Crate Training An Adult Rottie

 

I got a 12 year old rottweiler from a breeder and she has never been in a crate.

What should I put in the crate with her?

Can I keep her in it over night?

Hi
If this girl has never been crated a lot will depend on her personality.

Some dogs will go right into a crate and accept it without problem, but others will get stressed and anxious. Until you know how she’s going to react and learn more about her personality I’d recommend introducing the crate slowly and giving her a chance to get used to it.

At 12 years old it’s going to take her longer than normal to adjust to a new home, family, routine etc. and you don’t want to give her more anxiety than necessary.

She shouldn’t have any trouble with housebreaking as her bladder/bowel control will be good, plus she’s well past the chewing-everything stage, so leaving her un-crated at night shouldn’t be a problem.

I wouldn’t recommend crating her overnight to begin with because that’s a long time, start with short periods while you’re home to see how she handles it. Although aimed at puppy owners, my Puppy Crate Training page will still have lots of tips and advice to help you. The principles are the same regardless of the dogs’ age.

Put a couple of sturdy chew toys to keep her busy. Puppies are more likely to pee in their crates if there’s anything soft in there, such as a blanket or soft toy. This is much less likely to be a problem with an adult, but until you see how well she does with it I’d hold off putting anything soft in there just to be safe.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

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Nov 19, 2011

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Adult Rottie NEW
by: Debby Kendall If this Rottie is 12yrs old it is a blessing that she is still here & in good health she is in the last yrs of her life now, for god’s sake don’t put her in a cage let her be free @ her age it is stressful enough for her to adapt to a new home & family it would be heartbreaking to cage her. And why @ this age did the breeder give her to you. I wish you luck with her but please be kind to her in her last yrs of life.

Nov 19, 2011

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crate training NEW
by: Lynne I’ve only had to crate train a dog once, because of separation anxiety. I’ve never had too. I don’t agree in caging dogs or cats. Lets cage you for a number of hours and see if you like it.

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone