So you think crate training is a good idea, but don't know where to start? I've put together some simple steps and guidelines to help make crate training as painless as possible for you and your dog.
First, you'll need to choose your crate size and style. See the previous post for details.
Your dog may breeze through these steps very quickly, especially if he's confident and motivated. However, some dogs are more timid and it could take hours, days, or weeks to really see a change in attitude about the crate. I will explain the steps as if your dog is timid, but keep in mind that not all dogs have problems with the crate and you may not have to do such small steps. Notice that as we move up a level in criteria, the minimum threshold resets. You have to build each one individually before you can expect your dog to do it all at once.
1. The crate means good things- Place your dog near the crate and sit next to it. Allow your dog time to sniff and investigate on its own. The crate may seem scary at first, so give your dog a little understanding. When your dog goes near the entrance, praise with a "yes!" or a "good boy/girl!" and give a treat or play with their favorite toy for a little while. This will associate being near the crate as a good thing.
2. Getting inside the crate- Now that your dog is comfortable near the crate, especially near the entrance, you want to reward for each small step inside. First reward for sticking his/her head inside. Then one paw. Then two paws, etc. Allow the dog to come out of its own will if it feels uncomfortable. Never force the issue. You can toss treats or toys inside the crate to encourage him/her to enter. Now is also the time to build a word to associate with going inside the crate. I use the word "inside" to tell my dogs to go get in their crates. The word is up to you, but be sure to say it each time your dog crosses the threshold into the crate (AS it enters) and soon your dog will be able to associate the word with the crate. Then, you can say it before it enters and your dog will understand.
3. Staying inside the crate- Now that your dog goes in and out without a fuss, you want to build up the time that he/she is comfortable remaining in the crate. Get the dog to go in as practiced, but keep tossing in treats to the back of the crate while the dog remains inside. If you sense your dog is stressed, let them come out. You do not close the door during this step. Gradually, slow your delivery of the treats. At first, to get the dog to remain in the crate, you may have had to give a treat every two seconds. Stretch it to giving a treat every five seconds, every ten seconds, every thirty seconds, every minute, etc. When your dog can consistently (5+ times) wait patiently in the crate for two minutes or more without a reward, it's time to move to the next step. Use your judgement, depending on how well your dog is doing.
4. Closing the door- Your dog is now comfortable around the crate and inside the crate for a short length of time. Don't slam the door in surprise as this will startle your dog. Gently close the door without a fuss. Don't make a big deal of it. Just do the same as you've practiced up until this point, but add the step of closing the door. At first, only close the door for a few seconds, then open it, give your dog a treat and allow him/her to come out if they want. If they don't come out, that's a good sign! To reset the situation, leave the room and allow them to follow. Don't make a big deal of getting out of the crate or they might start to think that outside is better than inside and not want to go back in. Just as before, gradually increase the time that the door is closed. Each time, give a treat and open the door. With patience, your dog should be able to remain inside with the door closed for five minutes.
5. Leaving the room- Staying in the crate might be easy with you around, but once you leave the room and the dog can't see you, it gets harder. After your dog has no problem staying in the crate with the door closed and you in the room, it's time to leave. Follow the exact same procedures you did before only this time, get up and walk out of the room, out of sight. The first time you do this, return immediately, treat, and open the door. Take your time in building up the length of time you're gone. By doing this properly, you make coming and going not a big deal and your dog is more likely to wait patiently for your return with the understanding that "this happens all the time" and "I know they'll come back". Leave for a few seconds, a few minutes, and then several minutes. Soon, getting in the crate, closing the door and walking away will be a piece of cake.
Other tips
Step 5 is useful for dogs who have separation anxiety, even if you don't use a crate. The more accustomed your dog is to your coming and going, the less of a big deal it is when you leave and the less stressed they'll be.
Puppies cannot physically hold their bladders as long as adult dogs. Their bodies just can't hold it in. As their bladders grow, you can expect longer from your puppy without accidents. A good rule of thumb is to use their months in age plus one to equal the maximum number of hours they can hold it. For example, a three month old puppy can probably only wait four hours before he must empty his bladder. The maximum for most dogs under normal circumstances is 8 to 10 hours. Never set your puppy up for failure by leaving him/her in the crate so long that there is no other choice but to have an accident. Come home at lunch, hire a dog walker, or have a neighbor or friend check on your puppy. It will help a great deal with the housebreaking process if your dog is not forced to have accidents inside.
Always have water available to your dog inside the crate. I use stainless steel bowls to prevent chewing, but there are bowls specifically designed to latch onto the sides of the crate which may help prevent spilling.
When you're leaving, be sure to leave a crate safe toy to keep your dog entertained when you're gone. Crate safe toys are ones you feel confident that the dog cannot choke on or destroy while inside you are not there to supervise. Kong toys are a good option because they can be stuffed with all sorts of goodies. Your dog will be so busy trying to empty that last morsel of peanut butter stuck to the inside of the Kong that he/she won't care that your gone. If your dog is only a moderate chewer, a Nylabone may also be a good option, though if your dog can take large chunks out of one it should not be a trusted crate toy. If you don't give your dog something to do, it will find something to do, which may be tearing up the crate (or the plastic tray in the bottom of the crate), any bedding that was left inside the crate, or even their water bowl.
Practice getting into the crate even when you're not leaving. This keeps a negative association being built with the crate and makes it harder for your dog to anticipate your leaving if leaving makes them nervous.
Remember, crating is supposed to be rewarding for all parties involved. The dog will feel safe and secure and your house will be just as you left it. We never want to force our dogs to stay in the crate with no rewards. I always give my dogs a reward for going in their crates. Every single time. Sometimes they have days where they don't want to go. This is normal (just like kids put up a bigger fuss about going to school some days more than others) but it might mean that you also need to do a refresher on these steps. Just because your dog is already crate trained doesn't mean that you can't go back and reinforce what they know.
Happy crating!
No comments:
Post a Comment