CRATE.??? - Page 1

                  I have always crated my dogs in the past with no problems. I was taught to put the crate in another room ,( my dinning room) so the dog can have a refuge to a quiet place. One of the trainers I am working with recommended I put the crate in the living room so Prince does not feel so isolated. To make a long story short , Prince has started lunging and barking at us through the cage every time we walk by...It is absolutely annoying.  I think it is causing him to have anxiety about being in the cage. He seems to be very stressed while in the cage. The trainer recommended feeding him in his cage as well. now he has shown food aggression on one occasion. ......Was this a bad idea or is this a bad Prince...????

                                                                         Ruger1

It sounds like a bad idea for Prince! How old is Prince?

Just turned 8 months old....

I agree w/ beetree...it makes no sense to have him in a crate if you are in the house,  you can teach him to remain in the dinning room even when you are not home, my dogs remain in the kitchen while i am out and never cross onto the carpet or rugged area unless invited. I was told many times crate is for "work in progress" dogs but if yours is housebroken, knows boundaries (that if he is restricted to the dining area only) which i don't think is the case...he may just choose to go lay in an open crate if you do leave it in the dining room and if he wants company he will join you in the living room..my 7 month old puppy lays in a kitchen/living room doorway most of the time, unless she wants to sleep and then she retreats to open laundry room onto her pillow and snoozes there. If she wants to go out she will sit in the doorway and will look at me then back door, then me, then back door....try to do what will work for you and your dog, options are limitless...

Beetree......LOL......Of course he is housebroken he has been since about 9 weeks old give or take.....We crate very seldom. I was only crating when I would leave the house....I put the crate in the dinning room originally to give Prince a quiet spot. Trainer wanted it moved so he could see us while he is in the crate...which is not often, but when he is crated he acts like an idiot...I will crate at night and when I need a break from his puppy energy....I;m talking about 1 hour a day...that's not asking much....is it?... He will "settle"...but is not 100% reliable....the crate is 100%....I am working on it....

Also, he sleeps in a crate next to my bed and is great.....never had any problems there..

I figured he was housebroken, don't worry! It is just that crateing  isn't working for Prince, is all. I think your ultimate goal will be to do away with needing the crate. Someone mentioned that GSD's in shelters don't do well because they become kennel defenders. I think that is what is happening here. Easiest thing to do would be to stop this right away by doing away with the crate.

I could be totally wrong, of course!

       I think your right....This will  be the motivation to really start working on his "settle" or "place"....Thanks for the posts ...
                                                  Ruger1

I don't agree with crating him in the same room you are in, especially when he's so upset about it.  I would rather crate a dog in a room that doesn't get activity and they can relax. That's the whole point. They shouldn't feel stimulated to protect or feel anxious while in their crate and certainly puppies will have a hard time relaxing in their crate when there is so much going on!

When he gets older, you could move the crate during the day into the active area of your house, if it was important to you.