Advice on crate training an older dog

35notout

Hi guys,

I picked a dog up yesterday from the pound - he is about 95% Springer Spaniel and approx 2 years old.

He was in a bad way - very skinny, hair very matted and smelly as hell!

Last night I put him in a crate in my basement for the night, as I couldn't bear the smell in the living room. He is going to the groomers today though, so that will be gone today thankfully.

I hav a crate and would very much like to train him to use this, as he is not housetrained at all - in face he peed on my leg this morning LOL

Any advice? I know I should have the crate in the living room with me, which I will today. But is there anything else I should be doing?

He was fine all night - not a peep our of him. But when I put him back in this morning he barked the place down (probably cos he could hear me upstairs) I would imagine this will change when the crate is in the living room?

I will need to get him semi-used to it before next week when I return to work as he will need to stay there during the day (he will be let out for pee breaks by my neighbour)

He is not neutered yet either - but I will give him a week to settle in before I do that to him!

All advice greatly appreciated

Lawley

i have 2 rescue springers... so i know...
One of the will do anything for the ball and the other will anything for roast chicken.
Find their love.. and work with it.
The easiest way to train springers in clear hand singals and vocal comands. They are sit, stay, lay down, give both paws and wait. We got a book on training. Now dont think for one minute that my two are well trainer obedient Dogs casue there not.... And after 6 years we're still trying to get one to stop pulling on the lead, tried everything....

but that's the madness of having springers. great Personalities and certainly not boring dogs....

Toulouse

Fair play OP for taking him on.

If you go to this page here http://petcentral.yolasite.com/printables.php the Doggie Den section deals with crate training and there's also a section on house-training for adults too.

Good luck!

Inexile

Everything is new to this guy at the moment not just the crate!

I feed one of my dogs in her crate so now when I take out the food bowls she legs it into the crate. Lucky its in a corner or else it would slide across the kitchen with the force that she lands into it:D

Keep some nice things in the crate like toys and some treats. If he sees it as a place where nice things happen he will settle into it.

Good luck and thanks for helping a poundie.