i know hoe to crate train, but the thing is she already accosiates the crate with bad times from when my brother tried to train her but badly. everytime shes in her crate she will scream very loudly, and this will go on for hours, at night, mostly. sometimes i think she is hurt and run to go see if shes alright because one time she was chewing on the crate and got her muzzle stuck in it, she screamed so loudly i was so scared, now sometimes she will scream like that and i think she is hurt, so i let her out as a kind of impulse. i really need help i cant sleep and i am writing this in a time of need.
Star_of_Darkness2019-08-20T14:12:07Z
Throw the cage in the trash and give the dog to a rescue so it can have a better non lazy owner. Only the lazy use cages
A cage is only for travel and recovery from injury or surgery
Clip the door of the crate open, so it doesn't close, put her water and bed in it and ALWAYS put her food in the crate, you can also cover the crate with a sheet/blanket, so it is more den like......at first she will stretch from the open door to eat her meal, but as soon as she realises no one is going to shut her in she will start to go in, if you/your brother used the command crate, then change that command to 'den'....any treats, toys, raw bones etc put them in the crate, that way you are making it associate her den as a safe, secure place associated with good things....... ONLY once she goes inside and eats her meal, or lays down you close the door, just for 2 seconds, so close and immediately open and build that up over the next few days/weeks until you can command den and she happily goes in and accepts the door being closed
Crate training should always be done for every dog regardless of if the owner intends to use the crate or not simply as when they are ill and have to go to the vet the first place they go into is a crate so being ill and in pain and put in a crate which they have never been trained to go in is very stressful for those dogs, whereas a dog who has been crate trained and knows it is a nice safe den will feel more content and safer at the worse possible time
Use a puppy pen instead of a crate. A crate is not always necessary to keep a pup out of mischief. Once a puppy has learnt something, whether its a good or bad thing, its extremely difficult to erase the memory of it. A lot of memories are stored in a pups brain between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks and most stay with the pup for its whole life. That is why its essential to be very careful with a pups training and care within that short period of its life. My pup had a `very bad` painful experience at the vets with his paws when he was very young, and now he is adult, despite me handling his paws twice daily, he always seems to feel the need to initially kick up a protest.
If she's really that traumatised I think you may have to abandon the idea of being able to crate her, sadly because there's no better way to travel, or to be able to confine a dog when recovering from surgery or an injury. Or just having a safe place to have a puppy when it can't be supervised, to keep it out of mischief, or danger.
What you could try is using it as a normal dog bed - putting bedding and toys in there, covered on top and sides and leaving the door open, by day. If that's her only comfortable bed, she should start to go in there. At night, bring the crate up alongside your bed so she's not feeling alone. That way you can see if she's stuck rather than running to her.
If she's not going to accept being crated on occasion, then you'll just have to set up a safe area (perhaps using an ex-pen or a cleared kitchen with a baby-gate across the door).