Why crate train your dog
Why should you train your dog to spend time in a crate or pen?
Some people think of a crate as a cage. The thought is that cages are for punishment, are a bad experience and so are like putting a dog in prison. Although a crate may look like a cage to us, to a well-trained dog it is a welcome sanctuary and a favourite place to spend time.
There’s no question that using a crate as a means of punishment is not going to be fun for your dog. Nobody wants that for their lovely companion. However, if our dogs are shown that a crate is a great place to be and that it is comfortable and safe, that is quite different. Every time you ask your dog to go to their crate, put something tasty and long-lasting there for them to chew and they will soon learn to look forward to it.
Here are 6 benefits of encouraging your dog to really love their crate.
A crate gives your dog their own safe space. They know that they can settle comfortably inside and it gives them a secure base to observe the world and to help them to feel relaxed.
Crates keep dogs safe from chewing dangerous or precious items when you are not watching them.
Crates are a great way to teach house training. Dogs really don’t want to soil their beds and will move away from them when they need to relieve themselves. As long as you don’t leave your dog in a crate for so long that they can’t hang on any longer, a crate will encourage your dog to be clean. When you do release them, take them straight outside and congratulate their performance.
You can use a crate to teach your dog good manners when greeting visitors. Put your dog in their crate with a long-lasting, delicious chew before your guests arrive and they will settle down quickly, to enjoy it. (It helps if you ask your guests to ignore your dog if they are not behaving calmly). Once they are completely calm you can open the door to bring them forward to say Hello.
A crate is a great management tool to encourage polite behaviour. It’s the ideal place to send your dog if they are doing something you would rather they didn’t do, like chewing the furniture or chasing the cat!
If you only release your dog from their crate when they are calm, you will be rewarding calm behaviour. If you let your dog out when they are barking and jumping about, they will learn that noisy behaviour is the way to get you to give them attention. So crate training teaches your dog to develop and effective ‘on off’ switch and really helps them to learn that calm behaviour is a good idea when with their people.
If you are finding it a struggle to teach your dog to enjoy spending time in their crate, why not click the button above for a free consultation and I will be very happy to advise you.
