# Peanut butter in kongs for crate time help?!



## LADR (Aug 15, 2011)

I used the search tab and looked through several old posts. Still could use some help.

Finn is an 8 wk old male. We are having crate issues. Even if we leave him < 2 hrs (sometimes only 1 hr) in the crate during the day and he was remotely awake when we put him in the crate he cries/screams the whole time we are gone (so says our neighbors) and pees. Every time. But if he's asleep and I put him in there we are OK for a few hours as long as he doesn't wake up. Unfortunately, our schedule doesn't allow for him to always be asleep before he goes in the crate! 

We run and run with him in a field before he goes in the crate and he goes pees several times before the crate. I've tried pulling his water ~ 1hr before crate time. At night he makes it 4-5 hrs between potty breaks and sleeps just fine in his crate without issue.

Some of your posts have suggested keeping them entertained in the crate because he may be bored while we are gone. We bought some kongs last night. We also bought the kong treats to stuff with and a different ball we can put his puppy food in. I've read in some books and other posts about peanut butter or carrots. Is he too young for this? Do you all recommend natural peanut butter? Any other ideas re: success for crate time during the day?


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Kongs are the best invention for pups. I'm not sure of the age issue but peanut butter mixed with some small kibble was a lifesaver for Bailey as a pup.

Just kibble would fall out. He learned how to rip Kongs apart and we went through quite a few.

The harder it is for your pup to get it out the better. I used to freeze them and then it would be even tougher for him to get it out until it started to thaw out.

Have fun.

Redbirddog


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

So sorry you are having this problem. 

It seems one more ingredient is missing: Family companionship. 

These dogs need to be close, I mean in the same room close. These dog's life revolves around the owner. VELCRO dog.

They need to be trained gradually to stay alone longer and longer. At such young age it's hard.


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

Went through it w/ Mac..schedule, crying etc. Peanut butter seemed fine w/ him at a young age....we used Kraft Brand, but natural I'm sure is best. In regards to the crying. Just bring your neighbours a nice bottle of wine and ask for their patience. He's only 8 weeks old, it will improve don't worry. 3 days, one week, two weeks, you''lll see a huge improvement. He's used to having littermates 24/7. ONce he gets used to schedule and knows you're returning everytime you put him in he'll get the hang of it. Keeping his mind busy is of course a good idea, but just have patience.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Our Mac different then the Mac just before. Hello Macaroni! cried in his crate for a few days when we got him home. We were lucky as this stopped quickly. I think one thing that really helped and not sure if you are already doing this but if in a wire crate then hanging blankets or towels over it makes if much more relaxing. We cover the whole thing even the door side when we have the door shut. Try this if you aren't already as it seems to work for lots of dogs. Also bedding is key. If he is still having pee accidents at night make sure you are using Vet Bed so that when he does pee it isn't leaving his bedding all wet. It is very important that you completely clean the crate everytime he does pee or the smell will encourage this again. Also if he is 8 weeks you should consider dividing his crate until he is bigger. As stated by others and yourself Kongs are great! Also it might benefit you to not go straight from running in a field to the crate and actually do some training and engage his mind before going into the crate. Still run him as this is great but give him time to work his mind too as this often relaxes. My puppy is so over excited after exercise that I always try to get him to chew on a toy or do some training on commands before going into his crate. Also while he still doesn't like his crate give him a little treat for going into it each time. You can also hide small kibble bits in his crate to make him really love it in there. Good luck!


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## LADR (Aug 15, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions! Glad peanut butter worked out OK with other pups ... I feel more comfortable giving it a try now.

Finn has been home about a week and is with us almost all the time. For the first several days when I had to go into my work (I've been trying to do most from home) he was at work with my husband and often sitting in someones lap. As he is getting a little more confident and bold he doesn't last long at the office because he gets noisy and wants to play and distracts the whole place!! Plus he's so cute everyone wants to come see him. My husband and I are really active (hence attraction to vizslas) and would like to go on a run together or out to dinner for an hour. I'd love to go to the grocery  Also I have to be back to work 8-11 and 1-4 starting Sept 1st so we are just trying to ease him into crate life!

We aren't at all trying to abandon him or anything like that. We LOVE the fact that his favorite place to sit is in our laps, but I don't want to set up that expectation for him when in reality we can't be with him 24/7 for the rest of his life (although that would be way more fun!)

I like the idea of freezing the Kongs. He is quite smart (as are all Vizslas) so the more challenge the better!

Yes, we have put a blanket over the crate, but I haven't been covering the door. I can try that idea. I'm just using old towels in the crate and I wash them every time he pees. We take out the tray and I wash it too with soap and water, then natural thymol wipes, spray disinfectant and put it outside for a while. No ammonia cleaners. I wash all the toys that were in the crate with him. It is divided, but it is a small crate. I wondered if we had made it too small, but he can turn around and lay down comfortably. I thought bigger may just give him a place to pee and then lay elsewhere 

Training after exercise is a good idea to get his mind engaged but his body calmed!

Thank you for taking the time to respond.


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## Maisy Mae (Jul 22, 2011)

Those are really good ideas we have used the kong with peanut trick. But to be honest when we got Maisy she was already crate trained so we didn't go through as much of what you are. If you have the room the best idea is a outdoor kennel. I you don't have the room I would puppy pad in the crate before you put him so if does have an occasional accident it save alot of cleaning!


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## KonasPop (Aug 9, 2011)

Went through same with Kona - now 8mo. and issues are very spotty. 
Kong with PB worked great - used natural PB with kibble mixed in every single time she had to go in crate. 
We didn't give her this treat any other time - she now knows when i start undoing the lid to PB to run upstairs, inside kennel, and sit quietly in crate. PB lasts about 25 seconds now, just enough time to get out the door 

8 wks is so young - their brains aren't even fully dev'd yet and they are learning how to learn. Did not understand this until I had a V (had weims/labs before). We did towels in crate as well - i believe this created a problem as she learned that she could pee on towel, push to back of kennel and still be OK, regardless of how small i made the space. 

Solution: remove towels when you dint want her to pee. She peed one time w/o a towel and we had to bathe her. Now if there is no towel in there she won't pee. Obvious right? We replace towel at night for comfort when i know she would never pee now at 8mo. 

Kona will still cry if we leave her mid day and she isn't completely tired (even with Kong). She Will cry for about 10 minutes. I can hear from the driveway when i pull out, but when we come home she is sitting quiet and patient to be let out. Eventually we hope she will mature out of this. 

I agree with several other posts - completely covering the kennel (this helped kona a lot and only recently have we uncovered - 6 mo. later), no water 2HRS before crate, no towels inside crate if she's not going to bed at night, keep crate space small (i used plywood cut to size) and gradually move each month to her size, consistency and never ever breaking down. So hard when they are screaming their head off but we just left and sucked it up. 

Things i tried initially were feeding her in crate, keeping door closed til settled and letting her out. Keep door closed longer and longer after she finishes food - you sit right outside crate quiet as can be and see how she tries to figure out how the heck to I get out of here. Once settled open door - lots of praise. This only helped to some degree. 

I crate her ever morning after she eats downstairs, goes outside, has a quick chase of the cat, etc. for my shower. I open Pb can, she shoots upstairs, I drop in, close door and get ready for work. I remember the first few months she would just cry the whole shower until she heard the bath door pop open. Now, she is quiet the entire time getting dressed, moving around room to room etc. until i let her out one more time...


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Peanut butter Kongs were a lifesaver for us! I'd just do one trial run with anything you might introduce to a Kong--peanut butter, carrots, apples, bananas, etc. while you're there to observe how he handles it. Moreso for the solid foods to make sure he doesn't just try to swallow them whole or something. Jasper was confused about how awesome Kongs were until peanut butter came around--now we have to freeze them or he gets through them too fast! He's recently decided he doesn't like peanut butter anymore, so we've switched to cottage cheese for a while.  I did use natural peanut butter with Jasper, just because I prefer it for myself!

Finn will get better as he gets older. Don't forget to play crate games--make going in the crate awesome! Hide treats in his bedding, throw treats in to get him to go in, then bring him back out--keep doing this for a bit, then wait for him to offer the behavior and reward very handsomely for the offer. There's lots of good ideas for crate games out there. And make sure to clean up any messes with an enzyme cleaner that is specifically made for cleaning up pee and poop accidents.

I would also slowly desensitize him to being left alone. Practice seconds at a time, then move up to minutes, then 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc. Pop out the door, but don't come back in until he's quiet. He will eventually understand that just because you're leaving now doesn't mean you'll be gone forever.


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Great ideas above!

I especially agree with redrover about do a trial run with anything you might introduce into a Kong. Peanut butter works with Savannah, but too much does not agree with her stomach. We freeze a bit in an ice cube. Also, those things you stuff in Kongs truly did not agree with her and made potty time quite the event.

You might also try playing a radio softly in the room with her. Some folks have used sound machines. You can search the forum for which sounds worked the best. We use the radio.


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## leahca (Aug 2, 2011)

great ideas---thank you for sharing these....


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## Mighty Hunter (May 17, 2011)

We are fortunate that we have not had any major crating issues however he does get some sort of treat when he has to go in. When he sees his kong or bone or treat he immediately runs to his crate. He has even started to get in his crate as a sign he wants a treat lol We use both all natural peanut butter and almond butter; he doesnt seem to notice the difference but we push it down to the very tip of the Kong and put a tightly fitting ice cube in the top. It is not only a treat but offers a form of stimulation too. I was SO impressed the first time I saw him get his treat out with the ice cube still in it! We have some very smart dogs! Best of Luck!


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