[pastel]

The first couple of times I crated her, I couldn't figure out what she was wet from. She apparently drools the whole time she's crated.
She sleeps with us at night, but she goes in the crate everytime we go out. I put Nike in the same crate with her but she still drools like crazy!

First of all, I'm wondering if she might get dehydrated. I tried to syringe her some water, gatorade, etc.. because she literally drools a pool by the time we get back.
Second, I'm wondering if I should keep crating her, or how to get her more comfortable when we go out.

This is the first time I've ever had a dog that drooled when they were upset. I've had a pee-er, a barker/howler, a chewer... this is soo weird!

 

[susan davis]

Could you try a playpen? Then she'd have a safe enclosure for when you go out, but not confined quite so much. Good luck. Sue

 

[klein]

i never crated Klein, i used a playpen from the beginning and that is where he stays when i leave him.
at first he wasnt too sure what to make of it but now he loves it.
he is almost always calmer when "locked" in in there..
he sleeps in it at night so it has become his safety area.
i would def try that with a big bowl of water and everything else needed to keep the little one happy!

 

[chideb]

We, too, have used playpens instead of crates and it has worked very well for us for over 20 years. You might want to try it and see if there is a difference in the way Fila reacts to be left.

 

[KrystalLeigh]

I know that dogs lick a lot when they're stressed, so drooling makes sense. I would maybe skip the crate training for right now, and get her more comfortable and then work your way back to crate training in the future really slowly if that's what you want to do. I agree that maybe trying a playpen might be worth a shot?

 

[intent2smile]

When we were crate training Jaxx I did a lot of research on how to get a dog to be comfortable in a crate. I did a search on the web for "crate training". On Google the first two entries that come up should be from the Humane Society and American Dog Trainers Association. I found both of those articles very informative.
From my research I took Jaxx's crate apart and put it into our living room and let him get used to it without being in such a small space.
I also used the trick of hiding treats in his kennel and leaving him for a very short time. So that he would know that I would come back even if he was in the crate.
I am not sure how old Fila is but the age of the dog is very important when crate training. Young puppies are unable to hold their bladders for long periods of time therefore young puppies should not be left in kennels for more than the time period that they can hold themselves. This is why a playpen works well for young puppies so that they can have a place to sleep and a puppy pad to do their business on. We still used a crate for Jaxx when we got him but I made sure I woke up in the middle of the night to take him outside.

 

[pastel]

Thanks everyone! We might do the playpen thing.

Edit: the pen i posted might be too small. Any suggestions?

might seem useful later on too anyway
our crate is in the living room and it's always open when we're home. Nike goes in it when she hears the vacuum or whenever she's scared.
I think the longest I kept FILA in the crate was 2 hours and I'm surprised how long this 9 week old puppy can hold it! She will hold almost all night if I don't half force her to pee in the middle of the night. (I get up twice a night for my baby anyway so I figured it's a good time for pee too)

Anyway, I've put her chew in there, etc.. left for a minute and came back. Hopefully over time she'll be a happier dog in there.