Re: [PyrNet-L] crate question

["Tracy Bassett" <espinay@dynamite.com.au>]

<<Leo is 12 weeks old today and it seems he is getting less and less
tolerant of staying in his crate. >> Katie

Hi Katie,

What do you do when Leo makes a fuss?  Do you go to him, talk to him, tell
him to shut up :-), take him out of the crate etc?  If you do, what you are
probably doing is reinforcing for him that the louder he yells, the more
attention he gets and he achieves his goal of getting out of the crate!
Here is a suggestion:

If he is making a noise, ignore him completely (I know, I know, but buy some
earplugs! LOL!).  Don't try to sooth him or talk to him (this is giving him
the attention he wants), Don't tell him off (negative attention, but still
attention), and don't take him out of the crate (his ultimate goal!).  Just
ignore him completely.  His yelling will get worse at first - after all he
has learnt that the louder he yells, the more attention he gets!  But if you
keep ignoring him when he yells, he will eventually get the message that it
gets him nowhere, and it should get less and less.

Now as well as doing this, you need to reward him for being quiet.  This
means taking him out of the crate when he is quiet (5 mins minimum of no
yelling counts as quiet) - you will need to take him out regularly to do his
business so you can ignore the yelling with a clear conscience.  Also reward
him for being quiet with praise, gentle attention and treats.

A tip - don't give in even once!  By saying 'oh, allright, just this time'
you will set yourself back a long long way.  He is likely to yell even
louder for even longer! :-/  What you will have inadvertantly done is
randomly reinforced the behaviour you want to stop.  And by reinforcing it
this way, you will have made it stronger and harder to get rid of.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! :-)

Tracy Bassett
Canberra, Australia
espinay@dynamite.com.au
visit my webpage at http://members.dynamite.com.au/espinay/index.htm