Destructive Puppies

[weloveourdanes]

Whew weeeeee do I have my hands full with these two terrorist!!! My pups just turned 4 months 1 week old. Things were going well, then BOOM they destroyed a bed, my trash, my carpet on the stairwell, a rug, a brand new baby monitor that I hadn't even taken out of the box and it was on a surface I have no idea how they got it... not all in the same day. I purchased these awesome baby gates to keep them confined to one room when I'm not available, which is a MAX of 2 hours. The gates work great, except now they've chewed on a wall and a door that's closed but has decorative notches. Today I came in from the store and had purchased them a couple new toys and they didn't have any accidents while I was gone so I gave them to them. I also bought a new rug to go under their water. I ran downstairs to do some laundry, was gone 5 minutes and came back up to my new rug being demolished. Those new toys weren't as fun as a rug.

So, I don't crate. It's not something I like, I don't like to confine them to such a small space, HOWEVER. That thought has come to an end as they are going to destroy any and everything they can get their hands on. They have kongs, balls, non-stuffed toys, tug of war rope, bully sticks available at all times.

I think I'm ready to crate ... I guess it should of been started from day one, but we can't go back in time.

Do you crate? Did you start it from day one? Have any suggestions for warming them up to this?

Thanks a bunch!

[Kumah]

I absolutely think every dog should be crate trained. Not only for day to day life, but so that the dog is used to it if it needs to be crated for some unforeseen reason. I've kenneled Nala since I got her at 11 weeks. I no longer kennel Kumah, but I baby gate her in the bathroom. Kennelling your boys will not only keep your house intact, but will keep your boys safe as well.

[oshagcj914]

Absolutely crate train. If done correctly, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. They get heir own little den, your house stays in one piece, and you don't have to worry about coming home to find a dead dog because they've swallowed something they shouldn't have. Not to mention that they may need to be crated some time in their lives (after surgery for example) and if they're not used to it, that's just another source of stress. Plus with two pups the same age, you need to make sure they're spending plenty of time apart and getting separate training so you can avoid the issues associated with littermate syndrome. I personally wouldn't even crate them in the same room so they don't become dependent on one another.

[SaraJewel03]

Yes yes yes to crate training! I don't know why we humans feel bad about crating our animals but it is SO much better for them. My own mother criticizes me for crating Moose. She has 6 dogs that are left out all day because she feels as if it would hurt their feelings to put them up. She also comes home from work each day to clean up pee, poop and whatever else they got into that day. And these are grown dogs! You may not have to Crate for the rest of their lives because they may grow (in a few years) to be perfectly mannered and trustworthy members of your family... but for now they are silly, curious and easily bored puppies!

I too am only away from home a few hours a few times a week. We do crate Moose during these times and it gives me great comfort know that I don't have to worry about him or my things during my time away. Moose has his "room" as we call it and even when I'm here with him he retreats to it to nap or chew his toys. Highly recommend!

[kcarpent]

We started crate training Finn from day one... it has been phenomenal for potty training! However, we have had to work to lessen his tendency to shred and chew on everything he can fit his mouth around. The crate has been useful for keeping him confined when we can't keep an eye on him, but doesn't do much on its own to prevent crazy puppyness.

Here is a picture from when he was about 3 months old, and our dog walker forgot to crate him before she left... Even though we had been working on only chewing appropriate objects, he couldn't resist going for everything in sight... and this doesn't even include the toilet paper in the bathroom that he drug all around the floor


He's almost 5 months old now and has become much better at chewing on his toys. I think it's a combination of a few things- Older puppy is able to focus for longer, and we're able to get more out of our training sessions. Better impulse control to resist the 'it's a new thing, must chew!!' urge that he used to have when he was younger.

As far as warming them up to the crate, we found kikopup's crate training video a big help (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUzF0g0PwY4). We gave Finn all his chew toys in the crate, used to feed him in the crate, and generally tried to make it the 'place where good things happen.'

[DeeDee63]

I LOVE the photos! I don't have a Great Dane yet, but will some day. I agree with the crating. Some dogs need to feel like they are safe and comfortable when no none is home. My dog started to eat a shoe here and there....then a couch. I started to crate him when I went out, and he would dive for the crate because I gave him a Kong full of treats when he went in. When I returned he would be sitting quietly in the crate!