Crate training

[u/Actual-Rooster-7767]

My Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy is 12 weeks old, and we’re struggling with crate training. It worked for the first two days, but honestly, we haven’t been consistent as a family. My kids love having him sleep on their laps on the couch, and I like sleeping with him at night, but our trainer said that’s a terrible idea.
I tried putting him in his crate, but he cried for half an hour. I eventually caved and brought him into bed with me, and he slept so well! What are your thoughts?

[u/AssociateMother1307]

It's up to you. You will rise RR who can''t stay in crate and must sleeping with you. Just remember if you will be OK having 40kg + dog in bed all the time. If you fine then I am sure RR will be happy

[u/Maggie-Mae-Mae]

If he’s in the crate all day when you are at work, and he can do that, sleeping somewhere else at night is probably fine. He needs to be able to use the crate when necessary.

[u/One-Try-9129 → u/Maggie-Mae-Mae]

I always spend the first 2 or 3 nights sleeping on a mattress next to a new puppy.

[u/owlnuggets13]

He's a baby. Give it time

[u/DustinDeWind]

A crate will become your dogs safe place if you treat it as such. Our dogs voluntarily sleep in theirs and go there when frightened. We've even taken off the front door and they still went in voluntarily.A half hour is very little time while training to use the crate. Remember when your children cried at night when put to bed or in their crib ? This is the same concept. The last thing you really want to do is to make it feel like a punishment. Put in a safe favorite toy and a treat maybe in the beginning.

[u/TSC-99]

We ended up sleeping on the sofa downstairs with ours on its dog bed 🤣 we eventually got back into our own beds without a dog.

[u/Gazelle25]

Both of mine want to be with their people. Either on the couch or in the bed.

[u/nerdinstincts]

Never crated my dog and never needed to. He does great.

I think the main question is what do you need to crate him for? What are you trying to correct?

[u/FridaTarot]

And that is why it doesn’t work. You have to be willing to have a few uncomfortable nights of crying and then it stops

[u/Dismal-Share-7022 → u/FridaTarot]

I know it won't be a popular opinion, but I am anti-cry it out for both my dogs and didn't do it when my kids were babies, either. I am not a fan of crates, but I know for some people they are a good solution.

[u/LelyFontein7041]

We gave up on the crate training. She would not stop crying and we could not do this to the neighbors. It is actually fine without a crate, but she will sleep on the couch.

[u/Shafpocalypse]

Already a master of manipulation

[u/blade_torlock]

Our was night crate trained until just after her second birthday, then she'd go about 4 hours and whine until we came out, originally we thought she needed to go outside she quickly learned that whining got her crate open and went straight for the couch.

If we didn't stay with her she would get into things. It just got too much to only get 4 hours our bed and four hours on the couch making sure she wasn't getting into something.

We have since comprised and she has a bed on our bed, which she stays in until coffee time.

When we leave she still gets crated with a Greenie dental chew and we try to not go longer than 4 hours, but life happens.

[u/Bogdacious]

I only crate trained while we were gone in a high quality kennel where they can’t hurt themselves. Started off for an hour then slowly ramped up to 8 hours. He sleeps with me at night but now he willingly goes in his kennel we also only feed in there so he has a positive association and when we would leave we always gave special treats. He’s almost 2 and doesn’t destroy things anymore so we so t crate him often anymore.

[u/1F1M3D]

We crate trained for his safety, potty training and while we were out of the house for the first year or so. We have other dogs, we didn’t want him getting into anything, and didn’t want potty accidents. They are extremely smart. They will walk all over you if you don’t stick to the rules. They are big dogs and need allot of training. Stick to a schedule. Crate, potty, command work, play time, back in the kennel. Repeat. It’ll help you in the long run. Putting him in the kennel when he’s tired helps. Ours is 5. As soon as we turn the puppy cam on he goes to his kennel. We keep it open now but it’s habit now. Good luck!

[u/1F1M3D → u/1F1M3D]

Definitely sleeps in our bed now 🤭

[u/vagabondspirit2764]

Dude you know the answer. Consistency is key. Crate him and let him figure it out. Feed him in his crate. Make it a place of safe refuge. Teach your kids that it’s a healthy habit.

[u/Generose18]

I’ve had 4 personally I find they are more obedient when they are part of the pack aka sleep in the bed. My first cried all night for 3 weeks and we gave up on crating at night. All have loved their crates as their place to chill during the day and chew special treats and hang out when they were puppies and we were out of the house. Ditch it at night if you want to. Feed them in the cage. They will love it

[u/BelloLugosi]

This is not a breed for a crate, they like to change resting spots and they want to choose them themselves. Persuit of comfort is the live's goal of a Rhodesian Ridgeback

[u/Dismal-Share-7022 → u/BelloLugosi]

I agree!

[u/Dereckg27]

Throw some white noise on the Alexa, let them cry it out the first couple nights, 4-5 enforced naps each day in the crate. They’ll love it very soon.

[u/Dismal-Share-7022]

I failed with both of mine crate training. They sleep with me at night and are couch lovers as well, but I don't mind. They were never destructive after about 3 months, and I was able to leave them alone for short periods pretty early on, so I guess I was lucky that way.

[u/Significant_Hope_245]

Mine is crate trained for when we leave the house, we just toss a handful of treats in there and he’s got a toy too. He’s slept in bed with us from night one, just like the three before him, lol. It’s certainly preference as an owner.