Training Your Dog To Use His Dog Carrier Comfortably

Title: Training Your Dog To Use His Dog Carrier Comfortably
Author: Ruby Fayed

The time for travel has come. Have you packed your toothbrush,
your swimsuit, your wallet? Have you taken out the kitchen
trash, watered the plants today, fed the dog…wait…the dog. The
dog is going with you. That means you have to put Peanut in his
dog carrier. Have you prepared yourself for this task? Peanut
hates to be locked up and there is no knowing how ballistic he
will go in his dog carrier. He will bark, cry and probably bite
any unsuspecting fingers that come his way. Is this Peanuts
fault or your own?

Training your dog to behave in a dog carrier will help to avoid
any last minute disasters if you have to spontaneously take him
on a trip. A well-trained dog will allow you to feel more
confident in his social interactions and ultimately result in a
higher mutual respect. Existing problems only worsen without
proper training, but it is important to know that it is never
too late to begin teaching Peanut how to act appropriately in
his dog carrier. It is important to remember throughout this
process the more calm and in control you are the more calm and
receptive Peanut will be.

If you practiced crate training for your dog at an early age,
then he is much more equipped to adapt to dog carriers. Many
people crate train their puppies with the motive of teaching
them not to defecate or urinate in the house. The idea is to
keep them in their crate for several hours at a time while they
are still being potty-trained and then to allow them to go
straight outside once the crate is open. That way the owner will
always be available to positively reward the puppy every time he
releases himself outside. A Dog carrier will remind your dog of
his crate and it will take minimal training for him to become
accustomed to it.

Even if you have not crate trained Peanut when he was a pup,
there is still hope. The most important aspect of training your
dog to be comfortable and feel secure in using a dog carrier is
to always emphasize it as a positive place to go to. Never scold
Peanut and send him to his dog carrier. This will make him
connect negative emotions to his dog carrier and he will get
nervous and confused when you later try to get him prepared for
travel. Use the dog carrier in more situations then just going
to the vet. This way he does not associate his dog carrier with
solely that experience. There are many daily opportunities to do
this. Utilizing the dog carrier to take Peanut to the dog park,
beach, and nature trails are just a few of those.

Getting Peanut to enjoy his dog carrier is only half the battle
in ensuring smooth traveling. Next, you need to rid him of his
excessive barking and aggressive behavior toward strange noises
and people. The whole airport experience is filled with mystery
voices and sharp clatter. The best way to desensitize him to
alarming noises is to always play with him by rewarding him for
his tricks when loud noises are going on in the background. If
you play with Peanut during a thunderstorm or give him treats
for sitting while someone vacuums, then he will be less inclined
to connect fear with loud disruptions. If new faces commonly
surround him then he will be less impressed with strangers and
thus less likely to react negatively. Try carrying Peanut
through crowded areas in his dog carrier before letting him
frolic in the park. Take him on walks in areas with a lot of
social activity. Give positive reinforcement to him every time
he lets a stranger pet him.

Next time you are confronted with the last minute need to put
Peanut in his dog carrier you will be prepared and there will be
no reason for fear of his ballistic behavior again. You will
both be grateful knowing that Peanut will be capable of acting
appropriately in his dog carrier anytime the situation for use
should arise. Training your dog will benefit you as much as it
does him. Your dog is only as well behaved as you train him to
be.

About The Author: Ruby Fayed is an avid dog lover and premier
article author for http://www.tailoredtail.com. For more
information on dog carriers, dog strollers, and pet carriers
visit http://www.tailoredtail.com/dog-carriers.html

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