No longer wants to go in crate???

[mcstak]

Chester is almost 6 months old. He has always loved his crate. It was never a problem asking him to go inside with a special treat.

All of a sudden for about a week or so, he will not go into his crate when we need him to do so.

We have tried all sorts of treats and he will sit in front of the crate and stare at the treats, and then look away when I give him the command "in your crate". The only way to get him in is as soon as I see him go near the crate to get a treat, I have to gently nudge his backside. Then I lock the door.

Once inside the crate he is fine. He won't bark unless he wakes up from a nap and needs to go outside.

Any idea why all of a sudden he will go in his crate when he "decides" to do so, and not when I need him to?
Any suggestions how to make his crate his special place again?
Can you say a puppy is stubborn?

The crate was never an issue with our other dog, but Chester is always keeping me on my toes.

[SCDoug]

Chester might just be going through one of those stubborn/contrarian phases. We never had a problem with Lola going into the crate, but we did have a period of time when she wouldn't get in or out of the car (I had to pick her up).

Try feeding Chester in his crate. He'll start to associate positive things with the crate.

Btw - That Chester is a handsome boy...old soul. :-)

[janedoe]

He may have been spooked or something smells funny or he's testing you. No matter what the case, since he's good with being in there, I would recommend being matter of fact about the process. Toss in the treat, give him a nudge, praise him briefly and shut the door then walk away. I'll bet that he gets tired of the interaction and just starts going in on his own again.

[ZRabbits]

Lilly went through a very slight phase where she didn't want to go into her crate. We would say "crate" and she would go hide under the kitchen table. Didn't last long, as she now goes in when I command.

Hang in there. He's just testing you.

KAZ

[sparky]

Mocha associates the crate with treats. We have always given him treats, Bil-Jac bones, yogurt, peanut butter Kong. So far we have had no issues. Positive renforcement and consistency would be my only suggestion. Good luck.

[mcstak]

Thank you all for the advice. I have spent a small fortune in "new and interesting" treats over the past week, and he just stares at them and will not budge. The moment he decides to go in, I have to jump into action to close the crate or else he runs out very quickly.

I have tried feeding him in it too, but he will act like he is not interested in his food. Eventually he goes in to eat it.

This morning was another battle of the wills getting him in. Once he is in, no problem...it's just getting him in.

[ZRabbits]

It will get better. Started out with treats, worked for a while but Lilly caught on. I had to lead her into it because we have to. We work. Now she goes in on command. Still give her a treat when she enters.

KAZ