Crate training a 7-year-old Boxer

Starting crate training with a seven-year-old Boxer is absolutely doable — adult dogs can learn this, it just takes a bit more patience because there's no existing positive association to build on, and in some ways that's easier than fixing a bad one. Crate training works when the crate genuinely becomes the dog's chosen space, not somewhere they're shut away. The right size and type matters a lot — Boxers are stocky, deep-chested dogs, and many crates that look big enough on paper feel cramped for them. The introduction pace matters even more with an older dog. To point you in the right direction: how big is your Boxer, roughly — are we talking 25kg or more? And is the main goal to give the dog a calm retreat now the baby's home, or are you also thinking about times you need them safely contained?

That's exactly the right framing, and honestly it gives you the best chance of success. You're not trying to confine her, you're giving her an opt-in retreat — that's much easier to sell to a dog. For a 30kg stocky Boxer you need a generous crate, somewhere she can stand, turn, and stretch out fully on her side. What type of setup suits your home — do you have space for a solid-sided crate that feels more den-like, or does it need to fold flat when not in use?

Perfect — a more enclosed feel is genuinely better for an anxious dog, and it'll look tidier in your living room too. Here's what I'd recommend: the Midwest Homes for Pets Ginormous Crate is overkill for most breeds but it's actually well-suited for a solid-sided approach when you use a crate cover with it. However, given you want that enclosed den feel from the start, I'd steer you toward the Ferplast Crate with the solid plastic panelling — specifically the Ferplast Atlas 100 Professional. It's a hard-sided travel-style crate but it works brilliantly as a permanent home retreat for anxious dogs because the solid walls muffle noise and reduce visual stimulation, which is exactly what a nervy dog in a chaotic house needs. It's large enough for a 30kg Boxer, easy to clean, and the door can be left open so she wanders in and out freely at first. That voluntary entry phase is the whole game with older dogs — you want her choosing it before you ever close the door.

She's never had the option presented properly — that's all. Start with the crate in the room with the door open and her bed or a worn t-shirt of yours inside. Don't encourage her toward it at all for the first day or two, just let it exist. Then start dropping high-value treats just inside the entrance without any fuss — walk past, drop a treat, carry on. Once she's going in voluntarily to investigate, you can start feeding her meals just inside the door, then gradually further in. With an anxious dog adjusting to a new baby, go slowly — two weeks of open-door positive association before you even try closing it briefly. The goal is that she starts choosing it when things get loud, which she will if the association is solid.

Keep it simple — a familiar-smelling blanket or your old jumper, and a long-lasting chew like a stuffed Kong she only gets in there. That last part is important: the really good stuff only appears inside the crate. Within a few days most dogs start gravitating toward it because that's where the good things happen. Avoid putting in squeaky toys or anything exciting that'll wind her up — calm associations are what you're building. Given she's anxious around the baby noise, you might also find a white noise machine nearby helps settle her in there during feeds or crying spells.