well-trained dog suddenly won't go in her crate

Question:
 Hi folks- I have a ~4 year old beagle mix who has been cheerfully going in her crate with a treat every morning for several years now. Last week, seemingly out of the blue, she suddenly started getting more and more resistant to going in- to the point where we ended up leaving her out this morning (since we didn't want to force her in and had to get to work!). Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this sudden change in behavior? The only thing out of the ordinary that we think might be linked is that last Tuesday my husband shut her in the extra room (the same room as her crate, but not locked in her crate) for an hour or so while a man was at the house cleaning our furnace. My husband was home the whole time, but she doesn't like strangers in the house and barked her head off until the man left. The thing is, she went her crate just fine after he left- so this refusal to go in has just sort of escalated. Think this could have so mthing to do with it? She does sleep on our bed, so we're thinking of re-relegating her to her cushion on the floor in the hopes that maybe she'll get a little less bossy (we've done this before, but she seemed to get really timid and it just made us feel bad!) Any ideas on causes or solutions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks- Corinna
Answer:
 I would leave the crate open all the time and feed all her meals in there. If she wants to eat, she has to get in. Also leave the door open and HIDE treats in there for her to find. Make the crate a game. Often when dogs start to have crate issues, we shove them in - this makes the crate a negative and scary now. Or we give up and the dog learns that if he fights enough, human backs off. We teach teh dog to fight the crate. Instead, if teh dog wants something, he has to get in (like his meal or to find that there may be a treat in it). Then start dropping a treat WAY in the back and when the dog goes in, close the door, softly praise, treat and release the dog - the beginnings of recrate training.
Answer:
 You need to rule out bladder infection, stones, etc and if the dog is fine (so call your vet first), then get back to basics and retrain. Also, poor use (over use) of teh crate can cause a dog to be forced to potty in it. Once medical is ruled out, back to basics: Puppies housebreak at different rates. Some breeds are tougher to teach to go potty outside than others. Your crate and a consistent schedule are two key ingredients to teaching puppy to potty outside. Even if you have an adult dog, you can adapt the puppy schedule… Schedule Depending on the age of your puppy will depend on how many meals he eats a day. Puppies up to about six months should be getting three meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Feed Puppy at the same time each meal and use a potty schedule that corresponds to eating. Here is an example: 6:30 a.m. - wake up and take Puppy to go potty. 6:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate and give him water. 7:15 a.m. - take Puppy to go potty. Young puppies have small bladders and less capacity. They may need to go out every couple of hours during the day. 11:30 a.m. - take Puppy potty 11:45 a.m. - feed Puppy in crate 12:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty Puppies, like children, benefit from naps after play. Put Puppy in his crate with a drink and a few safe toys and let him "go sleepies" for an hour or so. 4:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty 5:00 p.m. - feed Puppy supper in crate 5:30 p.m. - take Puppy potty Evenings, especially in the summer when it is cooler, are a great time to take Puppy for walks and socialize him. Plus, this will help tire him out for the evening. 8:00 p.m. - pick up water for evening 9:00 p.m. - take Puppy potty 9:30 p.m. - put Puppy in crate for bed Note: young puppies cannot be expected to hold all night. It can be months until they have enough bladder control so be patient. Look for signals between scheduled potty times that Puppy needs to go out: sniffing around the ground, circling, etc. When you see him start this, say a sharp "AAAAH! NO" to stop the action and then say in a happy tone some thing like "Want to go out?" Take Puppy outside immediately to his potty area and encourage him to go. I use "Go Kennel!" You can use "Get Busy", "Go Potty" or whatever you like - just use the same command each time and praise as soon as the action happens. My dogs will stand by the door to signal they have to go out. I know people who have taught dogs to rings bells hanging from the doorknob. Along with a solid schedule, puppy needs to be with you and not roaming the house unsupervised. Use baby gates or if you are walking about, umbilical cord the puppy to you with a leash. This way, puppy is never out of your sight. The best redirection (correction) is the one that happens the instant the behavior of pottying inside happens. If puppy is wandering the house and gets to realize there are times he can potty inside, he will continue to do so. Also, a correction after the fact is a correction that is lost. If you are going to be in a position where you cannot watch him (napping, going out) crate him. And NEVER leave the leash on puppy when he is crated or when he is not tied to you. A dragging leash can get tangled and puppy could get hurt. Should Puppy have an accident in the house, you must catch him in the act for discipline to be effective - why in the above paragraph the use of gates and a leash was brought up. If puppy has pottied five minutes ago on your best rug and you just see it, the correction is totally lost. Puppies and dogs forget faster and will interpret the discipline not being done because he pottied in the house but for something different. Clean up the spot well and with something that will neutralize the odor. Use one of the commercially made products or white vinegar and water. I am against paper training or using those special pads that "encourage" Puppy to go potty on them. This teaches Puppy it is fine to potty in the house. Now you want to teach him he cannot do something once fine for him to do. It is confusing. Unless you are disabled or for some reason MUST paper train, I encourage people to avoid it. Bear in mind that should a housebroken puppy or dog begin having accidents, there could be an underlying physical reason such as a bladder infection. Should this not be the case, there could be a behavioral issue such as submission urination or stress. Should you start having problems with a dog not prone to problems, seek medical assistance first. Also, as a dog ages, accidents may happen. Accidents also happen with fully trained dogs. Dogs not neutered or spayed have a higher incidence of eliminating in the house as well.