# Crate Guarding!



## sheasmommy (Jan 30, 2011)

I just adopted a bulldog rescue from a wonderful rescue group. She is a beautiful little girl and she's doing really well getting adjusted. The family had to give my Shea up when she showed agressive behavior around her crate and also aversion to the home's new baby. 

Shea LOVES being in her crate. So much in fact that when you go to open the door, she immediately goes on the defense and tries to bite through her crate. I brought her home in the car and was able to get her out of her crate by putting a blanket over the crate so she couldn't see me opening the crate and then luring her out with a treat. It's a little scary for me though that this very sweet, loving dog goes ballistic coming out of her crate. I can't really take her anywhere, not to the dog park or anything because she just freaks coming out of her crate. But now i have to take her to the vet for the first time (I just picked her up yesterday) on Wednesday and I'm worried about her!

Any ideas on what I can do? Anyone else struggling with crate guarding?


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Never heard of this, but I can speculate that the original family hit the crate and yelled at the pup when she whined.

If this is the only poor behavior, here are some random suggestions:
1. Can you remove the front gate or leave it propped open, closing the crate with the blanket ?
2. Does she bite, if you pet her through the gate ?
3. If you get a very high value treat, like a small taste of boiled chicken, and offer it through the gate, what happens when you open the gate?
4. How about putting her in the crate with a Kong, then open the gate while she is chewing?
5. If you put her into the crate without closing the gate, can you lure her out again ?


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## Jo Belle (Jul 7, 2010)

We experience something like this with our dog, but not as severe. Lully loves her crate so much, when we go near it she quickly runs inside and blocks us from getting in. If the cats go near her crate, she get's PO'd!!! We have been working with this in the same way you handle any other resource guarding issue - by taking baby steps and rewarding her for not reacting negatively. I admit, we sort of stopped this training lately, as we've been focusing on the obedience classes she's in, but while we were practicing, we were making progress.

It is possible that your dog's original family hit her crate when she was young, but we certainly never did anything along those lines to Lully. She just loves her crate and doesn't want anyone else near it.


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## sheasmommy (Jan 30, 2011)

Yes I was wondering this too. She gets out of control if you go near it! BUT I actually have a happy update! I called my aunt who is a long time rescuer of dogs and she told me to just ignore her when she's in the crate. Do my business, walk around, just don't even deal with her when she's in the crate. And when she comes out generously praise her...

And you know what? It's working. She came out and snuggled and played, she went to sleep on the bed I bought her at Petco! And last night when I closed the crate up, she didn't make a PEEP! And in the morning when I let her out, she didn't bite, she just was ready to go to the bathroom. 

I'm wondering if her former owner's saw her being in the crate as a bad thing and tried a bunch of really not-nice things to get her out. Honestly, I don't care if she's in the crate or not. She's NOT destructive, she lets me know when she needs to go out, she comes out to eat and drink... maybe the problem was NEVER her. I think the foster that I adopted her from scared me into thinking that she was going to be a vicious dog if I brought the crate upstairs... and she's honestly not. Actually since I brought the crate up she's stopped with the excessive barking (which my neighbors in my condo were complaining about...) and she also no longer wakes me up at 4am. Like, she's a whole new dog!

Hank, I leave the crate door open during the day and at night I close it. And when I first picked her up, yes she would try to bite if I even went near the crate door...now she seems to not even care? Maybe she just needed to know that I don't care about the crate and that she can be safe in there? 

Thank you both for your help! I'm hoping this behavior stays and that she doesn't become crazed again. I have to take her to the vet next Saturday (I live in CT and we're getting slammed this winter, ugh. Snow and ice are not my friends) for a wellness checkup and moving the crate/the car is an issue with her. Any tips or suggestions for the car? 

<3 Thank you so much.


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## Jo Belle (Jul 7, 2010)

What does she do in the car? Do you have a harness that you can buckle into a seat-belt to keep her (and yourself) safe during the drive?


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