Crate Training

Question
We just got an 8 month old male 2 days ago.  We tried to leave him in the crate the first night but he whined for an hour so I slept on the couch beside him and that calmed him down a bit and eventually he went to sleep.  The second night I tried the same but he still wouldn't stop whining so I had to sleep on the couch again.  What do you recommend to stop the whining?  I gave him pigs ears in the crate today but he just ate them and then started whining immediately.  Your help is appreciated.

Answer
First, consistency is key in getting the dog to stop whining.  He's protesting being left in the crate, and begging for attention.  If you succumb to that, you've then reinforced the idea that if he cries, you come.  So, he definitely will not stop doing that since it works.

I usually recommend that the crate be placed in the bedroom if possible, as it gives the dog some companionship (everyone else is sleeping, I can too).  And, it also provides you the opportunity to monitor him.  While crated at night, especially the first few, you may need to take him outside during the night once or twice for him to relieve himself.  At his age, he should be able to make it through the night without needing to, but a new crate you might want to let him a few times until he gets used to it.  So with this, if he whines, you take him out to let him go to the bathroom, and then bring him right back in for going to sleep.

As far as toys and things in the crate, generally, one good thing is about all they need, and what that is depends on the dog.  My one dog loves bones in her crate, and if she has to stay in there, she'll curl up around a bone and gnaw on that until she gets tired and go to sleep.  Works well.  My other dog, he loves a little stuff animal or squeaky toys (annoying, but he enjoys them)!  So, it's whatever the dog feels comfortable with.

The hardest part is being able to ignore the dog when he just wants out because he doesn't want to be in there, and then letting him out at the right times when he needs to.  I generally would make sure to keep the dog in the crate until it had stopped crying for about 5 minutes, unless it was in the middle of the night when I would take them out to the bathroom.

Other helpful pieces of advice to get the crate more dog friendly:

1) Make sure it's a den-like atmosphere.  Pushed up to a corner, a blanket over the top, a comfortable bed, etc.  It should be dark and secure.  A lot of people will put it out in the open so the dog feels like they are out of the crate; this has an opposite affect with most dogs.  They feel exposed and have to stay alert since they are trapped and not feeling secure.

2) The closer the crate is to you, the better.  Sibes are social animals, so even if they have to sleep in the crate alone, they will feel better if they are close to you.

3) Train with the crate outside of times that the dog doesn't want to be in there.  Feed kibble in the crate (door open is fine).  Have games where the dog goes into the crate to get things, or you toss treats in there.  Just anything that gets the dog in and out of the crate a lot helps.

4) Obedience training.  Very important for Sibes, and I would recommend that if you get to a point of doing Down-Stays, try to have the dog do them in the crate.  You can leave the door open, but make the dog get used to laying in the crate and being comfortable there.

5) Exercise.  A tired husky is a good husky, so if you can get him worn out and then stick him in his crate, you have definitely increased your chances of having him actually sleep.

Hope that helps some and good luck getting some sleep!  It's usually a rough start, but it will get better.