Crate Training Siberian Husky Puppy (Long Video)
34Here is Mr Jones going through crate "training" last June (2013). It's a long video, but worth watching until the end (or skipping there) to see him settle down. He was whining for 3-4 minutes before I started recording.
Crate "training" isn't difficult. It just takes a bit of willpower. The most important thing is to stick with it, no matter how much they whine. Eventually a dog will see the crate as it's safe place, often going there by choice.
With a Siberian Husky in particular, I consider crates essential, they can be very destructive when either bored or anxious. No matter how much exercise you think you can give your Husky, there WILL be times when life gets in the way, and you cannot deal with the insanity of a bored Husky if life is stopping you from even walking them for a few days (with me, most recently, this would be when I had the flu).
I think the main issue a dog faces when put into a crate is separation. Often this will be the first time they have ever slept without another puppy, their mother, or freedom to choose.
Your plan should be to play with the puppy or dog as much as possible the day you're going to be crating them overnight. Try to tire them out (they're not going to sleep if they're not sleepy, and the idea is for them to SLEEP in the crate and wake up in there safely). Take them to the bathroom, put them in the crate, then withdraw ALL attention. Carry on your life while they whine. They need to learn to accept that you play with them when you play with them, then you have your own things to do. By ignoring them, you're helping yourself and your dog enormously. Not just with the crate, but accepting you have to do things without them sometimes.
If you need to take them out to go to the bathroom, note their pattern. They will whine, whine, whine, then they'll go through a calm period. Only ever take them outside during a calm period.
Both my dogs (including the one in the video) were house trained from their first night, I took him out every 1.5 hours the first night (yes, it was more tiring than having a newborn baby). I also didn't give him too much to drink the 2-3 hours before bed. Crate training really only took one night, day two he woke me by whining after six hours sleep and I took him outside to pee. The six hour sleeping lasted a couple of weeks and then 9-10 hours happened very quickly. http://timwheatley.org