Posts Tagged ‘Crate training a dog’
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.
Crate Training Your Puppy
Crate training your puppy is one of the best ways to teach your puppy discipline. This can train your dog not to be nervous, too energetic or anxious when you are away from him. Crates for your puppy are great for indoor use, making the puppy feel safe as to where he is and also great to use as a travel crate when transporting your puppy.
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The crate for your puppy should be safe and secure. It is necessary to make it comfortable so he doesn’t think it a no go zone
To make it easier for your puppy to get accustomed to the crate and therefore feel comfortable entering it and sitting or laying inside, you could add some of the puppies toys inside the crate and also a pillow or blanket to make the area a lot more comfortable and interesting for your puppy.
If your puppy does not feel comfortable entering the crate a good way to get him used to it is by gently persuading him about 3 or 4 a day by dropping some doggy treats into the crate. Feeding him in the crate is also very helpful, try this bit by bit, start by feeding him next to the crate then slowly move the food into the crate.
Make sure that you praise and reward your puppy when he finally begins to go into the crate himself, without any help at all. The best way to praise him would be to enthusiastically give him a doggy treat and later on you can change the doggy treat for a toy or a ball, whatever makes your pup happy.
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Never try to force your puppy to use the crate and never force him inside, by doing this the only this you are going to achieve is that your puppy will fear the crate and never get used to it. Also when training your puppy to use the crate, never leave him locked up in it for a large amount of time as this can make him anxious, especially if you are not in the room with him.
Commence crate training your puppy when you know that you have sufficent time to spend with him and you can be in the same room. To be able to get your puppy used to the fact that he is alone in the room and crate it is a good idea to start off by leaving the room for a short amount of time and then reentering the room.
You will have to consider a number of things when you start crate training your puppy and these will depend on the size, age and breed of the puppy.
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Crate Training a Dog Common Problems
Crate training a dog can be a great way to keep your dog safe and secure while giving you a sense of peace during your time away from home. There are good and bad methods to crate training a dog but if you think this through and plan it out, you can be safe in the knowledge that your dog is peaceful and not destroying your house while you are out.
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Size matters. When crate training a dog make sure that you give full consideration to the size of the crate. Too small and your dog can become neurotic. You have to think how big your dog might get and dont buy a crate that seems ok but means that your dog looks like the incredible hulk in an ill fitting suit when he is full grown.
Get him used to it first and give him time. He is being asked to look at things differently and he is likely to be anxious so you may think about sitting with him and giving him comfort at first.
If your dog has some inches in space when standing and lying then he should be comfortable. It is better to err on the side of too big rather than too small.
You will find it best if you take some time to sit with him when you forst get the crate as he will need to get used to it. With time, give him a treat when he goes in on his own and another if he allows you to close the door without making a fuss.Once he has done that, give him a little time in it then open the door.
Furthermore, think about your plan before you start. Your pet will undoubtedly not be happy at first, he may bark or whine or scratch at the crate, he may even sound like he is going to expire. He’s not. He doesn’t want to be on his own, he wants to be with you but if you give in to him in the early stages because he is making such a protest, you will never get him used to the idea.
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Included in this are the times when you get home or you first get up.Make sure he is quiet for a short time before you let him out. Crate training a dog is difficult when they think they can get you to open it up by making a commotion.
Giving them something to keep them occupied can be a good idea but you have to think it through as some can cause choking if you are not around. I would personally avoid leaving a dog alone with a rawhide. Some dogs destroy anyhting they can lay their paws on and can swallow small things that migth cause them to choke. Other dogs can be perfectly safe in this environment. An accident can happen and you make decide it is better to be safe and avoid leaving anything hazardous with them
Done correctly you can crate train a dog safely and relatively easily if you get some training yourself and I would recommend that you look at some of the online dog training guides for this and other methods of crate training a dog.