The crate is popular with most trainers because it’s a safe place where your dog can go to get away from everything and keep them out of trouble while you’re out of the house. Often, people who crate train a dog as a puppy will stop using it once the dog is house trained, but there’s a case to be made for keeping it in play for the entirety of your dog’s life.
If you crate trained your dog as a puppy but stopped using it completely after a while, there are times when you might find yourself in a position where you need to re-introduce your dog to the crate (medical recovery, development of new behavior issues when you’re gone, etc.), and this can cause a lot more work for you.
If your pup isn’t already crate trained, there’s no time like the present to get started. Even if you don’t need it for potty training, it can literally be a lifesaver for your dog if you need to evacuate your home in an emergency.
Here’s how to crate train a dog:
Step 1: Get Your Dog Into the Crate
To ensure your dog’s crate is a place they will enjoy for the rest of their life, it is best to introduce it slowly with lots of positive association (praise and extra-yummy training treats). If your dog already has a bad association with crates, you’ll want to take it extra slow. Patience is key to acceptance.
- Open the dog crate door and create a treat trail leading up to it. Encourage your dog to walk up to the crate, but don’t force them inside of it. If they decide to back off, that’s OK.
- Continue making a treat trail, but if your dog is showing signs of stress (like lip licking or yawning), stop and try again at another time. Keep the sessions short.
- If your dog approaches the crate, throw some treats into the crate, near the front. Again, encourage them the entire time.
- When your dog sticks their head into the crate to retrieve the treats, throw a few more treats towards the back of the crate. Praise them for being so brave.
- Once they walk into the crate, keep the door open. I encourage throwing more treats while they’re in there, or even rain treats from above (if you have a wire crate).
- If at any point they decide to walk out of the crate, stop giving them treats. You want them to understand that good things come from inside the crate.
- You can also put treats in the crate when they aren’t looking so if they wander near it and smell them, they might go in and have a positive association with the crate even without you around.
Step 2: Start Closing the Crate Door
Once you have practiced the above steps multiple times and your dog is going in and out of the crate on their own, you are ready to move on.
- Continue throwing treats into the back of the crate. Once your dog is in the crate, close the door for a few seconds and keep showering them with treats and praise.
- Open the door and let them either stay in the crate to eat their treats or allow them to come out. Again, only praise and treat your dog when they are in the crate.
- Practice this step for longer and longer periods of time.
Step 3: Leave Your Dog Alone in the Crate
- Once your dog is comfortable with you closing the crate door and them staying inside, you’ll want to start extending that amount of time inside.
- Start slow. Put them in their crate while you take the garbage out or run a quick errand.
- Once you know they are comfortable with short amounts of time away, you can slowly start extending their time in the crate.
Essential Crate Training Tips
This process can be quite quick for some dogs and painfully slow for others. If you are really struggling or concerned the crate is causing more harm than good, it is best to seek the advice of a certified professional dog trainer. Always look for someone who offers positive reinforcement. Make sure to also follow these tips every time you use the crate:
- Put your dog in their crate when you aren’t going anywhere. It is important that they understand that going in the crate doesn’t always mean you will be leaving. Again, we don’t want to create any bad associations with it.
- Make sure to always give your dog something yummy when they go into the crate. If you are going to be gone for awhile, a Kong full of mashed up banana or plain yogurt mixed with kibble can be very positive and will keep them busy inside the crate rather than worrying about how to get out of it.
- Don’t leave your dog alone with a bone or rawhide. They could choke or cause other intestinal damage and medical issues in your pet.
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