Training A Dog To Use A Crate
Training 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.
*Buy the Right Sized Crate
A correctly sized crate for your dog 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.
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.
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.
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. Situations like this will require great patience on your part.
*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.
Another tip is to put some treats or beloved toys near the entrance; this will pique your dog’s interest in the crate. After some time, you can place treats inside the crate.
When your dog comfortably goes in of his own accord, calmly close the door. Start by having it shut for a few minutes at a time.
Increase the amount of time spent in the crate gradually.
You can slowly increase the amount of time the dog spends in the crate by closing the door for increasingly longer durations. Next you will want to go out of the room and then gradually extend your time away from him.
You must not progress to the next phase until your pet appears to be comfortable with the present phase.
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. If you do not properly train your dog, your dog will view the crate as something to be feared.
Now that your pet has become comfortable with his crate, you should be able to leave him in it for a few hours.
There are those who leave their dog in a crate while they go out and pursue their occupation. Many people may leave their dog in a crate overnight. Choose only one as it is not a good idea to do both of them.
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. Please do not do that.
Crate training will take a significant amount of time if done properly. It may be a long, arduous process, but the end result is definitely worth the time you put into training . During training, it’s important to reward your dog while he’s in the crate so he starts thinking that going into the crate is a good thing, and not some kind of punishment.
Help him to believe that this is his happy place while you are gone.
Stay calm and patient and everything should work out ok.
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Tags: crate training, Crate training a dog, dog crate training