July 3, 2012

How To Crate Train A Dog

How to crate train a dog

Crate training is one of the important and useful training you can give to your dog. There are many reasons including the safety and security of your assets, gardens, home finishing or belongings, your puppy or dog’s personal safety, as well as the safety of visitors to your house.

Crate for human beings is like a place where we keep or lock up our beloved pet dog from being misbehave or our dog’s safety.

But for a dog, it is different. Crate is like a safe house for a dog where it will find not only safety but as well as comfort, and a place that is free from danger. Dogs are like wolf pack, and they are pack animals. In the wild, a crate is a place where they keep warm, safe from predators as well as a place where they take good care of their puppies.

Thus it is important that for pet parents to learn
how to crate train a dog once they have reach home on the first day.

This article will cover the following subtopics:

Why crate training our dog.
How to select a suitable crate for your dog
Crate training Dos & Don’ts
How to crate train my dog.

Why crate training my dog.

The following are some of the important reasons why pet parents should crate training their dog:

Overtime the crate will become a safe place for your dog to live in. It helps to protect and shelter your dog.
Crate training helps in puppy house breaking process. Read my How to house breaking your puppy step by step guide.
Helps to train and curb chewing habits. When in crates, pet parents able to give only chew toys that are suitable for puppy to chew. Making your puppy get use to chew toy and not chewing your previous and expensive shoes or sofas. This is the key to establish good habits in them and prevent destructive behavior which may be difficult to manage or rectify later on.
Keeps our cute little puppy or dog safety from dangerous household items, materials or products such as rat poison, sharp objects, electrical wires and etc.
Crate training able to help manage dog separation anxiety problems. This is true especially to certain breed dogs that love to be around with its owner or people. Like I said earlier, crate is supposed to be a safe place for them. With today’s hectic lifestyle and busy schedule, you may see your dog or puppy only when late at night after work. Try to imagine what your puppy will do to your house if you let it roam freely for many hours, not to mention dogs that have separation anxiety problems. Thus crate training is important.

Note: Never use a crate as punishment tool for your dog misbehavior, ever.

If you have a visiting friend coming to your home, a crate will be a nice place for your beloved pet dog to stay in awhile.
Most crates are light weight and small thus suitable to carry around and put into your car when travelling with your dog. Making it safer journey.
Perfectly useful when your dog accustomed or love being crate especially when visiting the vet or grooming centers.
Your relationship with your dog becomes better as less the need to discipline your dog once your dog love to be crated. This is due to lesser misbehavior or mischief.

How to select a suitable crate for your dog

Basically there are two types of crates, durable plastic and wire mesh, which often easy collapsible.

It’s really a matter of personal choice. But each time you plan to get a crate for your dog, ensure it is big enough for your pet dog.

If you plan to get a new crate for your dog, I have always found great offer at the following:

Also ensure that not only buying a crate itself, but include a bed (suitable and comfy and not able to be chewed or swallow by your puppy), chew toys (to keep your dog busy and entertain) as well as water bowl or clip water bottles (ensure it is not easy to tip over).

Crate training Dos & Don’ts

Dos:

Always ensure to take off the dog collar each time you put your dog in so that it won’t get caught in the crate and may created unwanted disasterous consequences.
Clean up immediately if your dog has made a mess inside the crate.

Don’ts:

Crate your dog inside the car for too long especially today’s extreme hot or humid weather. Hot temperatures can kill your dog.
Use crate as punishment ever.
Crate your dog more than 4 or 5 hours unless for certain occasions only. Why bother having a dog if you are not always at home. Dog needs TLC (tender loving care), your attention and playtime.
Release your puppy off the crate (unless it is in dangerous situation) when it is whining, barking, or being destructive. If you give in to these demands, it means you are rewarding your puppy or dog and reinforcing that bad habit, thus creating an undesirable behavior.
Never only crate your dog when you are leaving the house. The crate will begin to associate that you are leaving the house each time you wish to crate your dog. Remember, crating is supposed to be safe and fun experience for your dog.

How to crate train my dog (Step By Step).

When introducing crate to your puppy, do remember that to take it slow and steady. Your ultimate goal is to make your puppy accept the crate like a safe house for it to shelter and protect itself, and shouldn’t be associated as punishment, loneliness, isolation or separation.

Remember, in order to successfully train a dog, you will need lots of patient, repetition, love, rewards, reinforcement as well as lots of praises.

The following are the step by step guide to how to crate train your dog:

First, put the newly bought crate into your room or a safe place with your puppy or dog together.
Let open the crate door. New puppy or dog may have a sense of exploration when seeing new things. Just let it goes naturally for your puppy or dog to sniff, play with it, running in and out of the crate (My 3mths old Rottweiler did..;) ), or anything that the puppy or dog wishes to do.
After several minutes of playing and exploring, put in some treats or toys inside the crate. Your puppy or dog should be excited enough to jump into the crate and play along with its toy or taking its treats. If you have any of his or her favorite bed, put it in as well. Give lots of encouragement and praises and make sure your dog makes him or herself comfy inside the crate. (Remember, crate door still opens).
Start feeding your puppy or dog’s meal (small meal) inside the crate while leaving the door opens.
Repeat until it finishes all its meal.
Then put in your puppy’s favorite toy inside the crate and your puppy will literally goes in and retrieve or play with it inside the crate.
Praise enthusiastically and reward your puppy.
This time, put the toy inside the crate with the door close, and leaves your puppy outside the crate. Your puppy will surely beg you to open the crate for its toy and running here and there while looking at its toy excitedly. Open the crate and let your puppy in and reward your puppy and praise enthusiastically while leaving your puppy inside enjoying its toy.
Once your puppy feels comfy inside the crate, shut the crate door and leave it inside the crate for few moments and feed its treat from the outside. After few moments let your puppy out or open the crate door. Again, gives lots of praises, encouragement and treats.
Repeat the steps and gradually increase the time duration or period you leave your dog or puppy inside the crate. Increase the duration slowly until your dog gets accustomed or feels comfy with it inside the crate with lock door.
Finally after your puppy gets used of the crate, you can attach cue words or commands like “sleeping time”, “bedtime” and etc that you can think of. Say this each time your puppy or dog steps into the crate. Repeat numerous times until your puppy or dog gets it. (My Rottweiler took 5 weeks to learn this command as it is a hyper active dog according to my vet doctor and loves to play around.)