Training A Dog To Use A Crate

Posted by Puppy Trainer on December 9th, 2009 filed in Dogs

Training your dog to use a crate may be more work than teaching a puppy, but it is all a state of mind.  If done correctly, your dog will feel at ease within his crate and not be capable of causing problems while you are not in the same room watching him.

Here are a few ideas that may help you to make crate training an enjoyable experience.

*Crate Size Is Important

Your dog should be able to turn around and stand up in his crate. The crate is not large enough if he is unable to comfortably do those things.

Find some sort of bedding to put in the crate.

If the bedding is comfortable and your dog likes it, the fact that it wasn’t custom-fit to the crate is a non-issue.  Make sure to choose a washable bedding that is easy to clean.

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.

Crate Training A Dog

*Introduce Gradually

Familiarize the dog with the crate gradually by first locating it in a part of the house where the dog feels happy and comfortable.  Make sure that you leave the crate’s door open. Do not force your dog to go inside the crate instead, allow your dog to explore the crate at his or her leisure.

Increase your dog’s acceptance of the crate by placing his beloved toys or treats nearby. After some time, you can place treats inside the crate.

If your pet goes inside of its own accord, you can have a go at shutting the door (just don’t exit the room; make sure your pet knows you are there).  Close the door for a few minutes.

Eventually, you can start leaving the door closed for longer time periods.

Through time your dog will not mind if you leave the door shut for longer time periods.  Next, go out of the room for just a couple of minutes, and then slowly increase the amount of time that you are out of the room and away.

Unless your dog is comfortable with the current step, don’t move on to the next one.

The worst possible thing you can do for your dog is to use the crate as a form of punishment.
  
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 done properly, your dog will think that its a good place to live without any fear or tension.

House Breaking Your Dog

After you have accustomed your dog to the crate, he may be left 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.  Do not do both. 

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.

Ensuring that your dog is properly crate trained is a slow 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. 

Help him to believe that this is his happy place while you are gone.

By staying the course, all should be well.

Dog Training Tips