There are many misconceptions surrounding crate training. In fact, many people think it’s cruel to cage their animals, even if for a few hours while they’re not home. But the fact remains: when done correctly and for the right reasons, crate training offers your dog a safe refuge when you’re not home. It can keep them from excessive chewing, barking, and other undesirable behaviors.
Ultimately, crate training revolves around creating a cozy, familiar place for your dog to relax. Here’s what to know!
Why Crate Train Your Dog?
Dogs are denning animals and want a safe place where they can be away from everyone and left in peace. When trained right, they come to see the crate as a den, where they can retreat. This is especially important for anxious dogs who are triggered by loud noises, like fireworks.
Crate training is also an invaluable potty-training tool, significantly reducing the time that it takes to housetrain your dog. The basic principle behind using a crate to potty train is that dogs are clean creatures and will not soil their living and sleeping spaces. When you crate them, they’ll learn to hold their bladders, and when you let them out to go potty, they’ll be happy to oblige.
In addition, puppies get into all sorts of trouble. It only takes a few seconds for a puppy to eat something they shouldn’t, leading to dangerous bowel obstructions. Keeping your dog in a crate keeps them away from things that could hurt them.
Lastly, crate training makes it easy to travel with your dog. A dog bouncing around in a car isn’t just annoying; it is downright dangerous and even illegal in some states. And, if you ever want to travel with a small dog on a plane, crate training prepares them for riding in a carrier.
How to Crate Train Your Dog
Crate training is a long process that takes weeks, if not months. The result is you’ll have a dog that is perfectly content to stay and sleep in the crate alone. An independent dog is also less likely to develop separation anxiety. That said, when crate training your dog. Never force your dog into the crate. If you start to force your dog into a crate, you’re taking a huge step backward in the training process. Always use positive reinforcement for going into the crate and relaxing in it.
Offer Loads of Treats
First, start by treating your dog as he checks out the crate you just brought home, praising him as he shows interest. The goal here is to have your dog immediately associate the crate with all things good. Then, start throwing treats into the crate but don’t shut the door. Allow your dog to go out if he wants.
Then, start shutting the door for very short periods at a time, and see if you can get your dog to sit, lie down, or relax in the crate. Keep treating and praising as he does so. If he shows any kind of discomfort or stress, let him out immediately before it escalates into barking or whining.
If you keep this up for several weeks, your dog should learn to associate the crate with a place he can relax and get treats!
Start with Short Periods
If you shove your dog into a crate for the first time and leave the room, you’re likely to have a howling, barking, whining dog, which is a terrible experience for everyone involved. Start with very small durations, like closing the door for 20 seconds while sitting quietly with your dog, then opening the door and letting your dog out again. Do it several times to make sure your dog isn’t stressed, then gradually increase the duration.
Likewise, the first time you try to leave the room when your dog is crated, don’t leave for more than a few seconds, then gradually extend the time. When your dog can be calmly crated for about 60 minutes at a time, now you can try leaving the house. Remember, this is a very long process and can take months. If you rush the process, you might have an anxious, stressed-out dog in a crate with you gone, and your training would have taken giant leaps backward.
Feed Your Dog in the Crate
Nothing says home like getting a big meal in their comfy den, so start feeding your dog in the crate. First, start doing so with the door open, then when they are comfortable enough to walk confidently in and out of the crate, you can try closing the door. This one isn’t a long process, and most dogs will love food enough to go into their crate to eat.
Crate training done right is an excellent addition to the life of you and your dog. It makes things way easier and allows your dog to retreat when he is in a stressful situation. Just bring loads of patience and even more treats. Good luck!
