Hi, New here! Jack Russell pup query!

[gazmix]

Hi all
I've just aquired a JR male pup & am in process of house training.
At night he stays in kitchen & whimpered a little for his bro's & sis's, mother etc as is normal!

He didn't chew anything & the whimpering has stopped.

My dad has read an old book that says a cage is good to train them to stop scratching at wallpaper or chewing stuff, chair legs etc! To be used when there is no-one in the house, to get the dog used to not having being able to chew & scratch! Not a permanent thing, just until the dog has got house trained.

Does anyone have a view on this & can give me advice.

Regards

Gary

[smiffy]

hi gary
congrats on your new pup thats great :D

i crate train with my own dogs and all the fosters that come through me.
just take your time and make the crate a fun place to be.

to start with keep the doors open and have the only resting place in there ie fluffy blankets. keep the only water bowl just around the door and put pups fave toys in there for him to get.

i like to start games around the crate and every so often throw a toy just inside to fetch and if i use the two door crate then i throw it straight through.

this i know will sound mad but i like to make the crate seem normal and so i sit there with a (cool) cup of tea and a book and the dogs will usually come up and curl up with me (i have received a look of contempt and the dog strutted off but this was an older dog :lol: )

in the blankets i put biscuits to find and when i go out the dogs get a stuffed kong to munch but remember to take all the fluffly toys out when you go due to the choking risk.

as you have a pup by using the above you will be able to close the door fairly quickly but only for short times with you in sight then go back without looking at him and let him out. when mine go to sleep in there i close the door but will be near by doing something (windows/floors) so the pup will be reassured and most will open one eye and snooze some more :)

all this must be done with you in a relaxed manner and not focused or stressed about the crate as your pup will pick up on this.

when it comes to you going out and leaving your pup in the crate dont make a big fuss just say 'bed' as you would at night give him his extra stuffed kong ( i like to seal them with cheese spread and freeze for my learners) shut the door and go - no goodbyes.

mine have all come out of the crates at different stages and are all in normal dog beds with no fuss or puddles but over fire work season my shih tzu finds it a comfort to be in her crate and i oput extra bedding in and cover the top.

she was never scared of fire works until some buffoon had laid his hands on display rockets and let them off just by our garden gate!!!!

some tips though
never use the crate as a punishment but most 'punishments' are given out well after the 'crime' anyway

you dont need a huge crate. dogs dont like to mess on their beds but if the crate is large you will provide extra space to make piddle acceptable.

so long as you are happy and relaxed about the crate your dog will be :)

[gazmix]

Thanks Smiffy
I just don't like to see any animal caged, like today we washed the drive using bleach & he was in his cage & was wimpering!
I thought i know he can't run about in the garden & it felt cruel, but when the house is empty in the long run it will be the best thing! but the shutting them up does me!

At night we don't close the door, so he can wonder in & out if necessary, & take a drink.

A basket will be his future as being caged isn't my way of having a pet, it seems a 2 faced aproach, like you want a pet to love but keep him in a cage!!, even if the door is open, it's still there to be shut.
Even some Parrots get freedom of the area!
Gaz

[smiffy]

dont think of it like that - dogs love the crate when they see it as their own space.

[gazmix]

Yeh, i think he likes being in there, but when the door is shut, he seems to want to get out.
Is it a good way of training the pup not to chew things & stay in his bed when there is nobody in the house!, by locking him in there occasionally?
Sometimes when people are in different rooms & we can't keep an eye on him etc!

Gary

[ritabooker]

Keep trying with the crate. They whine because they want to be held all the time. It is better for their development if they can learn to be separated at appropriate times, for awhile. When we have to go on the road for a couple of nights, Abby was happy to have her crate to stay in because we were in a strange place, and it made her feel "normal". If properly used a crate is not cruel. There are better qualified folks than I to instruct you on how to do that.

I like the approach described by Smiffy. It is kind and focused on the dog.
Her approach is very similar to how we did it.

Also, Abby is 11 months old now, and does not use her crate at all when we are in house. She sleeps upstairs in her bed, or downstairs on her pad.
We only use the crate for unusual circumstances, now. When we both have to be away from the home, she goes in her roomy outside kennel. If the weather should happen to be too severe, she can be left "home alone" inside in her crate. She is always happy to see us return, but not traumatized by the experience.

The best way to easy your guilt over the pup not being allowed to run free outside is to build her a fenced in dog yard, from where she can see you and hopefully be in the same area as you. That is what we had to do.

[champ]

Hi Gary,

I agree with your attitude towards cages, as a rule. I don't think it's fair to keep a dog in a small cage or pen as many people do, often for hours at a time. They at least need an area that's big enough for them to have stuff to do while they're alone & bored. In Australia at least, I beleive most people tend to think that way. It's a rarity to see dogs kept in small runs, let alone cages.

As for 'bad' behaviour such as chewing & digging, etc, this is natural dog behaviour (chewing is also a stress release) and I beleive it should be encouraged, not prevented. Provide your dog with attractive(to him, not you :D ) chew toys, and allocate a spot in the garden where he's encouraged to dig, so that he can endulge 'legally' in these behavoiurs and you've also got an alternative for him when he starts chewing or digging the 'wrong' things.

BUT... I think 'crate training' is a good idea, because occasionally there might be a need to crate the dog for travelling, vet care, whatever, and dogs who have been well trained are far less stressed in this environment.

Also, especially while the dog is young & yet to be trained, it's important to have a puppy-proof area for him when you can't be there to supervise & teach him the right behaviour. You need an area that he either can't wreck, or that doesn't matter if he does, so that you can keep him from getting at or doing things that you want to teach him not to. This might be a room, such as laundry or might be the yard, or part of it. Make sure he only has access to things that he's not allowed to do when you're present, so you can redirect him & teach him acceptable alternatives.

Another thing to think about, if he is to be left alone often is a companion. If he's going to be with you the vast majority of the time, that's fine, but dogs aren't mentally well equipped with being alone or separated from their 'pack' and many unacceptable & compulsive behaviours are brought on due to this stress.

Oh, BTW, I'd advise you find yourself a modern book or 2 on dog training, such as 'The Culture Clash' by Jean Donaldson or books by Ian Dunbar for eg.

[smiffy]

oo yes the good little dog book by ian dunbar is really good.

i should add after champs post i dont think its right either for dogs to be crated hours at a time. mine were used at night - school runs and shopping etc but then again my whole life is 'think dog' :lol:

i started to crate train after i got burnt and my shih tzu was right under my feet. i suffer from fibromyalgia which means upon other things the muscles around my joints are weaker and my wrist just gave out on me.
should i have had anything larger that would have been my pup badly burnt not just my arm but then i put my arm in the way to stop her from getting hurt.

crate training has its place and can be very useful but as champ pointed out its easy to abuse the use of crates as an easy option.

[gazmix]

Thanks for your replies & advice!
In this circumstance, the basket was replaced with the crate afyter 3 nights of successful no scratching at table legs & chewing.
He now uses it as his bed if he wants a nap during the day & during the night, with the door always open!

The door gets closed occasionally for no more than an hour, as my dad believes it's a good way of making them stay in their bed when told to get in it!
This has happened today as someone came to fix the gas boiler & when my mum & dad are watering the front garden & the front door is open & the street is accesable, we don't want him running out & at a time when we can't keep an eye on him.

Eventually, the basket will be brought back, this is where the conflict lies, that he will have gotten used to the crate & then the basket to reappear!, like it's just a way of house training him whilst he's a pup!

Regards

Gary

[smiffy]

be led by your dog its early days yet.

my dogs are not allowed free access to my living room but there is a bed and a bean bag for them and when my pups were still in the crate with my shih tzu in a bed they would go and lie in her bed.it made no difference to them and they were still just as happy to go to their crates.

mine went to beds at different intervals - my shih tzu was in a bed quite early on with star (in the pic) coming up for a year as she thought it was great fun to pull the coats down and make a bed with them instead and my little phsyco dog was 2 1/2 before i took her crate away and even now i have a grate protecting whats left of my door as she will scratch it and when you open the door she will be ready to play with a ball in her mouth trying to look cute!!!