We've had our pup for 2 months now and he's been pretty good. He's 4 months old and from the beginning we've done enforced naps & sleeping in the crate at night. We have to- he doesn't sleep otherwise! He definitely used to bark a bit and whine for a while when we started, but it was never for more than 20 minutes. I'd sit nearby and time him, thinking that if he was still going at thirty I'd get him out and try again.
His crate is covered, away from noise, and he gets a high value lick pad when he goes in. I have a camera set up so that I can see how he settles. He also gets meals in there and has never been put in there for punishment.
Nowadays for naps he may whine a bit or bark periodically for 3-4 minutes (save the occasional meltdown) but then do a couple turns and settle/sleep. Then he is asleep for the full 2 hours.
My question: During these 3-4 minutes I can see him pawing at the crate or sometimes chewing it to get out while he whines. Sometimes i speak to him on the camera "settle. leave it. good boy.." etc and he calms down. But is this normal? It feels like he doesn't like his crate but puts up with it. Is there anything else I can do to make the crate easier for him? It feels like he's like a child going down for a nap (and doesn't want to)…. could this just resolve with maturity?
submitted by /u/possum_47
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