Saturday, December 31, 2011

Crate Training Tips Directly From a Professional Dog Trainer

By Jean Cote


If you have not crate trained your dog, below are 10 crate training pointers that may help you start on the right path:

1. Keep the crate in a quiet place. This will help to teach your dog that his crate is a place for comfort and rest. Serious noises and distractions may simply be likely to perturb and upset your dog while he is in his crate.

2. Choose a snug dog bed. Your dog will require something comfortable to sleep on in the crate; a soft, plush dog bed will make your dog more drawn to his crate as a place of rest.

3. Do not let children or other animals play in the crate. Your dog must see the crate as his refuge, and after he does, he will likely become territorial. Respect your dog's private space by keeping kids and other pets out of the crate at all times.

4. Choose a simple command to inspire your dog to go into the crate. You may want to use clicker coaching to train your dog to enter the crate or a short command like "House". Once your dog enters the crate, praise and reward him with a treat.

5. Don't rush it. Crate training is a method that will take time and will provide the most impressive results when it's not rushed or forced. If your dog appears uncomfortable entering the crate at any point, back up in your crate training method to permit him to adapt.

Begin gently by keeping the crate door open with treats inside. After a couple of days of this, close the crate door with the dog inside, and then let him out. After a couple more days, leave the dog within for longer and longer amounts of time until he becomes fully snug in his new environment.




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