Well, we are getting in to the scorching hot summer days right now, and we've already glanced over summer exercise strategies and warnings, so seeing as this is a popular time to adopt new dogs or puppies, today's topic will be all about crate training! Whether you choose to utilize a wire crate, plastic kennel, or a cloth travel kennel, the concept all remains the same. We will go over why it is important, and more importantly, how to accomplish crate training - even with a dog that is afraid of the kennel!
When a dog is very young, small, tight spaces are where the mother chooses to birth and raise her litter until they are big enough to venture out of the little box, closet, or space, where they learn much about the world, and soon go off to their homes. Every dog is born with the natural instinct to enjoy and relax in small, tight spaces; this is unfortunately generally either not employed, not trained properly, or unfortunately, employed incorrectly, resulting in a dog that either doesn't know anything about crates or kennels, or is afraid of them. While every person's lifestyle is different, it is critically important, especially in the learning stages, that a dog be properly crate or kennel trained. Why?
There are many reasons why crate training a puppy is critical. It provides a space to allow the dog to sleep and relax, a place to shelter the dog when there is too much going on, a place to keep the dog out from underfoot when you are doing other things, a place to associate peace and quiet, a place to feed without interruption, a place to retire a pup to when training is all done, a place to provide safe travel within a vehicle (this could in fact save their life in a car accident) - the list goes on. Crates allow access control first and foremost to your pup - guests cannot just come in and fawn all over your puppy, which encourages hyperness and improper greeting. It prevents your dog from getting too much freedom too quickly, which often causes dominance and assumed authority issues as well as training issues in most puppies. It teaches a dog at a small level to first not mess in the crate, and then not to mess in the home, which is far more difficult to accomplish without a crate. It prevents the possibility of your pup or adult dog from getting into things, breaking, destroying, or otherwise wreaking havoc on your home while you are gone. It gives a sense of a space belonging to only your dog, which is very important for your dog to have. It also replaces a dog bed one-to-one, and can be used full time, day in and day out, as a rest and reprieve spot for your dog.
What happens if you or a previous owner didn't train crates at all, use it as a spot for punishment, or not properly? Generally this happens when people view crates or kennels as a cage or a cruel box, or don't take the time to associate good things with the space, and simply push or shove a dog inside with little attention to their state of mind or fears. Sometimes, people honestly do not know differently - however, all is not lost. Depending on how afraid or resistant your dog is to the space, you may have to start from square one, so we will start this description from there.
Step One - New Association
Depending on your dog's reaction to a crate, it will tell you whether it is a fear, avoidance, or a simple unsureness about the item. If your dog will go in the same room as the crate but no closer, you're dealing with avoidance. However, if your dog won't even go in the room, or runs away, it is fear. A dog that will go nearby and smell it, but simply refuses to go inside is unsure of it. Wherever your dog is most comfortable near this item, this is your starting point. Your goal will be to move a foot or so closer, and reward your dog's calmness near the item. Whether for your dog that means sticking his head in the room or partway into the crate depends on the dog's reaction, and how calm they are. Never reward a nervous dog; only a dog that is calm, and relaxed. Your goal is to give treats at this "safe" distance, and then ask just a little more for the next treat. You are going to need to stop once your dog's stress level causes them to become tense; you're not going to encourage change after this. Give it a break for a few hours, then try again later.
Step Two - Inside!
Once you can accomplish your dog comfortably placing their body nearby the crate or their head slightly inside, your next goal is to get them to step inside - whether that means all the way, or just their front paws. If you begin to see some fear or avoidance at this stage, whether there are treats involved or not, you're going to need to deconstruct the crate and remove both the door and the top - or in the case of a wire kennel or cloth kennel, take it slowly and repeat step one until that fear goes away. Now, with your either whole or deconstructed kennel, you're going to put a small pile of high value rewards (such as raw meats, organ pieces, or other raw items that are fast to gobble up, not hard treats or bones) OR their favorite toy, and it's going in the absolute middle. This will force your dog to put their front paw, paws, or stretch to get the treats. Once they can do this without hesitation, you're ready for either step THREE, or to repeat this process with the LID ON and NO DOOR, then finally with the door ON, but always open. NOW you're ready for step three!
Step Three - All the way!
In this step, you will be breaking all the common rules of dog training. Once your dog can place their front body in the doorway with the lid and door on, you're going to up the ante. This is where you're going to go through a -lot- of meat. For this step, make sure your dog is hungry! Consider stalling a mealtime by half an hour for this one. At the very back of the crate, in a spot that requires your dog to go all the way inside to get the meat (side note - if your dog can stretch to the back with only two paws inside, your crate is too small!). This pile of meat needs to be huge - call it a jackpot. It should be enough that it takes two or three stops for your dog to eat. Normally, you never want to give a meal-size of any treats, because it can over-charge the excitement level, but in this case you want a positive association and we will worry about the excitement later on. Now, once your dog can go all the way inside to get the treats, you yourself are also going to get psycho excited - the kind we always tell you NOT to get! You're going to clap, hoot, hollar, hooray, and get your dog as excited as you possibly can - even if they bounce around inside and bark! The more you get your dog excited while INSIDE this item, the better - you're forming happiness, joy, and excitement bonds with this item. Just make sure to stop as soon as they come out of it. You want the excitement while they stay IN the crate, not as they're coming out. Once your dog can enter the crate and get excited, you're ready for step four! Bonus points if your dog goes inside and tries to get your attention for treats or excitement - REWARD THIS! Side note - if your dog can go inside and sit there WITHOUT the excitement, reward this as well. You can re-attempt this step with less excitement to prime step four as well!
Step Four - Door Closed, Calm Down!
Now that we've created a positive bond with the crate and instilled joy and excitement, we need to tone down that excitement while still keeping a positive bond. If your dog reacts badly to the closing door, you're going to want to prime the door the same way we did with the whole crate in step one - by feeding a treat while they are inside the crate with the door as closed as you can get it. If they refuse the treat, try it again with the door open another inch and then prime again. You'll need to stick your fingers through the bars so they stick their head beside or on the door. Once you can shut the door completely, your dog is likely going to be all excited and happy. This is not a good state to leave your dog alone in - they are waiting for something great to happen, and when it doesn't, they will either whine, bark, howl, or start trying to break out. For now, you're going to ask them to stay inside with you nearby (in vision range, right out the front). Five minutes or so is fine for this step. You'll be waiting for your dog to calm down a little; not so excited, not so bouncy - then you'll let them out, then they go right back in (or take a pee break for the dog then come back). Your goal is to make the dog wait to get out until they are calmer than they went in. Some dogs this will happen quickly; others will need a few days or a week to understand this part. Some dogs will try and throw a tantrum to get out; it is absolutely critical you don't let them out or reward this behaviour. Unless it's an emergency, don't let your dog out in this state of mind. Once you can accomplish a calm, patient state of mind for more than a couple minutes, you're ready to start the fifth step!
Step Five - Calm All The Time and Off We Go!
Now, you're changing things up a bit. The treats are less of the focus, but you can reward with a "good boy/girl" and a gentle pet. This time, you're working on getting them INSIDE the crate while calm. Don't close them in just yet, but feel free to use the door to block them from exiting the crate before totally relaxed. Your goal is to be able to lead your dog to the crate while calm, wait for calmness again, close the door, wait for them to lay down and relax, and then you're going for the big test - you're going out of visible range. Some dogs will be fine with this and just wait; some will get anxious however, and whine, scratch, or howl. You're waiting here for your dog to relax again, and then you will reappear with low level excitement and a "good boy/girl", open door, and some pets. This could take several weeks, so be patient! Once you can successfully carry on for about half an hour, we're ready for the final step!
Step Six - Fully Crate Trained!
If you can successfully carry on your day with a calm dog in a closed kennel, you're ready to up the ante again. You may choose to employ the use of a wireless webcam or baby video monitor in this stage, if you're not 100% accustomed to sensing how your dog is feeling from a distance and out of range. You are going to leave the house, and spy on them! Put your webcam or monitor in a place where you can see the whole crate. You are going to exit the house and be as quiet as possible until your dog totally relaxes. Then you're going to magically appear when they're in that perfect state, and verbally praise them for good waiting. Once you can spend an hour outside your home (as long as they don't realize you're just outside), you can successfully leave your dog in the crate without worry! Bonus points if your dog defaults to the crate to lay down and relax!
Important Mentions
Training would not be training without some rules that the human has to follow, too. In order for a happy, successful crate training, these iron-clad rules MUST be followed - not just for the safety of your dog, but humans, the crate, and everyone involved in your dog's life!
1) Never use a crate to punish or seal away a misbehaving dog. They do not learn that way, and all you're going to do is show the dog that the crate is a place of frustration and anger; they are not going to ever understand that their behaviour placed them there, and more importantly, they will never be corrected this way. You are only making the crate a spot to hate. Always deal with misbehavior properly - and ensure you haven't missed anything. Nine times out of ten, human error has caused the misbehavior.
2) Never place a dog in a crate longer than one hour per month of age. This is to ensure accidents do not happen, that a pup does not end up feeling trapped or mistreated. While the den instinct is natural and strong, it is not normal for a dog to be alone for longer than an hour per month of age.
3) Never leave a dog of any age in a crate longer than 4-6 hours. EVER! A dog cannot hold their bladders or bowels longer, they cannot remain stationary longer, and they cannot reap benefit any longer. If you crate while your dog is at work, come by on your break or have someone pop over at least once every 4 hours to let your dog out of the crate to relieve themselves and stretch legs for a few minutes. Beyond this is cruel to the dog. This also and ESPECIALLY applies overnight. No dog should be expected to hold their bladders or bowels through the night!
4) If you left your dog too long and they messed in the crate, DO NOT get mad and DO NOT punish them! This will cause the same issue as number one. All you're going to do is cause frustration. Instead, clean thoroughly, ensure you use something to neutralize the scent on all surfaces, and add their food and water dish (which should already be in the crate). Dogs won't mess near their food unless there is an accident, so this will help prevent accidents in the future. Be sure you're not leaving your dog too long between letting them outside to relieve themselves.
5) Do not place a dog in any kennel or crate in any weather past 20 degrees! Its already two to three times hotter to them; the crate/kennel not only makes it hotter, it also prevents them from escaping the temperature. Whether its indoors, in a moving vehicle, or outside, it is dangerous to crate or kennel a dog in these temperatures. For these instances, you're going to need an ex-pen, or some form of seat-belt or safe restraining system while in a vehicle, and always allow the dog access to water AND shade, no matter what. You could potentially kill your dog in that kind of heat in as short as 10 minutes.
6) Do not allow other dogs into the crate that belongs to your dog. This is about as offensive to a dog as if someone walked into your home and slept in your bed without warning or asking. To a dog, their crate needs to be THEIR space and should never be shared with another dog. Not only is it offensive to your dog, and unsafe, but it is not legal to do so - you can get in trouble for putting two dogs in one crate at the same time!
7) Always have the proper sized kennel for your dog! Size a kennel or crate for their estimated adult height and weight - and add 10 pounds and an inch to be safe! Your dog should be able to sit, stand, lay down, turn around, and be able to lay down on their side with paws outstretched in ALL FOUR DIRECTIONS to satisfy CRD/By-law/SPCA regulations. If your dog cannot do one or more of these, your crate is TOO SMALL. While crates are insanely expensive and costly, its a one-time cost with proper training and can be used for multiple uses with other dogs (once the current one has passed away or moved on of course!). You can also find them used, or even make your own crate if you're handy with wood and soft, round fencing material (never ever use chicken wire for a dog). If the crate or kennel is too expensive to afford, at least utilize an ex-pen or a small bedroom or closet until you can do so.
8) Never leave a dog unattended in a crate in places such as outdoors or in a vehicle! This one is pretty obvious, but it ties in to number five, as well as presents some major safety issues - especially if you have a young puppy in your yard in an ex-pen - birds of prey or wild animals like bobcats or raccoons can and will pick off your puppy if it's unattended!
9) If you are not walking, training, relieving, or playing with your puppy, they should be crated, kenneled, or ex-penned! Until they are about a year old, all puppies should retire to a crate until basic training is complete. This is not to contain or control your dog, but to increase the den instinct, keep them safe, allow you a break, and to not give too much freedom too fast. This allows you 100% full control and ability to adapt your dog's behaviour into the perfect pooch for you.
Hopefully we have helped your crate training plight, or at least enlightened you a little! Until next time, keep calm, and always strive for your Ideal Companion!
