How to Crate Train an Adult Dog

One of the most important things you can do is crate train your dog. Be prepared to spend some time and effort when it comes to crate training. It can be the best way to stop unwanted pet behavior. The following steps will teach you the best way to crate train your dog.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog Crate
• Food
• Water
• Blankets
• Toys
• Treats

Find the Right Location

1. Place your crate in the right location for training to be successful. This means the crate should be placed near you when you are home. This helps your dog to go inside the crate without feeling lonely or isolated. The best places are a central room such as the living room or kitchen.

2. Make the crate more inviting by including the necessities such as water and comfortable bedding. It is also a good idea to include your pet's favorite toys and treats.

3. Instruct your pet to sit outside or just inside the crate while you talk to him and give him attention. Do not make him stay in the crate. This will give him a good first introduction to the crate.

4. Place treats or his favorite toys inside the crate to encourage him to enter. If he doesn't go all the way in at first, don't force him. Use food to encourage him to enter the crate completely. This step can take several minutes to a few days depending on your pet. But it is important that you don't force him.

5. Getting acclimated: Once your dog has been properly introduced to the crate you want to start associating it with something pleasant. First start feeding your dog outside the crate and then gradually move the food further in inside the crate. Then once your dog is accustomed to eating in the cage start closing the door for increasingly longer periods of time.

6. Praise the dog. When you first begin confining your dog to the crate it should be when you are home. Praise the dog while he is in the crate and give him a few treats. Stay in the room with the dog for a few minutes, gradually increasing the length of time that you leave him alone. Once the dog has adjusted to a period of about thirty minutes alone in the crate you can start leaving him in there for longer periods such as when you are asleep at night.

7. Don't drag out your departure from the room. Once you start leaving your dog for long periods of time don't make your departure long or emotional. Give your dog a treat and some praise and then quietly leave. When you come home don't greet him in an excited manner or reward your dog's excited behavior. By keeping your departures and arrivals low key your dog won't get overly anxious.

8. Never leave your dog in a crate for too long since this can cause him to feel trapped or frustrated. Make sure he doesn't stay in a crate for over three to four hours. Be sure to take care of his physical and emotional needs in order to keep him satisfied.

9. Never use a crate for punishment. This will lead to a fear and resentment of the crate which can make training more difficult. You can use the crate as a brief time out for aggressive behavior or excessive playing, but nothing more.

Tips & Warnings

• Crate training can take anywhere from a few days to a few months. It all depends on your dog's age, temperament and his previous experiences with a crate. Always associate the crate with something pleasant in order to get the best results. Work in small steps and don't rush the training process. If your dog whines do not let him out of the crate. Doing so will just reinforce the behavior.
• Always remove collars before placing a dog in a crate so it doesn't get stuck on the bars or wire mesh. Never crate dogs during warm weather for long periods of time. Don't leave a dog unsupervised in a crate when exposed to the elements. Do not clean the crate with ammonia-based cleaners since this can cause dogs to urinate in the crate.

[diggitydogg]

on 7/30/2008 Great article and advice!

[diggitydogg]

on 7/30/2008 Great article and advice!