Ways to Go about Crate Training a Dog
Friday, March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
You may think that you don’t need to crate train your dog, because you never plan to put him into one. However, even the newest dog owner will shortly learn that there are times when it becomes required to do just that. After all, your new puppy isn’t going to understand the guidelines of your household, for example where he isn’t intended to gnaw or where not to go potty, and until you can teach him, you aren’t going to need his mis-steps at behavior destroying your house. In addition, you will have times when you’ll need to take him to the vet for check-ups and shots, and it will be much easier to do so if he is in a crate. As with all other appropriate dog behaviors, crate training is acrucial ability to teach your dog.
So how should you go about teaching your dog to stay in a crate when he obviously would rather be out with the remainder of the family? Start by purchasing a crate that is large enough for your dog to both stand and turn around in. If he is going to get much larger, you may wish to buy a bigger kennel at the moment to save having to get another one later on. Put it in an area of your home where family members spend a lot of time so that he will remain with the family even though penned up, and put a soft blanket or towel on the crate’s floor for him to lie on. Buy a water dish that isn’t going to be spilled simply, and ensure he has water all the time he is in the crate.
You naturally don’t wish to teach your dog to hate the crate by attempting to cram him into it if he is refusing to go. In order to get him to enter it willingly, place some dog treats inside near the door, and when he follows the trail inside, you can secure the door. Don’t get impatient with him if he continues to decline to go into the dog house on his own for several days. Finally he will understand what it is that you’re needing him to do, and he’ll obey.
Once your dog has become accustomed to spending short time in his crate you can begin feeding him regular meals in there. At first you will desire to let him out immediately when he has finished eating, but then, to carry on with his crate training, you need to stretch out the quantity of time you leave him in the dog house so that he becomes acclimatized to prolonged times being shut up in case it becomes necessary to keep him there.
