Training A Dog To Use A Crate
08 Dec 2009
Training your dog to use a crate may be more effort than teaching a puppy, but it is all a state of mind. If done correctly, your dog will feel at ease within his crate and not be capable of causing problems while you are not in the same room watching him.
These are some tips and ideas that may assist you in appropriately crate training your companion.
*Crate Size Is Important
Your dog should be able to turn around and stand up in his crate. The crate is not large enough if he is unable to comfortably do those things.
You can purchase a special type of cushion made to fit in your crate, or you can put whatever he normally lays on in there.
If the bedding is comfortable and your dog likes it, the fact that it wasn’t custom-fit to the crate is a non-issue. Another good idea is to select bedding which is easy to wash.
If it happens that your dog shows fear when he is exposed to the crate, he may have had a bad experience correlated with them at one time or another. Although these issues will not make it impossible to crate train your dog properly, you will most likely need more patient with your dog.
*Take Your Time
Begin by putting the crate in a room where the dog currently is comfortable and spends allot of his time. Let the crate there and the door ajar. It is important not to force your dog to go inside, you should let him explore at his own speed.
To increase your dog’s interest in the crate, either place treats or toys near the door of the crate. After some time, the treats may be moved from the door to the inside of the crate.
If your pet goes inside of its own accord, you can have a go at shutting the door (just don’t exit the room; make sure your pet knows you are there). In the beginning, for a few minutes you should leave it closed.
Increase the amount of time spent in the crate gradually.
Through time your dog will not mind if you leave the door shut for longer time periods. Next, go out of the room for just a couple of minutes, and then slowly increase the amount of time that you are out of the room and away.
You should not pursue additional steps until your dog is comfortable with the current step.
A huge mistake that many people make when crate training a dog is to use the crate as a form of retributation.
You only want to use a crate in a positive manner, otherwise your dog will view his time in the crate as punishment and will not be happy or secure using it. He will fear the crate instead of viewing it as a safe place.
After you have accustomed your dog to the crate, he may be left in it for a few hours.
There are those who leave their dog in a crate while they go out and pursue their occupation. Some people choose to crate their dogs overnight. Do not do both.
If your dog is in the crate while you are at work and while you are asleep, then your dog will be in the crate for as long as sixteen hours in a day. This is not acceptable.
Appropriate crate training is really not a fast or simple process. Although it make take several weeks or even months, having your dog crate trained is truly worthwhile. A crucial component of crate training is to make sure your dog learns to relate positively to the crate.
Help him to believe that this is his happy place while you are gone.
Stay calm and patient and everything should work out ok.
