Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily

Title: Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily
Author: Moses Wright

Simple Yet Effective Tips to Crate Train Your Dog Fast and Easily
There is more to the crate than meets the eye. It provides
a safe haven for your puppy and frees up time for you to go
about your daily chores without worrying for the security
of your new pup. Those who are not aware of the usefulness
of a crate will see it as a form of torture for dogs,
however, if crate training is carried out properly, it can
be a fun and rewarding for both you and your puppy. It's
effectiveness cannot be denied, as shown by the number of
professional dog trainers who swear by it when potty
training.

Getting the Right Crate Size - An ideal dog training crate
should be large enough to allow your dog to stretch out
without hitting his head and allow him to be able to turn
around easily. The crate is too big if your dog can relieve
himself in one corner and move to play and sleep in
another. If your puppy is still young and not fully grown,
try to block off certain section of the crate with
cardboard or wooden boards.

Critical Crate Training Rules - You must introduce the
crate slowly to your dog when you begin crate training.
Crate him in short intervals, about 10 minutes, and
gradually increase the duration over time. Your dog needs
time to get used to being crated. Never crate him for more
than 30 minutes or longer the first time you put him into
the crate.

It is not advisable to crate a young puppy for long periods
of time. Your puppy should have the chance to exercise and
urinate before being crated. Dogs are clean creatures and
do not wish to dirty the space near their personal sleeping
areas. However, he might be forced to relieve himself if
you cruelly lock him in for longer than he can hold it in.

A good way to remember the maximum length of time a puppy
should be crate is to add 1 hour to his age in months. For
example, a 2 month old puppy should not be crated for more
than 3 hours without any bathroom breaks.

It's normal for dogs to kick up a fuss, bark and moan while
in the crate. If these things happen during crate training,
do not give him any attention! Yes! Do not even look in his
direction.

Dogs are intelligent animals. Don't let him know that he'll
get your attention when he kicks up a fuss. Simply ignore
him. Praise your dog or let him out only when he settles
down.

If it's a young puppy whom you've just introduce the crate
to, maybe you can offer him a treat in the crate to calm
him down. Whatever you do, don't let him out of the crate
at that very moment.

If you notice that your dog displays hyper active behavior
as compared to before, you might be crating him for too
long. If your dog starts to chew on himself, let him out
immediately and consult a trainer or behaviorist.

Here are some tips to help introduce the crate to your dog:

1. To make his experience pleasurable, play with him there
or spend time watching TV there or reading as he gets busy
with chewing a toy. If he is there all by himself, he
begins to associate the area with isolation and may resist
being there at all.

2. Begin crate training at dinnertime. Give him his food,
one piece at a time, by throwing bits of kibble in to the
crate and making him search for it. This is one way of
making it fun during his training.

3. If you pick up his toys, place them in the crate, so
that when he returns he can play with them. To surprise
him, you can even hide a biscuit in the crate – that's fun!

4. Don't crate him for longer than he can hold the urge to
eliminate or defecate. If you are gone for long periods
each day, you should consider a larger confinement area
such as an exercise pen or a small room.

5. The best place to place the crate would be where your
puppy can see the environment and family members, hear and
smell you, the owner.

6. Never use a crate to punish your dog, it will backfire.
If you introduce the crate to him in a fun way, your pup
will take to crate confinement quickly and without much
fuss. It is meant to be a comfortable and safe space, not
where he'll get punished.

7. Crate training is not a long term solution to keeping
your dog safe without supervision. Puppies should not be
left alone for extended periods in their crates. If the
puppy soils the crate, this can slow down your training by
weeks.

To conclude, crate training is a very valuable and useful
obedience training lesson. Its main purpose is to provide
security, safety, reduce potentially destructive behaviors,
add to the ease of traveling and protection for short term
confinement, whenever the owner needs it. It is one
important lesson all puppies should learn from day one.

About the Author:

Moses Wright loves to spent time with his 3 beautiful dogs
and he loves to help fellow dog owners stop their dog
problems whenever possible. You can get a free copy of his
book filled with invaluable knowledge on dog ownership here:
http://www.dogsobediencetraining.com/dogger_enews.htm

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