Franklin Phil Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 I think there needs to be a sticky on crate training huskies. It comes up a lot and it DOES present problems to new owners unique to crating other dogs. If you've posted on the subject in the past explaining your experiences and ideas, please search it out and copy and paste it here. Or if you've never posted on the subject but have experience, please share. It won't read like normal post, but rather just a wealth of experienced husky owners tips and ideas. If enough good information on the subject gets added to this thread, perhaps it will be worth making a sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 It can be tricky with this breed and I would say it could take the whole 3 months of ACTIVE training to make the progress you'll need to leave him alone while you go back to school. My recommendation is that you start TODAY by putting him in his crate (or wherever you put him) and leave the house. Just step outside and listen. Mentally document how long he stays quiet ( whether or not even starts in before you leave the room). Be gone for ten minutes. Then go back and release your dog. NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT! Do NOT make a big deal upon releasing him by getting down on the floor and excitedly praising him. This energy will confirm for him that there was something for him to be concerned about. Just go and open his crate and let him out. After. Several minutes you can begin playing with him again. Do this 3 times a day. Begin staying. Gone longer and longer each day. It takes time but soon you'll have a dog that really loves his special place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 great idea! I crate trained my boys from day one - it was HELL Kimba cried and cried - i ended up sleeping with my ipod on so i couldn't hear him as it upset me too much. I set my alarm every few hours to go and take him for a wee then settled him right back in. He had a t shirt of mine and blankets so he had my scent. It took a few weeks but we got there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraB Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 One thing that can help is to get a bunch of kongs or similar toy (like those everlasting treat balls) and fill them up with peanut butter or whatever, freeze them, and then give them to her just before you leave. That will give her something to do while you are gone. Also exercise them a lot before you go, so hopefully they will just sleep while you are gone. My girls are pretty good when they are in their crates at home, but if I have Siku someplace different like an agility dog show, she SCREAMS when I walk away from her. I just ignore her (though she sounds like I'm killing her) and she eventually stops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 i have no advice sorry - blaze has never been crated n skyla was already used to a crate from her breeders so i didnt need to crate train her i just put her in her crate (eventually before we went out she would go n get in it her self) and chucked a couple of treats in there or a rawhide chew closed the door n left her too it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex T Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Isis was never crate trained until she was about 9 months old. Successfully trained her within about 2 weeks - just by feeding her in there, then closing the door beind her (but not locking it), eventually locking it and leaving her in there for a few minutes then opening it. I'd also recommend throwing a blanket or something similar over the crate to make it more den like - I know Isis settles better when the cover is pulled over the front rather than when its left over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 I've got my Adak crate trained, though to be honest, it DOES take time. With a little patience it should go fine. Our crates are in our bedroom. It's their own special "nigh night". After some difficult months, Adak now loves his crate, and will go there to sleep all the time during the day by himself. We've never fed him in it or offered water in it. But as the evening progressess, if we're up too late, Adak won't wait for us but will just go to his crate. In the day, when we have to leave, we just announce to the dogs, "Let's go nigh night" and both will run down the hall and charge right into their respective crates. Absolutely no problem. An earlier reply mentioned not using it for punishment. This is absolutely true. Never use the crate as a way of punishing him/her. The dog must learn that this is their own special place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 Just in case you were wondering what size crate to get, a 42 inch long crate is a good size for a husky. Sometimes we try and apply human values to our dogs and think, "Gee, the 48 inch model is only ten bucks more and he can have more room." This thinking is really a mistake that could make it more difficult in training your husky. Six months later, your husky is fully crate trained and he now loves his crate. But the reality is, while HE doesn't understand this (because he's a dog), he'd really have been happier in the right size crate. A single dog will experience more security in more confined space. In the end, the training process will go smoother buying a size appropriate crate for your animal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arooroomom Posted June 11, 2011 Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 Generally I think if you can just tough out a few days (or weeks) of a screaming Husky that's all it takes. People get scared and upset to hear their dog cry and carry on like that... But this breed is so vocal and so dramatic I don't know how people can expect anything else?! Eventually they WILL stop. They WILL. You just have to be more stubborn. With puppies i'd take them out a few times a night. If they woke me up in the middle of the night screaming and carrying on i'd take them out to pee and make no fuss about it. If within 5 minutes there's no action going on they went back in the crate. Usually there would be a screaming fit but within 5-10 minutes they'll usually hush and go back to sleep. Leaving their toys in the crate during the day (and always tossing them back in after they've been played with is a good way to get your dog accustomed to walking into the crate. Randomly dropping treats in the crate, feeding in the crate, giving super great toys/treats in the crate... are all good ways to build up a positive experience with the crate. If you've got an older dog who's not used to the crate the positive association is a very important step as they're not used to such a thing. Consistently working with the dog and the crate and showing them that this isn't a bad or scary place will pay off in the end. But again, they WILL scream. They WILL howl. They WILL cry. It's not because they're being tortured... it's because they're Huskies and they want it their way. Once they figure it's not getting them anywhere they WILL stop! You just have to stick it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akira4112 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 whats the best method for crate training? do you put puppy pads in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Hello We never use pads but we try to take him regular out and encourage him to his needs out and when he made a mess in the crate I wasn`t too happy and he find out in general Vlad have been a good as a husky pup . First night in the crate he cried allot my heart was in pices but I didn`t go to let him out and we try to tired him before to put him in the crate and continue to play with him inside and he will have a treat every time after a while he will go by himself inside do not forget his toys and something what he can chew .When we took him from the breeder we took a blanket with us to take the sent from his mum and brothers and place in his crate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 whats the best method for crate training? do you put puppy pads in? Puppy pads sounds like $. You DO want to put something in there for him (like your old t-shirt you just wore all day). But in the beginning you don't want to put anything in there that you have any desire to see again. My dogs are locked in at night and cheerfully charge in and lay down at night. In the morning, I open the crates, they may or may not come out right away. I get up kinda early for them. It DOES take time and patience to get to this point though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 whats the best method for crate training? do you put puppy pads in? Were you thinking of pads to protect carpet underneath? The crates have a solid plastic tray at the bottom to protect flooring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akira4112 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Were you thinking of pads to protect carpet underneath? The crates have a solid plastic tray at the bottom to protect flooring. i was just thinking off soaking up anything he does inside of the crate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 i was just thinking off soaking up anything he does inside of the crate Find an old t-shirt and where it for the day. Throw it in there unlaundered. The ability to smell you should provide him some comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PnkFlyd204 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 No advice as I gave up on crate training Mr. Viggo. Besides, he is home alone for about 9 hours every weekday. Seems a bit cruel to keep him stuck in a crate for that long. My house suffered a bit when he was a pup, but he is now very trustworthy in the house. I like the idea about the t-shirt. Props to Brian! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akira4112 Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 i like the t.shirt idea myself thanks for that i guess i will try using the crate and see how akira responds to it i guess people have different methods i just wondering what is the best really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 our husky was BRUTAL in the crate for the first 2 weeks, we almost gave up but we tried a few different things. now he's succesfully crate trained put him in there a few times a day for 40 minutes, not just at night. give him all his meals in there with the door open so he associates it with food put a towel over the front so he can't see out at night leave a radio on quiet closeby so every little sound doesn't freak him out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac91 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yeah, I am having a horrible time with Mika. She literally cried ALL night last night. She would stop for 20-30 mins and then start again, we even put the crate in our room so that she was around us and still no go and she hits the door more than whining she crys a bit but mostly she claws the door really hard and really fast so its like someone is banging the door over and over. I took her out 3 times from 11:30pm - 4:00am and made sure to take her straight out and then straight back in the crate so she knows that she was getting released because she was whining but in case she had to pee. I guess we will see what happens tonight, funny thing is she didn't do this night before last she cried for a bit and then went to sleep. I think my issue is that she plays so hard during the day that she goes off and goes to sleep after dinner and a potty break at like 8:30 and we don't go to bed until 10:30 and by then she has had a nap and is ready to go again. I think I just gotta keep her from sleeping before hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin Phil Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Yeah, I am having a horrible time with Mika. She literally cried ALL night last night. She would stop for 20-30 mins and then start again, we even put the crate in our room so that she was around us and still no go and she hits the door more than... Hang in there. As I and others have pointed out in this thread, it may take a good while before she gets used to it. I think your doing the right things. So long as she figures out that her tantrums in the crate aren't going to score her any points, she'll finally turn the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac91 Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have also tried music the past couple of nights and it seems to quiet her up faster. Has anyone ever tried that? And if so, is there any issues in the future with doing this,? (Ex. Won't sleep unless music is on?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceybob Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have also tried music the past couple of nights and it seems to quiet her up faster. Has anyone ever tried that? And if so, is there any issues in the future with doing this,? (Ex. Won't sleep unless music is on?) I have used the radio before and I've gradually weaned it out by putting the volume quieter and quieter. Some dogs will become attached to it so it's difficult to give you a yes or no answer on that. I have heard that classical music in particular is very soothing for dogs. Stacey xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac91 Posted June 26, 2011 Report Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have it just set on what I always listen to which is Contemporary Christian, it consists of a little of everything, rock, slow songs, etc. I think once she stops whining I will start weaning her off of it then. We are finishing up week one of crate training this evening. Next week I plan on putting her in it for 10 mins at a time while I am home maybe 3 times a day. She has been getting her meals in it for almost a month, and when its dinner time she will follow me around a bit and then run into her crate and sit down and wait for the food, so I was happy when she did that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Roberts Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 I had Nico at 12 weeks and I trained him after a few days of adjusting to our family. I started slowly by putting his favourite toys and chews in, then his food, but leaving the door open. I left his crate open at night to start with but after a few days I got him to sleep inside. I'm normally up at around 5am so I open the crate and the back door but he usually doesn't bother to come out lol He even goes inside when we are eating and several times a day when he just wants to chill out. I think I got lucky as I had no crying or whining, although he does cry sometimes as we are about to leave but stops as soon as we walk out the door. Hope this helps anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katelyn Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I'm really happy to have found this forum! Many of the tips in here has helped Taz finally settle in in his kennel. We used the music tip - we now play music everytime he goes to sleep. We also have left a mini fan on top of his kennel to keep him cool and comfortable. We also leave out a toy for him to play outside his kennel, and by the time it's time to sleep or we need him to go in the crate, we put the toy in his crate and he seems to enjoy it. And just three days ago, I started to feed him inside his kennel. And now, when he sees that I'm putting food in his bowl, he knows where to go. We also play with him for a while right before it's time to go to bed, and we make sure that he does his final poop and pee for the day before sleepy time. Last night, my husband and I had our first night's sleep in 6 days without having to get up. He did whimper a few times throughout the night, but he went right back to sleep. And we checked to see if there were any accidents in his kennel, but nothing! We're so happy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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