Rules Of Crate Training - 5 Things You Need To Know
Just like kids, dogs need rules and guidelines to make them feel safe and secure. If they are left to their own devices, or to figure things out for them selves, then they will experience confusion and chaos instead of trust and calm. This actually applies to any dog who is coming into a new environment, regardless of age. Every dog needs to have parameters set, and knowing the rules of crate training can help you provide this structure for your pet.
In order to be successful at crate training your dog, you need to keep a few things in mind. Of course, you want to use the basics of dog training when trying to get your dog to use a crate, but there are some things specific to crates that you need to keep in mind as well. Here are 5 rules of crate training that will help you successfully train your dog:
1. Because you want your dog to feel that his crate is a place of safety and comfort, you must never send him there as punishment. Doing so will only make the crate seem like an unpleasant place and your dog won’t want to go there.
2. Gradually introducing your dog to his crate is the best course of action. Don’t push him to go in there too much at first. You might try just putting the crate out and seeing how he reacts. When your dog does go in the crate, be sure to reward him for his good behavior.
3. A crate is the dog’s den. The dog will naturally not want to soil it’s den. If it is forced to do it’s business in the crate, it will be a negative experience. Always make sure the dog has had a chance to go outside and take care of the biological necessities before going into the crate.
4. Once you let your dog out of his crate, be sure to bring him outside immediately to relieve himself. This will help to get your dog on a schedule and can greatly assist in housebreaking.
5. It is ok if your dog is scared or hyper active and wonders into its crate, but you should never force them into their crate at this stage. You want your dog to have only pleasant thoughts about the crate so make sure you never force it on him.
Following these rules of crate training can help you to easily train your dog to love going into his crate. They will insure that he sees the crate as a safe haven and will easily go in there on command any time you want.