Quick Crate Training

Basic understanding of the crate:

A crate should be looked at in a positive way! Think of the crate as a best friend when it comes to potty training, eating habits and toy time. A crate should never be used for discipline as it will teaches your new companion that it isn’t a “safe” place to be. Dogs are den like animals and they do like having an area that’s all theirs, embrace it and be patient while introducing the crate.

Introducing and size:

Introducing the right crate can be challenging in all aspects. Remember the crate is a smaller area for your dog to have its alone time. You never want to purchase a crate and put your dog in there and lock him inside it immediately. Instead, you should initially treat the crate like it’s just another piece of furniture but one that they can enjoy for only themselves. You want the crate to be big enough for your dog to turn around and able to stand and lay. Wire crates are very common as they also can come with divider pieces so your puppy can grow with it. A play pin will be another item you may want to purchase, this will allow more space once your puppy is potty trained and will contain them to any location in your house you would like. To entice your pet, add their favorite blanket, toys and food in the crate and practice getting them to go in by them selves. This will take patience and consistency, but we have hope your new addition will catch on easy

Using the crate for meal times:

Once you have introduced the crate, you want your pet to feel as comfortable and relax as possible. The goal is to extend the time of your dog in the crate and supplying food and some water will help achieve this goal. Placing the food bowl in the back of the crate, this will help your pet to enter into the crate on their own.

Toys, bones & chew toys:

Picking out the perfect toys for your pet will be determine on them. But once you find what they love the most, make it for only “Crate Time” use. Meaning, if your dog loves a certain toy, only allow them to have that particular toy while in the crate. Finding toys for teething like kongs, raw bones (No rawhide) will help distract the dog and ease them to relaxing in their new crate.

Crate time extension and when:

A mistake you do not want to make is letting your dog understand the crate/kennel is for when you are leaving and no one is home. utilize an hour or so while your home everyday to allow your pet to use their crate. This will help with the coping and separation of when you leave VS when you are home. If you plan on using the crate while you are gone for more than 7 hours, we recommend slowly uping by an hour everyday for 1 week. For instance, day 1, allow your puppy in the crate for one hour. Day 2, allow your puppy in the crate for two hours, and slowly working up to the extended hours you are trying to achieve over a weeks span.

Play pens:

Play pens are great for when leaving for extended amount of time. It is very wise to make sure your puppy is potty trained before allowing them in a play pin as it can be confusing for them as there is more space for them to do their business but also sleep and play and not be neat their mess. Crate training will help prep for longer hours away and on how to hold it, once they got that down it is ok to utilize both a crate and play pin or one or the other. Again, dogs are den like animals and love an area that is theirs, they will show you which one they prefer over time.