How To Train A Dog For A Crate
Teaching your dog to use a crate may be more effort than teaching a puppy, but it is all a state of mind. If you crate train right, your dog will feel safe and will be more likely to stay out of mischief when left alone.
Here are a few ideas that may help you to make crate training an acceptable experience.
*Is The Crate The Proper Size
A correctly sized crate for your pup allows him to stand, turn around, and move within the crate. If they are not able to do those types of things easily, then the crate is not big enough.
Make sure that you either purchase a comfortable cushion to place in the crate or place your dog’s favorite bed in there.
As long as you have made comfortable bedding available, having a special crate is irrelevant. Another good idea is to select bedding which is easy to wash.
Often times dogs can be mistreated by past owners, and if you are attempting to crate train and your dog seems afraid of the crate, it could be because it was punished or neglected in a crate in the past. Situations like this will require great patience on your part.
*Introduce Gradually
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. Let your dog go inside at his own pace, don’t rush him.
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.
When your dog comfortably goes in of his own accord, calmly close the door. Close the door for a few minutes.
Leave the door closed a little longer every time.
Through time your dog will not mind if you leave the door shut for longer time periods. Next you will want to go out of the room and then gradually extend your time away from him.
Unless your dog is comfortable with the current step, don’t move on to the next one.
Never use the crate as a form of punishment, that is a common mistake made by to many people.
If you do this, your dog will begin to correlate the crate with negative feelings . 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.
Some people want to keep their dogs in a crate while they are out at work. Some people crate dogs overnight. You really must not, however, participate in both things.
If you crate your dog in the day while you are working in addition to the period when you are asleep, then your pet might spend over 16 hours per day in the crate, more time than they will spend outside of it. This is not acceptable.
Appropriate crate training is really not a fast or simple process. It could take a while, but in the end it will be worth it. A crucial component of crate training is to make sure your dog learns to relate positively to the crate.
You should help your dog learn that the crate is a safe place for him or her while you are not at home.
Stay calm and patient and everything should work out ok.
