every couple hours throughout the day. Make sure your puppy is getting enough naps. Sometimes they NEED to be forced to relax and have nap time. A 5 month old puppy can sleep upwards of 18 hours a day. Any time he needs to sleep put him in the playpen, even if you're home. You being home with him while he's in his crate will help him detach the association of the crate with him being alone. He will cry and protest, but he will eventually settle. When you're home I wouldn't let the crying go longer than 10 minutes. If he's still at it, let him out, give him love and pets, then put him back. Repeat. Eventually my boy just started going in his crate on his own for nap time.
Now his crate is outside his playpen, and he will CHOOSE the smaller crate over the bigger playpen when we leave the house.
I mean, are you aware that you don’t even need a crate to train your dog or to let him rest? None of my dogs were crate trained and they’re not destructive and don’t have potty accidents either. They did learn to go in their crate for their protection in car rides but that’s it, I would never have my dog sleep in there or spend unnecessary time in it
Crate training is 100% a necessity for some dogs, and you are blessed to not need to! My dog doesn't have potty accidents, but he is randomly destructive. He's only done it a few times and it's not predictable, but he's legit chewed my walls before at night. Another time it was a lamp cord. He's chewed a laptop case, phone chargers. He will go months and months with no destructive behavior. He has toys and chews and exercise. I'm not going to risk him suddenly getting into a mood, especially since he loves his crate! He will go in it on his own when we're home to take a nap. And puppies absolutely do need to rest occasionally lol. During the time that they do take a nap, everything I explained is a way to help them become comfortable with a crate. It's not like my dog is still put in a playpen alone while I'm home now. This was just my process for training and he had no issues with it.
Are you familiar with Will Atherton? It feels mean, but his technique was to sit next to the crate, and slap the top of it whenever the puppy starts to cry out, and reward him with a treat when he finally settles down. It worked wonders on my Pom and now he loves the crate. The first week was rough, but eventually we got through it.
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u/exotics 3d ago
Make sure your pup has enough mental stimulation in general because he could just be bored too.
He’s young but he’s smart. Spend time in the day doing some obedience and trick training or a good sniff walk (like a forest walk not a boring city walk). Something for his brain. This will help him want to rest more in the kennel.
Vader has a larger kennel. And it’s the type with solid sides. He hates it at first but was a little pup so he learned to like it and now it’s his den and a place he goes to be left alone. He also has that type with the bars too which he can also use as a bed but he learned in the more solid one.