Puppy Hates Crate

Question
Hi Labman.  I just got a Bernese Mt. Dog puppy and she is about 11 weeks old.  We are having problems with her crate because she hates going in it.  She is typically ok after a few minutes of whining once she's in, but we have had to actually pick her up and force her to go into it in the past, which I know is horrible for her, but we had no other option at the time.  I have begun to coax her in with a lot of treats (as our puppy trainer suggested), but she still seems to hate it.  I am wondering if you have any other ideas for how to make her like (or maybe even love) being in her crate.  Thanks for the help!

Answer
It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first.  What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the household, and any other pets.  In our modern society, even if we are home, other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have.   The only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around.  The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house.  It relaxes, it feels safe in its den.  It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self.  Dogs that have been crated all along do very well.  Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open.  I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling.  Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew.  Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys.  Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter.  Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up.  It will do fine without even any bedding.  You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate.  Praise it for going in.  Feed it in the crate.  This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

I think puppies adjust quicker to crates at a younger age.  She may have had some bad experiences being left shut up in too small of an area too long by the breeder.