Many people feel it is cruel to crate a puppy or a dog.All those negative associations about cages and zoos and such. The truth is, itkeeps the puppy safe from chewing things like electrical cords and your newshoes when you cannot be around to supervise. It can be considered the same asa playpen for a baby. It is also an invaluable tool in housetraining a puppyand adult dogs. Dogs learn from their mother that they shouldn't soil theirsleeping area. When they are still in the den, puppies will crawl away fromtheir sleeping area to an area they chose as the potty area, and eliminatethere. They are already innately trained not to soil the area where they sleep.
Using the Dog's NaturalDenning Instinct
First, let's look at dog behavior in the wild. Wild adult dogs will naturallyfind a den or safe area to sleep. When the dam whelps the pups in the wild shesets up a den and keeps it clean until the pups are old enough to go outside ontheir own. She teaches them it is not okay to potty in the place where theysleep. Domestic dogs will also naturally den. You will often see a dog sleepingunder a table or desk or next to a piece of furniture if no other area isprovided for them to den. It is not cruel to develop this habit from the timeyou bring the puppy home. In fact, it is cruel not to give the pup or dog asafe area they can call their own.
Selecting A Crate
Crates may be plastic (often called"flight kennels") or collapsible, metal pens. They come in differentsizes and can be purchased at most pet supply stores. Your dog’s crate shouldbe just large enough for him to stand up and turn around in.
The Crate Training Process
Crate training can take days or weeks,depending on your dog’s age, temperament and past experiences. It’s importantto keep two things in mind while crate training. The crate should always beassociated with something pleasant, and training should take place in aseries of small steps - don’t go too fast.
Step 1:Introducing Your Dog To The Crate
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Put the cratein an area of your house where the family spends a lot of time, such as thefamily room. Put a soft blanket or towel in the crate. Bring your dog over tothe crate and talk to him in a happy tone of voice. Make sure the crate door issecurely fastened opened so it won’t hit your dog and frighten him.
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>To encourageyour dog to enter the crate, drop some small food treats near it, then justinside the door, and finally, all the way inside the crate. If he refuses to goall the way in at first, that’s okay – don’t force him to enter. Continuetossing treats into the crate until your dog will walk calmly all the way intothe crate to get the food. If he isn’t interested in treats, try tossing a favoritetoy in the crate. This step may take a few minutes or as long as several days.
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Step 2:Feeding Your Dog His Meals In The Crate
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Afterintroducing your dog to the crate, begin feeding him his regular meals near thecrate. This will create a pleasant association with the crate. If your dog isreadily entering the crate when you begin Step 2, put the food dish all the wayat the back of the crate. If your dog is still reluctant to enter the crate,put the dish only as far inside as he will readily go without becoming fearfulor anxious. Each time you feed him, place the dish a little further back in thecrate.
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Once your dogis standing comfortably in the crate to eat his meal, you can close the doorwhile he’s eating. At first, open the door as soon as he finishes his meal.With each successive feeding, leave the door closed a few minutes longer, untilhe’s staying in the crate for ten minutes or so after eating. If he begins towhine to be let out, you may have increased the length of time too quickly. Nexttime, try leaving him in the crate for a shorter time period. If he does whineor cry in the crate, it’s imperative that you not let him out until he stops.Otherwise, he’ll learn that the way to get out of the crate is to whine, sohe’ll keep doing it.
Step 3:Conditioning Your Dog To The Crate For Longer Time Periods
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>After your dogis eating his regular meals in the crate with no sign of fear or anxiety, youcan confine him there for short time periods while you’re home. Call him overto the crate and give him a treat. Give him a command to enter such as,"kennel up." Encourage him by pointing to the inside of the cratewith a treat in your hand. After your dog enters the crate, praise him, givehim the treat and close the door. Sit quietly near the crate for five to tenminutes and then go into another room for a few minutes. Return, sit quietlyagain for a short time, then let him out of the crate. Repeat this processseveral times a day. With each repetition, gradually increase the length oftime you leave him in the crate and the length of time you’re out of his sight.Once your dog will stay quietly in the crate for about 30 minutes with you outof sight the majority of the time, you can begin leaving him crated when you’regone for short time periods and/or letting him sleep there at night. This maytake several days or several weeks.
Step 4:
PartA/Crating Your Dog When Left Alone
After yourdog is spending about 30 minutes in the crate without becoming anxious orafraid, you can begin leaving him crated for short periods when you leave thehouse. Put him in the crate using your regular command and a treat. You mightalso want to leave him with a few safe toys in the crate (see our handout:"Dog Toys and How toUse Them"). You’ll want to vary at what point in your "gettingready to leave" routine you put your dog in the crate. Although heshouldn’t be crated for a long time before you leave, you can crate himanywhere from five to 20 minutes prior to leaving. Don’t make your departuresemotional and prolonged, but matter-of-fact. Praise your dog briefly, give hima treat for entering the crate and then leave quietly. When you return home,don’t reward your dog for excited behavior by responding to him in an excited,enthusiastic way. Keep arrivals low key. Continue to crate your dog for shortperiods from time to time when you’re home so he doesn’t associate crating withbeing left alone.
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PartB/Crating Your Dog At Night
Put yourdog in the crate using your regular command and a treat. Initially, it may be agood idea to put the crate in your bedroom or nearby in a hallway, especiallyif you have a puppy. Puppies often need to go outside to eliminate during thenight, and you’ll want to be able to hear your puppy when he whines to be letoutside. Older dogs, too, should initially be kept nearby so that cratingdoesn’t become associated with social isolation. Once your dog is sleepingcomfortably through the night with his crate near you, you can begin togradually move it to the location you prefer.
Potential Problems
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Too Much TimeIn The Crate
A crateisn’t a magical solution. If not used correctly, a dog can feel trapped andfrustrated. For example, if your dog is crated all day while you’re at work andthen crated again all night, he’s spending too much time in too small a space.Other arrangements should be made to accommodate his physical and emotionalneeds. Also remember that puppies under six months of age shouldn’t stay in acrate for more than three or four hours at a time. They can’t control theirbladders and bowels for longer periods.
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Whining
If your dogwhines or cries while in the crate at night, it may be difficult to decidewhether he’s whining to be let out of the crate, or whether he needs to be letoutside to eliminate. If you followed the training procedures outlined above,your dog hasn’t been rewarded for whining in the past by being released fromhis crate. Try to ignore the whining. If your dog is just testing you, he’ll probablystop whining soon. Yelling at him or pounding on the crate will only makethings worse. If the whining continues after you’ve ignored him for severalminutes, use the phrase he associates with going outside to eliminate. If heresponds and becomes excited, take him outside. This should be a trip with apurpose, not play time. If you’re convinced that your dog doesn’t need toeliminate, the best response is to ignore him until he stops whining. Don’tgive in, otherwise you’ll teach your dog to whine loud and long to get what hewants. If you’ve progressed gradually through the training steps and haven’tdone too much too fast, you’ll be less likely to encounter this problem. If theproblem becomes unmanageable, you may need to start the crate training processover again.
<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>SeparationAnxiety
Attemptingto use the crate as a remedy for separation anxiety won’t solve the problem. Acrate may prevent your dog from being destructive, but he may injure himself inan attempt to escape from the crate. Separation anxiety problems can only beresolved with counter-conditioning and desensitization procedures. You may wantto consult a professional animal behaviorist for help.
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OTHER REASONS TO CRATETRAIN
Flying
Suppose you have to fly your dog on a plane. They must be crated for this.Flying is stressful enough for the dog who is already crate trained but add thestress of never having been in a crate to a dog who has to fly for the firsttime. Can you see a reason for the dog to be used to a crate?
Boarding
What if you have to go out of town and need to leave the dog in a boardingkennel? A crate trained dog will understand and adapt to this situation easily.Usually, you can bring the dog's own crate with you to the kennel and allow thedog some comfort in having his own bed to sleep in.
Crating In The Car
Keeping the puppy/dog safe in the car is another reason to crate train. Nobodylikes to think of what would happen if they were in a car accident. Car doorscan fly open and the dog, if uncrated, stands a good chance of leaping out intotraffic and getting hit by a car or running off because they are scared. If youhave your dog crated in the car when in an accident the dog may get bangedaround but the crate will most likely protect the dog from being hit, may helpcontain the dog in the car itself, and will keep him from being lost if the cardoors fly open even if the crate is expelled from the car. If you are hurt inthe accident the emergency services people are more likely keep your dog safeand contained if the dog is in a crate and they can easily transport the dog toa safe area.
Crating Adult Dogs
Although it is probably easier to crate train when the puppy is young, you canstill train the adult dog to accept the crate. Use a treat or favorite toy andlure him into the crate with the door open, same as I explained for the puppy.Keep doing this until the dog will readily go into the crate for a treat on hisown. After the dog will readily go into the crate for a treat or toy make thedog lie down in the crate with you sitting on the floor in front of the cratejust for a few seconds and then let him come out. Keep this up for several daysor a week, as long as it takes for the dog to become comfortable with lyingdown in the crate. When the dog seems comfortable lying down, close the doorfor a minute or two, and stay there to talk to the dog same as we did abovewith the puppy. When the dog has been quiet for a few seconds, open the doorand let the dog come out and ignore him for a minute or two so that coming outisn't associated with alot of praise. The idea is to praise gently and quietlyWHILE THE DOG IS IN THE CRATE and ignore him for a few minutes when he comesout. Keep doing this without any negative associations until he's comfortablein the crate for longer periods of time. Most dogs can be crate trained usingthis method no matter how old they are. Keep it positive but don't give ineither. Try and build up time gradually, if you can. If you need to crate trainyour dog to fly, try and give yourself as much time as possible. A month ormore is optimal. If you don't have that much time, try to do as manyrepetitions as you can during the time you have. Wait an hour or so in betweentraining sessions. The more repeititons you can do without stressing out thedog and maintaining positive associations the better. Quit if the dog or youare getting stressed.
DO'S & DON'TS
*Never crate a dog with a choke collar on.Dogs can choke themselves to death. It's probably a good idea to remove anycollar while the dog is in the crate.
*Never crate a dog with a leashattached! Same reason.
Safe Toys
*Use safe toys only, nothing the dog or puppy can get apart and choke on whileyou're not there. Rawhide chewies are not good to leave unsupervised dogs with.Squeeky toys need to be monitored because the squeakers can be removed andswallowed and cause the pup to choke.
*Good toys that are safe: Kongs.These are made of hard rubber that is almost impossible to destroy. They comein many different sizes and it have an small opening on one end. Some peopleput a little peanut butter inside and that gives the pup/dog something do forawhile after you leave. Not alot of peanut butter, just enough to keep them interested.
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