Introducing Your Dog To A Crate

I am now the biggest fan of the crate. Not only did it save my house and sanity but the dogs really do seem to love it too. I really like to compare the crate to a playpen. It can be used for the dogs safety as well as a tool for house breaking. Dogs love to chew on many things. Once I had even seen a pup who had hurt himself chewing on an electrical cord. The point is the puppies don’t discern between what is good and not good to chew on. This is something we teach our dogs.

If your unhousebroken dog is not crated he might eat something they shouldn’t like the couch leg or cushion or worse a pill bottle. Although I have always found that most dogs have a preference for cushions. Needless to say this kind of behavior tends to make us humans a little cranky. Inevitably the dog gets yelled at or worse. Some people will even swear that the dog knows he is bad when they come home because he has that look. It is actually the other way around you start coming home in a bad mood and your dog starts to expect it. He doesn’t actually put things together the same way you and I process this information. He doesn’t connect the mess he made 5 hours ago with your annoyance at him. This can also create a viscous cycle if your dog starts worrying about you coming home in a bad mood. It can actually make him more stressed about your leaving than before hence causing more damage when you are out.

Another bonus is having a crate will avoid a lot of accidents in the house. If he is on a schedule and restricted  from roaming in the house he will be less likely to have an accident. Which also makes humans cranky. So in the end if he is crated he is less likely to be in trouble and more likely to succeed in housebreaking. I bet the number one reason that dogs are given up the the shelter is the failure to become housebroken. People get fed up with dogs that chew and mess in the house and most of the damage could have been avoided by the simple use of a crate. So in the end I encourage crate training now wholeheartedly. I think it is in the best interest of you and your dog to start off right with crate training. You will avoid a lot of unpleasantness and in general make life simpler until your dog learns the rules of the house.

Start off slow to get your dog used to his crate. Remember his crate is his bed and his home. It should NEVER  be used as a place of punishment. I am not saying you can not put him in it when he is driving you crazy you just can not let him know that. We have a husky “BUDDY” and when we got him at the age of 2 he was wild. He was so energetic he was like a wild maniac. I mean he would run across the whole place at 50 miles an hour. He would even run across the furniture like this. I would give him what I like to call a time out for a dog. Whenever I felt like I was going to lose it with him I would ever so sweetly tell him to go into his crate. Did he learn when he behaved this way he would get put in his crate for a time out? I am sure he did. Did I ever do it in a angry manner? Absolutely not. I like time outs  because by putting him in the crate a dog will usually lie down. A lot of people do not know this but just the act of lying down will actually have a calming effect on your dog. So a time out can be  great for a dog that is maybe getting a little too wound up. Usually 5-15 minutes does the trick. Don’t be afraid to use this little trick throughout the day. Just remember DO NOT yell at him when you put him in his crate.

To get your dog used to the crate you have to make him like it. I like to put the crate wherever the family hangs out. For most families that will be the living room. I have found that most puppies do not mind being in the crate unless they can not see you. Anything you do to make going into the crate positive is a good idea. I like to feed my dogs in the crate because they like to eat. Give your dog access to his toys when he is in the crate because they like their toys. This will also help him learn what is appropriate to chew on. I like to encourage a dog in the crate with a treat. Leave the door open in the beginning and toss or lure him in with a treat. Do not forget to praise him whenever he goes into the crate. I would also choose a phrase which teaches him to go in the crate. We use “Go to sleep”. So I would repeat “go to sleep” as I toss a treat into the crate and also as he goes in it. While he is in the crate praise him and give a couple more treats or pet him a bit. Most pups do fine with a crate it is the adult dog that may take a little more convincing. I try to make a bigger fuss with my adult dogs. Use it as a quick trick over and over. Give the command to go in it and give him a treat when he does. You can try to leave the door open and teach him to stay just for a second then give the command to come out and give him another treat. I have found that if you stuff a natural bone with peanut butter or give them an almost empty peanut butter jar that they will be content to stay in the crate for at least a half an hour. If a dog is truly fearful of the crate you have to go slowly he may only go in and out quickly for a treat. Some need to be praised just for peaking their head inside for inspection. If that is the case just keep on encouraging him. You may want to tempt the adult dog with an extremely soft fluffy bed or blanket in the crate. Sometimes the shy dog is the very same dog that will end up loving his crate the most once he learns that it can be a wonderful place to retreat to for some quiet time. If you have the luxury of borrowing crates you may want to try a couple before you purchase one. Some dogs prefer a wire crate that is more open. Another may prefer a plastic airline kennel type which affords much more privacy.

Blanket or no blanket this is a common question that comes up when talking crate. I say see how it goes for you. Buddy the dog I mentioned earlier could not be trusted with a pillow or comforter type blanket for about 2 years after we got him. If we put anything more substantial than a flat blanket he would shred it to pieces. Some say if you put a blanket or pillow in the crate it will encourage your dog/puppy to mess in his crate. I have not found this to be a problem. If your dog is messing in the make sure it is not too big. A dog should be able to stand turn and lie down. If you feel you need to put a blanket in the crate do so. If it causes trouble take it out and see if that helps.

Eventually most dogs will learn to love their crates. When the door is left open a lot of dogs will go to the crate to get away for a nice nap. Our husky “Buddy” and our German Shepherd “Sampson” love their crates and sleep in them everyday by choice. Take your time and I think you will be glad you took my advice on crate training your dog.