Many people feel
it is cruel to crate a puppy or a dog. All those negative associations about
cages and zoos and such. I was under that impression myself when I was
convinced, by my sister 6 years ago, that it was one of the most valuable
things that my new puppy could learn. It keeps the puppy safe from chewing
things like electrical cords and your new shoes when you cannot be around to
supervise. It can be considered the same as a playpen for a baby. It is also an
invaluable tool in housetraining a puppy. Puppies learn from their mother that
they shouldnÕt soil their sleeping area. When they are still in the whelping
box, the puppies will crawl away from their sleeping area to an area they chose
as the potty area, and eliminate there. They are already innately trained not
to soil the area where they sleep.
First, letÕs look
at dog behavior in the wild. Wild adult dogs will naturally find a den or safe
area to sleep. When the dam whelps the pups in the wild she sets up a den and
keeps it clean until the pups are old enough to go outside on their own. She
teaches them it is not okay to potty in the place where they sleep. Domestic
dogs will also naturally den. You will often see a dog sleeping under a table
or desk or next to a piece of furniture if no other area is provided for them
to den. It is not cruel to develop his habit from the time you bring the puppy
home. In fact, it is cruel not to give the pup or dog a safe area they can call
their own.
If your puppy
whines when you first put him in his crate it is probably because he would
rather be snuggled up close to you the way he was with his littermates. If you
allow. If you allow the puppy access to your lap, bed, couch or chair when you
first get the puppy then it will be harder to eliminate these behaviors as the
puppy grows up. Think of what the adult size of your dog will be and decide if
you have room in your lap, bed, etc. for the adult dog. You must decide before
you bring the puppy home what the ŅrulesÓ will be and then stick to them.
If youÕre lucky,
the breeder has begun to crate train the puppies while they are still in the
whelping box by providing a crate for them to sleep in. If this is the case,
then all you have to do is to allow the puppy to get used to itÕs new crate,
itÕs smells, and your home and your job will go much faster. If possible, get a
familiar piece of bedding from the breeder, one that has the smells of the
litter on it. Place this in the crate along with the other pads or towels. This
will help the puppy feel at home. You can return this to the breeder once the
puppy is used to his new home.
Crate training
should all be done positively with no negative associations. When you first
bring the puppy home from the breeder, have the crate ready and comfortable for
the puppy. I put a towel or a washable pad in the crate, possibly a pillow so
it is an inviting area for the puppy. (My dogsÕ crates are as comfortable and
inviting as my own bed!) I get a small yummy treat (small piece of raw hot dog
works well) and allow the puppy to sniff it and then lure the puppy into the
crate with the treat. When the puppy goes into the crate to get the treat and
explore the new area, I just leave the door open and let him come out as he
wishes. I donÕt force the pup into the crate and I donÕt make him stay in there
the first several times. I then repeat putting a treat in the crate, allowing
the puppy to go in on his own for the treat. I do this several times and praise
the puppy gently while its in the crate and associate a word or phrase for
going in the crate. My word association is Ņkennel upÓ. I use the word
association AS IÕm putting the treat into the crate and the puppy is following
it in. Do this about five times and then quit for a while. Repeat this
procedure several times the first day.
When
the puppy is going in after the treat comfortably and when the puppy has just
finished playing and piddling and is tired, lure the puppy into the crate with
the treat as you have done before only this time close the door. I also put a new
toy in the
crate at this time. Something the puppy hasnÕt seen before and something that
is interesting and will keep his attention for a few minutes. After I close the
door, I sit on the floor in front of the crate and talk to the puppy if
necessary. If the puppy cries or whines, I out my fingers through the grate in the
door to reassure the puppy that I am still there. Usually, they will only whine
for a short while and may even fall asleep if they are tired. I stay there
until the whining subsides and the puppy calms down and then open the crate
door. 5-10 minutes usually. If the puppy happens to fall asleep, great! I let
him sleep in the crate until he wakes up and then itÕs right outside to go
potty. I donÕt use a lot of praise and fanfare when I open the crate door and I
ignore the puppy for a few minutes after he is out so that he doesnÕt get the
impression that getting out is much more fun than being in the crate. I do not
let the puppy out of the crate until he is quiet for at least 30 seconds and
has calmed down if he has been whining. I might try and distract him with
another toy to give him a chance to be quiet so I can let him out while he is
quiet but I WILL NOT let him out, especially the first time, until he IS quiet.
I donÕt yell or correct in any negative way. I just make up my mind that I will
calmly wait the puppy out no matter what.
If
you have gotten your puppy during the day and had time to do the above steps,
great! The puppy will already be
familiar with going in the crate after a treat. If not, and you want to begin
the puppyÕs life at his new home sleeping in a crate hereÕs what to do. I play
with the puppy till heÕs tired, make sure he has pottied outside and place the
comfortable crate (with pad and towels, etc.) on a chair or table right next to
my bed where I can reach it while IÕm still lying down. My nightstand is set up
for this purpose. I remove any collar that might be unsafe, place or lure the
tired puppy into the crate (possibly with a safe toy) go to bed and turn out
the lights as usual. If the puppy whines, I place my fingers in the grate and
talk softly to the puppy until he falls asleep. I may lose a little sleep that
night and possibly the next time but I will NOT open the door for the puppy for
at least four hours. (I repeat: the puppy has successfully pottied just before
this!). I do not get angry at the puppy or yell at him but I do not give in and
let him out either. If the crate is comfortable and warm enough, the lights are
out and you are right there to talk softly to him and let him lick your
fingers, then usually he will fall asleep within an hour, less if he is tired.
At eight weeks of age you cannot expect the puppy to go more than four hours
without pottying. So, as soon as the puppy whines after waking up, have your
sweats, shoes and shirt ready to take the puppy outside. Dress yourself quickly
before you open the crate, carry the puppy to the potty area immediately, praise
softly and gently for a job well done, bring him back in and without getting
into a play session with him, return the puppy to his crate, turn the lights
out and go back to sleep. If the puppy fusses for a while, talk softly and put
your fingers in the grate of the crate. Two or three nights of this at the most
and your puppy will be used to the routine. If you happen to sleep through the
puppy whining and he is forced to potty in his crate because he canÕt hold it,
donÕt blame or scold the puppy. It is your responsibility to get the puppy out
BEFORE he has had a chance to soil his den. Clean it up using a urine
neutralizer (I use a light vinegar and water solution) put clean towels or pads
in the crate and return to your routine. Set an alarm clock if you have to. The
crate should not be too big for the pup, otherwise there will be enough room
for the puppy to soil in its crate and not think about it as soiling his
sleeping area. Later on, after the puppy is used to its routine and after he no
longer needs to go out every four hours, you can put the crate on the floor of
your bedroom or somewhere else in the house.
At
some point you have to go to work or go out somewhere and canÕt take the puppy.
HeÕs made it through his first day and night at his new home. He is familiar
with his crate and it does not have any unpleasant associations linked to it.
Make sure the pup has been exercised and has pottied. It is helpful if he has
played a bit and is tired. Take off his collar and remove any unsafe toys that may be in the crate,
lure him into the crate with a treat and your association word or physically
place the puppy into the crate gently. Close the door and leave the house
without further do. No talking to him, etc. He may whine a little. You might
have to explain to your neighbors that your are crate training your new puppy
to keep him safe from chewing things like the electrical cords and your new
shoes while you are away and so he will develop good potty habits. Explain that
he may whine for a little while after you leave. Hopefully, they will
understand. DonÕtÕ stay away too long. An hour or two, is optimal. If you have
to go to work and have no other choice, then arrange to come home at lunch to
feed, exercise and potty the puppy during your break or have someone else come
in and do this for you. A puppy
cannot be expected to go longer than four hours without a potty break and it is
very hard to retrain a puppy that is used to soiling his crate.
A
Place to Get Away From It All
After the puppy
has grown up a bit and is used to being put into his crate when you leave and
at night when you sleep, you will see something interesting happen. When the
puppy is tired and wants some time alone, possibly away from the children (who
should not be allowed access to the puppyÕs crate for play purposes) he will go
to his crate and curl up and go to sleep. I leave the doors of my crates open
and my dogs frequently go there to take a nap on their own volition.
Suppose you have
to fly your dog on a plane. They must be crated for this. Flying is stressful
enough for the dog who is already crate trained but add the stress of never
having been in a crate to a dog who has to fly for the first time. Can you see
a reason for the dog to be used to a crate?
What if you have
to go out of town and need to leave the dog in a boarding kennel? A crate
trained dog will understand and adapt to this situation easily. Usually, you
can bring the dogÕs own crate with you to the kennel and allow the dog some
comfort in having his own bed to sleep in.
Keeping the
puppy/dog safe in the car is another reason to crate train. Nobody likes to
think of what would happen if they were in a car accident. Car doors can fly
open and the dog, if uncrated, stands a good chance of leaping out into traffic
and getting hit by a car or running off because they are scared. If you have
your dog crated in the car when in an accident the dog may get banged around
but the crate will most likely protect the dog from being hit, may help contain
the dog in the car itself, and will keep him from being lost if the car doors
fly open even if the crate is expelled from the car. If you are hurt in the
accident the emergency services people are more likely to keep your dog safe
and contained if the dog is in a crate and they can easily transport the dog to
a safe area.
Although it is
probably easier to crate train when the puppy is young, you can still train the
adult dog to accept the crate. Use a treat or favorite toy and lure him into
the crate with the door open, same as I explained for the puppy. Keep doing
this until the dog will readily go into the crate on his own. After the dog
will readily go into the crate for a treat or toy, make the dog lie down in the
crate with you sitting on the floor in front of the crate for just a few seconds
and then let him come out. Keep this up for several days or a week, as long as
it takes for the dog to become comfortable with lying down in the crate. When
the dog seems comfortable lying down, close the door for a minute or two, and
stay there to talk to the dog same as we did above with the puppy. When the dog
has been quiet for a few seconds, open the door and let the dog come out and
ignore him for a minute or two so that coming out isnÕt associated with a lot
of praise. The idea is to praise gently and quietly WHILE THE DOG IS IN THE
CRATE and ignore him for a few minutes when he comes out. Keep doing this
without any negative associations until heÕs comfortable in the crate for
longer periods of time. Most dogs can be crate trained using this method no
matter how old they are. Keep it positive but donÕt give in either. Try and
build up the time gradually, if you can. If you need to crate train your dog to
fly, try and give yourself as much time as possible. A month or more is
optimal. If you donÕt have that much time, try to do as many repetitions as you
can during the time you have. Wait an hour or so in between training sessions.
The more repetitions you can do without stressing out the dog and maintaining
positive associations the better. Quit if the dog or you are getting stressed.
į Never crate a dog with a choke collar on.
Dogs can choke themselves to death. ItÕs probably a good idea to remove any
collar while the dog is in the crate.
į Never crate a dog with a leash attached!
Same reason.
Safe Toys
į Use safe toys only, nothing the dog or puppy
can get apart and choke on while youÕre not there. Rawhide chewies are NOT good
to leave with unsupervised dogs. Squeaky toys need to be monitored because the
squeakers can be removed and swallowed and cause the pup to choke.
į Good toys that are safe: KONGS. These are
made of hard rubber that is almost impossible to destroy. They come in many
different sizes and have a small opening in one end. Some people put a little
peanut butter inside that gives the pup/dog something to do for a while after
you leave. Not a lot of peanut butter, just enough to keep them interested.
Copyright
1996 P. Kalbaugh
All Rights
Reserved