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CRATE TRAINING – A SAFE HAVEN FOR
YOUR DOG
Why might my dog need to be confined?
Dogs are highly social animals that make wonderful pets.
They can be effective as watchdogs, are excellent companions
for play and exercise, and are sources of affection and
comfort. However, with the lifestyle and schedule of the
majority of families, dogs must learn to spend a portion of
the day at home, while their human family is away at school,
work, shopping or engaging in recreational activities.
During those times when you are away and unavailable to
supervise, the pet may still feel the need to chew, play,
explore, eat, or eliminate. These behaviors can be very
distressing and damaging to the home. Confining your dog to
a play area with its toys is akin to putting a young child
in its playpen; while teaching your dog to relax and sleep
in its crate or bed would be similar to putting your baby in
its crib when its time for bedtime or a nap.
How can this misbehavior be prevented?
Preventing inappropriate behaviors when you are absent
involves both scheduling and prevention. Scheduling means
insuring that the pet has had the opportunity to play, eat,
and eliminate before you leave it in its confinement area or
crate. By maintaining a regular daily routine and timing
your departures (or other daily commitments) at a time when
your dog would normally be napping or playing with its own
toys, there should be minimal resistance to confinement.
Prevention involves keeping the pet in a confined area where
it is secure, safe, and can do no damage to itself or your
possessions.
What are my options for confinement?
Depending on the structure of your home, it may be possible
to confine your dog to a limited portion of your home, by
closing a few doors, or putting up some child gates or
barricades. The dog can then be allowed access to the
remaining areas of the house. Another option is to use
avoidance devices that keep the pet away from selected areas
(see our handout on ‘Behavior management products’). If
dog-proofing is not possible when you have to leave your dog
unsupervised, you might need to confine your dog to a single
room, pen, or crate. This smaller confinement area not only
provides safety for the dog and protection of the home from
damage, but also provides a means of teaching the dog what
it is supposed to chew, and where it is supposed to
eliminate i.e. setting up for success rather than attempting
to punish what might be undesirable, but normal play,
exploration, scavenging or elimination.
Isn’t crate training cruel?
Crate training is neither cruel nor unfair. On the contrary,
leaving the dog unsupervised to wander, investigate,
destroy, and perhaps injure itself is far more inhumane than
confinement. Insure that the crate is large enough for your
dog to stand, turn and play with its toys. Proper timing and
scheduling can help your dog to adapt. Be certain that your
dog has had sufficient play, exercise, attention, and an
opportunity to eliminate before confinement, and that you
return before the dog next needs to eliminate. Ideally the
pet should be placed in its crate at times of the day when
it is due for a nap, or when it normally amuses itself by
playing with its own toys. Although confinement should be
used when you cannot supervise your dog, when you are at
home you must try to keep the pet with you (except during
the pet’s nap times), as this is the only way to train and
reinforce desirable behavior and direct the pet away from
undesirable behavior. Be sure not to require your pet to be
confined longer than wait to eliminate.
What are the benefits of crate training?
Confinement training has many benefits. It keeps your pet
safe and prevents damage to household possessions. The crate
also provides a place of security; a comfortable retreat
where the dog can relax, sleep, or chew on a favorite toy.
Confining the pet to a crate or room, when the owner is not
available to supervise can immediately prevent behavior
problems. If the puppy is crated when it is napping or
playing with its own toys, the risk for over-attachment and
separation anxiety might be reduced. While in the crate the
puppy learns to spend time away from the owners napping or
engaging in play behavior When you are at home, supervision
and rewards can be used to prevent undesirable behavior, and
to teach the dog where to eliminate, what to chew, and what
rooms and areas are “out of bounds.”
Will cage confinement help with house-training?
Crate training is one of the quickest and most effective
ways to house-train a dog. Since most dogs instinctively
avoid eliminating in their sleeping and eating areas, dogs
that use their crate as a bed or “den” will seldom eliminate
inside unless they have been left in the crate for too long
or they are excessively anxious when confined. Crate
training can also help teach the dog to develop control over
its elimination. As soon as your dog is released from its
crate, take it to the designated area and reward elimination
at acceptable locations. Since the crate prevents chewing,
digging, and elimination on the owner’s home and property,
owners of crate trained puppies have fewer behavior
concerns, the puppy receives far less discipline and
punishment, and the overall relationship between pet and
owner can be dramatically improved. For further details see
our Puppy – Housetraining Guide.
Will the crate provoke barking?
The crate can also be a useful way to reduce or eliminate
distress barking. Rather than locking the puppy up and away
from the owners at nighttime or during mealtime, the puppy
can be housed in its crate in the bedroom or kitchen. In
this way the puppy cannot get into mischief, and is less
likely to cry out or vocalize, with the owners in the room.
Of course if the puppy is not napping and you are available
to supervise your puppy should be out and about with you
watching closely to insure that it comes to no harm and does
not get into mischief. Distress vocalization is far more
likely for owners that lock their puppy out of harms way in
a laundry or basement with no access to them. When and if
the owner then goes to the puppy to quiet it down or check
it out, the crying behavior is rewarded.
Are there other benefits to caging?
Throughout its life, whether traveling or boarding, your dog
may require crate confinement for varying periods of time.
Dogs that are comfortable with crating are more likely to
feel secure, and far less stressed, should caging be
required. By bringing along the dog’s bedding or its own
crate for boarding or veterinary visits, the pet may feel
even more settled and relaxed.
PUPPY CRATE TRAINING
What type of crate or confinement area works best?
A metal, collapsible crate with a tray floor works well, as
long as the crate is large enough for the dog to stand,
turn, and stretch out. Some dogs feel more secure if a
blanket is draped over the crate. A plastic traveling crate
or a homemade crate can also be used. Playpens or barricades
may also be successful as long as they are indestructible
and escape proof.
Where should the cage be located?
Because dogs are social animals, an ideal location for the
crate is a room where the family spends time such as a
kitchen, den, or in a bedroom where the dog might sleep at
night.
How can crating or confinement become a positive experience?
Most dogs quickly choose a small area, such as a corner of a
room, in a dog bed, or on or under a couch, where they go to
relax. If your puppy has just recently been adopted from the
breeder, kennel or pet store, crate training should be
relatively easy, since your puppy is likely already
accustomed to sleeping in a pen or crate. The key to making
the crate the dog’s favorite retreat and sleeping area, is
to associate the crate with as many positive and relaxing
experiences and stimuli as possible (treats, chew toys,
bedding) and to place the dog in its cage when playing with
new toys, during scheduled rest and sleep periods or even as
a feeding area. You must therefore plan and be aware of the
dog’s schedule, including its needs for exploration, play,
food, and elimination, so that the dog is only placed in its
cage, when each of these needs is fulfilled. You must then
return to the dog to release it from its cage before the
next exercise, feeding or elimination period is due. A radio
or television playing in the background may help to calm the
dog when it is alone in its cage, especially during the
daytime. These may also help to mask environmental noises
that can stimulate the dog to vocalize. The crate should not
be used for punishment.
How do I crate-train my new puppy?
Introduce the puppy to the crate as soon as it is brought
home and as early in the day as possible. Place a variety of
treats in the cage throughout the day so that the puppy is
encouraged to enter voluntarily. Bedding, toys and water can
also be offered to the puppy in the open cage. Food might
also be placed in the pen or crate if you wish to also
designate it as a feeding area.
Choose a location outdoors for the puppy to eliminate. Take
the puppy to the location, wait until the puppy eliminates,
and reward the puppy lavishly with praise or food. After
some additional play and exercise, and when you feel its
time for your puppy to take a nap (or when you see your
puppy begin to settle down for nap), place the puppy in its
crate with water, a toy and a treat and close the door.
If the puppy is tired and calm, it may take a “nap” shortly
after being placed in its crate. If not, be certain to
provide a few novel and stimulating toys or chews for play.
In this way the crate serves one of two functions – as your
puppy’s bed (crib) or your puppy’s play area (playpen).
Leave the room but remain close enough to hear the puppy.
Escape behavior and vocalization are to be expected when a
dog is first placed into its crate. If the “complaints” are
short or mild, ignore your puppy until the crying stops.
Never release the puppy unless it is quiet. This teaches
that quiet behavior, and not crying will be rewarded.
Release the puppy after a few minutes of quiet or a short
nap.
A brief disruption may be useful to deter crying if it does
not subside on its own. A shaker can (a sealed can filled
with coins or marbles) can be tossed at the crate when the
pup barks. Other methods include water sprayers or alarms
(audible or ultrasonic). The owner should remain out of
sight. By plugging in an alarm, tape recorder, or hair dryer
beside the crate and turning it on with a remote control
switch each time the dog barks, the dog can be taught that
barking has unpleasant consequences whether the owner is
present or not. When the barking ceases, the disruption is
stopped. Bark collars and alarms that are activated by the
barking are also available for persistent problems. These
techniques must be used with caution, since it can
exacerbate the vocalization problem of a very anxious pet.
Repeat the cage and release procedure a few more times
during the day at each naptime and each time your puppy is
given a toy or chew with which to play. Each time, increase
the time that the dog must stay in the crate before letting
it out. Always give the puppy exercise and a chance to
eliminate before securing it in the crate.
At bedtime, the dog should be exercised, secured in its
crate, and left for the night. Do not go to the dog if it
cries. Remote punishment can be used to deter crying. The
crate might remain in the same place as it has been during
the day, or might be moved (or a second crate used) to the
bedroom.
If the pup sleeps in one end of its crate and eliminates in
the other, a divider can be installed to keep the puppy in a
smaller area providing the puppy is not required to spend
more time in the crate than it is capable of holding it’s
urine or stool If the puppy must eliminate, it does not
matter how small the area is; the puppy will have to
eliminate.
Never leave the puppy in its crate for longer than it can
control itself or it may be forced to eliminate in the
crate.
If the pup must be left for long periods during which it
might eliminate, it should be confined to a larger area such
as a dog-proof room or pen, with paper left down for
elimination. As the puppy gets older, its control increases
and it can be left longer in its crate.
Although there is a great deal of individual variability,
many puppies can control themselves through the night by 3
months of age. During the daytime, once the puppy has
relieved itself, a 2-month old puppy may have up to 3 hours
control, a 3-month puppy up to 4 hours, and a 4 month old
puppy up to 5 hours.
A crate is not an excuse to ignore the dog!
CRATE TRAINING ADULT DOGS
What is the best technique for crate training older pets and
adult dogs?
For adult dogs or older puppies that have not been crate
trained previously, set up the crate in the dog's feeding
area with the door open for a few days. Place food, treats,
and water in the crate so that the dog enters the crate on
its own. Another alternative is to place the crate (or a
second crate) in the dog's sleeping area with its bedding.
Once the dog is entering the crate freely, it is time to
close the door for very short periods of time. Some dogs
might do better if a pen, or confinement area with barricade
(child gate).
Using the same training techniques as for ‘sit’ and ‘stay’
training, have the dog enter its crate for short periods of
time to obtain food, treats, or chew toys. Once the pet
expects treats each time it enters the crate, train the dog
to enter the crate on command (e.g. kennel!), and have the
dog remain in the kennel for progressively longer periods of
time, before the dog is allowed to exit. Give small rewards
each time the dog enters the cage at first, and give the dog
a favored chew toy or some food to help make the stay more
enjoyable. At first, the door can remain open during these
training sessions.
When the dog is capable of staying comfortably and quietly
in the crate begin to lock the dog in the crate at
nighttime. Once the dog sleeps in the crate through the
night, try leaving the pet in the crate during the daytime.
Try short departures first, and gradually make them longer.
Is crate training practical for all dogs?
An occasional dog may not tolerate crate training, and may
continue to show anxiety, or even eliminate when confined.
These dogs may adapt better to other types of confinement
such as a pen, dog run, small room, or barricaded area. Of
course, if the dog is being left alone for longer than it
can control (hold in) its elimination, it will be necessary
to provide an area much larger than a cage, so that the pet
has a location on which to eliminate, away from its food and
bedding.
Continued anxiety, destruction or vocalization when placed
in the crate may indicate separation anxiety. The
intervention of a behaviorist may be needed. |
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