Crate training is very useful. Done right, the dog will not hate its crate and will use it for solace. My pug tends to get in his crate to sleep even though I don’t always put him in it when I leave. It’s clear that he feels safe and comfortable in there. This is a dog who is pretty vigilant and very person-focused, and I only have one dog, so without me it’s not surprised if he feels some anxiety. He never gets in it (unless to retrieve a toy or a bone) when I’m home - then his place is with me - but when I can’t be home, it’s a good place for him to be.
That said, there can be problems. I’ve seen a few reasons why animals started being difficult about the crate:
1 - The crate was used in anger or for punishment.
2 - The animal’s kept in the crate too long.
3 - The crate is uncomfortable or unpleasant in some way (needs cleaning, soft bedding, a bigger crate for the animal, etc).
4 - Something bad happened in or involving the crate, or it doesn’t feel safe (loud noises, wire crate in an exposed area).
5 - Defying the crate command initially leads to indulgence (getting out the treats) or a confusing result (fine then, don’t get in your crate!).
If it’s none of those then I’d guess it’s just the dog testing boundaries. Corgis can be stubborn. I have a pug and he can be the same way. As I mentioned before, he feels safe in his crate - if I leave for awhile, especially at night, and do not crate him (we are working away from using the crate during non-sleeping hours) then he will get in there eventually. Due to an extended program involving treats and several bedding tweaks, he usually RUNS to get in his crate when I ask him now. But once in awhile he’ll cock his head like he doesn’t understand, or go lie down under the table. He’s just being contrary.
Plus, pugs are hard to potty train. I don’t know how I could have done it without the crate. He hated going in his crate, but let him out (when he was a puppy) and he was hair-trigger on dropping a deuce someplace without notice. Thankfully we’re past that stage now!
Thanks for the suggestions. It seems the most likely explanation is that she is just pushing back now that she’s an adolescent. (That would explain all the bad rap music blaring from her crate too. “Turn that noise down!”)
It totally fits with her personality. She’s the mischievous, strong willed dog, while the other one is submissive and obedient almost to a fault. He races to his crate at the very first indication we might, maybe, possibly, be about to give him the command. Maintain a little dignity there, sport.
Sorry, but the term crate training may be new, but the method is old. When I was a kid in the 70s, we put our new puppy in a big cardboard box to sleep in, and then took him outside as soon as he was out of the box to pee. It’s how you quickly potty train a dog. My dad said it was how he always raised his pups and he’s old as dirt.
She may not have needed it, but maybe she still wanted it. As described above, the crate/cage/carrier/whatever also serves as a private refuge. Our 10 year old dog goes to her “house” whenever she wants to, and any time we issue the order “house!” Even better, any time we’re on the road for work (usually months at a time in a single spot), we don’t travel with her container, but we find a cave-like area that’s agreeable to all of us, and that becomes her new “house.” She’s happy, and so are we.