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Crate Training
Does Fifi wee on your carpet? Does Rocky chew your couch? Each year thousands of dogs are isolated, surrended, abandoned to a life in the backyard or abused because their owners were unable to deal with their behavioural problems. Crate Training is one of the most effective and efficient ways to help manage and train your dog. The single most important aspect of training is to reward and praise your dog every time they do something you like. The key to toilet training is to establish a routine that increases the chances of your pup eliminating outside in your presence, (so that he can be rewarded and praised immediately), and decrease the chances that your pup will elimate in the wrong place, (like your pup thinking the lounge room is a huge toilet!). Correctly crate training your pooch is an invaluable tool. It makes it easier for your dog to cope with trips to the vet / groomer, makes car trips safer and provides a safe, secure place for your dog to 'chill out' and most importantly, provides an excellent management tool! (Fifi can't wee on the carpet or chew on the table leg if she's laying happily in her crate!) IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT CRATE TRAINING IS DONE IN A POSITIVE MANNER AND THAT YOU WORK AT THE DOG'S PACE. REMEMBER, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE! The following is a guide intended to help you crate train your pooch. STEP 1. Place your crate where your pooch will be near the family. Place some nice soft bedding in the bottom so it is very confortable. (Dog's are social critters, so place your crate in the room you spend most of your time in!) STEP 2. Think of a cue to use when your pooch goes into the crate. 'Go to bed?', 'In your crate', etc. It doesn't matter what you choose, as long as you use it consistently! STEP 3. Leave the door open and throw some tasty treats in. Let your pooch go in after the treats and when she does...Praise immediately! DON'T CLOSE THE DOOR YET!!! STEP 4. Feed your pooch all her meals in the crate. Get her bowl ready & place it in the crate. As your pooch enters the crate, start adding your cue, 'Into bed', (or whatever you decided on). From now on, feed all your pooch's meals in her crate. STEP 5. When your pooch is eagerly going into the crate & choosing to stay in there, use your treats to reward your pooch while in the crate. (Do this by dropping them in through the top of the crate. Your pooch will think treats are raining from the sky!). STEP 6. After practising this a few times, & only if your pooch is relaxed, start closing the door for a few seconds. Continue to reward calm behaviour by dropping treats in through the top. Open the door again. It is important NOT to move away from your dog at this stage and that we work at their pace. Every step is the foundation for the next, so if at anytime you are experiencing difficulties, such as whinning, pawing at the door, etc, you have gone too fast, too soon. THIS IS YOUR ERROR! Go back to the previous step & begin again. This is supposed to be a positive experience! STEP 7. Continue to reward for calm behaviour. Gradually increase the time your pooch stays in her crate. Remember to allow for toilet breaks. As a general guide, an 8 week old puppy needs a break every hour or so. As your pooch gets better, you can begin to phase out your food lure. I always like my dogs to have a pigs ear or stuffed KONG to occupy them while in their crate. |
