|
Crate Training
By
Larry Parr
For a
human, being confined in a small space is a Bad Thing. Such confinement conjures images of
jail – or worse. For a human the idea
of being put in a crate seems like a form of punishment.
That’s
NOT true from your dog’s perspective.
Dogs are descended from wolves.
Wolves live in small dens in the wild. A small den is easier to keep hidden
from enemies than a large den, and a small den is much more easily
defended if the need arises. In a
small den your back is always covered.
No
matter what breed your dog is, no matter how big or how small your dog
is, on a deep down cellular level your dog is still a wolf and your dog
CRAVES the safety and the intimacy of a small, easily protected space...a
space very much like that provided by a dog crate.
Unless
YOU make the crate a punishment your dog will WELCOME the opportunity for
crate training. NEVER, under any
circumstances, yell at your dog or roughly force your dog into its
crate. Your dog’s crate needs to
be your dog’s safe haven, a place where it freely goes when it wants to
feel safe and secure.
Many
dogs will willingly choose a crate as a place to sleep at night, and your
dog’s crate can also be an excellent tool for housebreaking a puppy.
Let’s
start with the basics. The first
thing you want to do is to put blankets and a treat in the dog’s
crate. Leave the door of the crate
open and invite your dog or puppy to enter it, but DO NOT FORCE your dog
to enter the crate. Give your dog
time to sniff the crate and get comfortable with it.
If you
have a small child it might encourage your dog to go into the crate if
your child crawls into it first.
Always speak in a happy, friendly tone when encouraging your dog
into its crate.
If your
dog doesn’t take to its crate instantly, don’t be concerned or
impatient. Just go about your
normal business and allow the crate to remain open. In all probability your dog will become
curious and explore the crate in good time. Having a treat or putting the dog’s
favorite toy in the crate can speed the process up.
After
your puppy has napped in its crate, take it outside and encourage it to
do its business. Saying the words
“Hurry up” and then praising your dog lavishly once it has done its
business will help create a trigger (“Hurry up”) that will make your
times outside considerably shorter on cold Winter nights (see article on Housebreaking
Your Dog).
If your
puppy fails to do its business after about ten minutes DO NOT SCOLD IT IN
ANY WAY. Take your puppy back into
the house and gently and kindly, with a friendly tone to your voice and
non-aggressive body language, place your puppy into its crate for another
ten minutes. Then take it back
outside to do its business.
The
reason this works so effectively for housetraining a puppy is that
puppies naturally have an aversion to making a mess in their den or
sleeping area, so by placing the puppy in its crate (den) and then taking
it outside and encouraging it to mess, your puppy will very quickly make
the correct association.
Whenever
you leave the house for short periods of time (two hours for a puppy...a maximum of three hours, but that’s
pushing it) put your puppy in its crate.
By
putting your puppy or your adolescent dog into its crate when you leave,
your dog will not be able to tear up your things (see article on Separation
Anxiety). Also, your dog will
not make a mess in its crate – unless you leave it locked up for too
long.
Also,
your puppy will feel safer and
more secure when you are gone if it is in its small, safe, secure den
(crate).
As
humans we often feel that we are being cruel by putting our puppy or dog
into a crate when we leave the house for short periods of time. The exact OPPOSITE is true. While your puppy or dog may complain
about being put in its crate while
you are preparing to leave, the truth is once you have actually closed
the door behind you your puppy or dog will settle down almost instantly
and feel safe, secure and loved because you put it in its protected and
comfortable den (crate).
As soon
as you return home your dog should be let out of its crate and taken
outside to do its business (see article on Housebreaking
Your Dog). If your dog is overly excited to see you when you
return this could be a sign of Separation
Anxiety.
Remember,
your dog’s crate is NOT a prison and it is NOT a punishment. Used correctly, your dog’s crate is a
safe, secure and HAPPY place for your dog to sleep (with the door open)
and a comforting place for your dog to be when you are gone.
©2005 by Larry Parr
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There are two excellent
dog training programs which I can personally recommend to you. One I have personally used, and the
other my sister-in-law used and both programs worked miracles.
You can read all about the program my wife and I used to train
our three dogs HERE.
Read about the program my sister-in-law used to train her old
hound dog HERE.
|
