# dog trainer suggested sheet completely over crate at night. thoughts?



## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

We have been doing a sheet over the crate but she wants us to cover the front too. I feel bad that she wouldn't be able to see us then but I guess she'd hear us but I guess I am imagining myself in that situation and how uncomfortable it would be but it wouldn't be like that for an animal right? Do you think we should do this or do you do this and how is your dog with it?


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

So, is she barking or whining in the crate? What's the reason your trainer wants you to do this? My demo dog Alice has decided she doesn't like strange dogs at the school staring at her when she is crated, and I think that's a valid opinion, so I do cover her crate there, and she seems perfectly fine with it


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

she does bark and whine at night but I assume it's normal as we've only had her for a week. We do take her out obviously but the barking/whining at times is still happening even after we've taken her out. The trainer wants her crate to be like a den and be dark even though our room is dark but this is why she suggested it. She also wants us to have a fan near her.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

The fan's a good idea. I think the sheet sort of depends on the dog.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Puppy0226 said:


> she does bark and whine at night but I assume it's normal as we've only had her for a week. We do take her out obviously but the barking/whining at times is still happening even after we've taken her out. The trainer wants her crate to be like a den and be dark even though our room is dark but this is why she suggested it. She also wants us to have a fan near her.


The barking and whining can be normal, but the sheet over crate is something to try and I would think harmless. Myself I would give the little dog another week or so to see if the bark/whine stops by itself. Then sheet can be tried the fan not gonna comment on cause I've never used it.


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## coreysmom (Jul 6, 2012)

I think that the sheet may help with the barking and whinning because he/ she can't see you moving around. The fan is probably just for "white noise", a constant sound that helps her calm down and sleep. It will also help drown out the noise of you moving around in the bedroom. 
Good luck!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

The sheet should help... just like we used to do with the parakeet's cage. ONe thing to watch is to be sure that the pup can't reach the sheet, pull it into the crate and rip it to shreds.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

hanksimon said:


> The sheet should help... just like we used to do with the parakeet's cage. ONe thing to watch is to be sure that the pup can't reach the sheet, pull it into the crate and rip it to shreds.


This is exactly what I could see my pup doing. He'd spend the entire night working to get a corner, then yank the entire thing in and destroy it. 

It's unconventional, but we found we could NOT have the puppy sleep upstairs with us. When we did, endless barking and whining. I think part of it was that it was just totally unfamiliar to him. He didn't ever go upstairs, and suddenly he's in a strange room and can't get to us? AHH! We moved him downstairs to "his" room at night, gave him a super awesome chewy treat and suddenly, we had a quiet dog at night. Now that he's older, he can handle sleeping in bed with us on occasion, but if his crate was next to the bed and he could SEE me but not get to me? I could see it once again being a bark-and-whine fest.


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## Puppy0226 (Jun 7, 2012)

Wow it worked like a charm.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

That's a vote of confidence for the trainer... keep it positive


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