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Changing Crates


Chula

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Well, we made the mistake of starting Chula out in a crate that she will very soon be too large to fit in comfortably for longer periods of time. She's GREAT in her crate. Hasn't had messes (knock on wood) and sleeps there quietly now from 10 pm - 6 am every night. I am so scared that changing crates is going to freak her out and she'll regress - but she bangs on the walls with her feet or head when she moves in the night so it's time to upsize. I was not ready for her to grow so quickly!

 

Have you had any experience changing crates? How did doggie react? Any tips/tricks for getting her to love a new crate? This time I'll get one with dividers so that it stays functional until she's grown. 

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Well, we made the mistake of starting Chula out in a crate that she will very soon be too large to fit in comfortably for longer periods of time. She's GREAT in her crate. Hasn't had messes (knock on wood) and sleeps there quietly now from 10 pm - 6 am every night. I am so scared that changing crates is going to freak her out and she'll regress - but she bangs on the walls with her feet or head when she moves in the night so it's time to upsize. I was not ready for her to grow so quickly!

 

Have you had any experience changing crates? How did doggie react? Any tips/tricks for getting her to love a new crate? This time I'll get one with dividers so that it stays functional until she's grown. 

We started with one that we borrowed and found out that this wasn't going to work. So we got one with dividers that is metal (I don't know how to explain it). Wire crate maybe? And we would throw treats in there and keep it open so he could check it out, etc. Needless to say now he LOVES IT!!!! He also REALLY REALLY REALLY likes it when I get ready to leave for school and I get his kong (which he only gets when I leave) and put peanut butter on it. I don't even have to say box and he is already in there. So basically you have to get her acclimated just like you would if you just got her.

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as she's already used to a crate then just move her bed or what ever she lies on over to the new crate. also you could put an old t.shirt of your's in so she has a familier smell, you can also feed her in there.

 

 

 

Be careful with treats at her age, she may become relient on them and wont do any thing for you unless she get's one, also give carrots as treats there better for them

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I had a medium sized wire crate when I got Nikko with the divider. When I was getting Yukon I got a hand-me-down crate from my friends' sister who did not need theirs anymore.  It was bigger and had 3 doors :)  About a week before Yukon arrived I switched Nikko's crate and it didn't make a bit of difference to him.  I wanted to introduce him to it BEFORE Yukon arrived so he wasn't wondering why he took over his home!  When I did bring Yukon home I kept him in the plastic carrier for the first couple of weeks and then introduced him to Nikko's old crate.  I gave them treats or carrots when I put them in their crates and have not had any issues.

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Good, I'm glad to hear that others haven't had any issues. At night she goes into her crate with no problem all by herself, since that's the only time she gets to be in the bedroom she knows that it means bedtime. But we have been moving the crate downstairs during the day and I think we'll have to stop doing that with a bigger crate. 

 

Jason, you live in a townhouse, right? So are your crates downstairs or upstairs? I like having her sleep in our room, but I kinda don't want her there all day long. I guess we could do two crates, one upstairs and one down - would that be confusing?

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Good, I'm glad to hear that others haven't had any issues. At night she goes into her crate with no problem all by herself, since that's the only time she gets to be in the bedroom she knows that it means bedtime. But we have been moving the crate downstairs during the day and I think we'll have to stop doing that with a bigger crate. 

 

Jason, you live in a townhouse, right? So are your crates downstairs or upstairs? I like having her sleep in our room, but I kinda don't want her there all day long. I guess we could do two crates, one upstairs and one down - would that be confusing?

I didn't see your post until now, at work sometimes the site does not work, anyway yeah I am in a townhouse. Their crates are upstairs, one in each bedroom. They sleep in my bed, but when I go to work, Nikko goes to his crate in one room, and Yukon goes to the other crate in the other bedroom. 

 

Before I had Yukon, when it was just Nikko I had one crate downstairs, and one up, but I never used the downstairs crate.  

 

Why don't you want her in the crate in the bedroom all day long?  

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I just switched Knox's crate. We too had someone let us borrow one and he outgrew it we went ahead and bought the same size Luka has. I don't bother with the divider because Knox has never pottied in his crate.

It hasn't changed anything with him and Luka doesn't seem to notice it's not too small for him anymore. I crate mine in my kitchen just because there's no reason for them to be in my room because they sleep in the bed.

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