Crate Training

by Scotty Valadao

The concept of crate training your dog or puppy is a relatively new one to most dog owners in South Africa. However, crate training has been around for ages and is used in obedience, showing, agility etc, it just hasn’t been introduced to the every day pet owner as much. On first hearing that people put their dogs in crates, many people have the thought of ‘oh no, how cruel’. This is not the case at all and it will actually make your and your dogs life so much easier and happier. What is important is the way the dog is trained to use the crate and the use that you, the owner, make of it.  In the States and parts of Europe it is very common and I can assure you that after you have tried it, you will never have a dog again without crate training it. You can liken it to a child’s playpen, it allows the child to be safe, the difference being that a crate has a roof. With dogs that suffer from noise phobia’s, separation anxiety etc, it can be even more helpful, as it provides a ‘safe’ place for the dog to be. In the event of a noise suffering from noise phobia, a blanket or towel can be placed over the top to create a secure environment.  With dogs that bounce around in the car, which can be dangerous both for the dog and the driver, travelling with your dog in a crate ensures that the dog is safe. This is also very useful for dogs who suffer from car sickness and once again, it provides a safe, secure area.

I find it preferable to make us of the wire, see-through crates which fold and are easy to carry around. In addition to allowing your dog to see around it, it can be used when travelling.

Here are some of the many benefits of crate training your puppy or dog:-

1. Dogs by nature are ‘den’ animals, and when the crate is introduced correctly it becomes the dogs den.
2. Teaches puppies bladder and bowel control, cuts down on the time toilet training takes
3. Limits destructive chewing, puppy is given and learns what objects can be chewed in the safety of his crate.
4. Limits the chances of ‘accidents’ – dogs chewing electrical wires or ingesting harmful substances.
5. Crating your dog can avoid situations such as separation anxiety.
6. It allows you to have a bit of a time-out!
7. When travelling, a crated dog has more change of surviving a car accident and less chance of causing one!
8. You can take your dog on holiday with you and be welcomed into hotels
9. If your dog goes to the grooming parlour or kennels, it is already used to the crate and feels safe rather than stressed
10. When you have workmen in your house fixing electricity etc, you can pop your dog into the crate. This limits the chance of the repairman leaving the door open and your dog going walkabout.
11. It is a place where your dog feels safe and will go by itself if it wants a bit of privacy or time out or is feeling stressed in any way.
12. If the dog ever needs to be kept quiet after an operation, the crate is excellent
13. If your dog needs to be separated from other dogs or children, it can be put into its crate and still be part of the situation without danger and less stress.
14. If your dog has to travel by train or plane.(in this scenario, habituate your dog to the actual crate to be used a few weeks before travel)
15. If you participate in dog shows or obedience, you have a safe place to leave your dog if you want to take a quick walk around without him/her.
16. It teaches a dog to be able to lie quietly.

The crate should be large enough to allow the dog to lie down, stand up and turn around in comfortably, but not large enough to let the dog relieve itself at one end and sleep at the other. Bear in mind as well, if you are buying one for a puppy, the size the puppy will grow too. If you do buy a bigger crate, simply block off part of it with a chew-proof obstacle until the puppy grows into it. This is much cheaper than buying several crates.

HOW TO

Make sure that the crate is inviting before starting the training. Put in a favourite blanket or toy and make it comfy and inviting. Here be careful not to put in too many blankets or it may make the crate too hot. Start off by throwing in a nice tasty piece of food. Make sure your dog is hungry when you do this! If the dog prefers toys to food, then simply substitute a toy instead. Practise letting your dog go in and out as often as possible.

Your next step it to train your dog to go and lie in the crate for a period of time. Here it is helpful to use a nice chewy rawhide bone. Throw it in, and let your dog follow. If the dog picks up the bone, just repeat the process of throwing it in a few times; at this stage don’t attempt to close the door. As the dog is going in and out happily, you can add a cue, such as ‘bed’ or ‘crate’. If you are working with a puppy, whenever it is sleep time for your puppy, take him/her to the toilet first, then simply pop him in as described above, and let it have its sleep inside, remembering to take puppy straight out to the toilet on waking.

When your dog is happy going in and out and having a good chew in the crate,  you can start closing the gate. Do this for short periods initially, always starting with a treat and leave a nice chewy inside to keep your dog happy. You can slowly make the time period longer. When you start doing this, try to do it when your dog normall has a 'quiet' time, the chances of it accepting it are much better.

What is very important here is that if your dog is crying or pining to get out, that you do NOT take the dog out till it is being quiet. If you take the dog out whilst a noise is being made all you are achieving is having the dog train you that ‘when I make a noise and cry, mum and dad let me out or come and see what I am doing!’ If the dog is barking, whining etc, simply ignore it (keeping an eye on the crate) and praise and take the dog out as soon as the noise stops.

This may sound like a lot of work, but most dogs do tend to take to their crate very quickly, perhaps as seeing it as a ‘den’ and it is often not necessary to do all the steps above.

The only exception to not paying attention to a dog in a crate is when toilet training. My own dog, Brady, went into his crate on his first night home. Last thing at night I took him to his elimination area then popped him into the crate with a chewy in my bedroom. He woke up once at night and I took him to the toilet and then popped him in again and ignored him. He has never made a ‘mistake’ in the house, slept through after two nights, and sleeps in his crate every night with the door open.

Here are some of the crating rules to bear in mind