
While a dog in a crate may look like they’re in “jail” nothing could be further from the truth for a crate trained dog. Here at Doodle Dandy we do our best to crate train our dogs before adoption. This makes the transition to your home easier on them.
When you teach your dog that their crate is a safe space where good things happen, they can relax there. Crate training helps create well adjusted dogs, keeps them out of trouble when you’re not with them or the house is chaotic, encourages pups to get the rest they need (even adult dogs sleep around 16 hours a day), helps with potty training and separation anxiety. As long as your dog isn’t crated 24-7, the crate is a great tool to help your dog be a good family member.
It’s easiest to crate train dogs while they’re puppies, but old dogs can learn new tricks. Make sure the crate is big enough that your dog can stand up, turn around and lay down in the crate. If you’re training a puppy, use crate dividers in larger crates so they don’t have too much room. We recommend the following ideas to help crate train your dog.
Feed meals in crate. This allows your dog to focus on their food and know no one else can get to it. That in turn nips food guarding behaviors in the bud. Note that if you’re working with a dog that may have resource guarding issues, you should put the food in the crate before bringing the dog into the room and remove the bowl when the dog is once again out of the crate and not in the room.
Put treats in the crate. This is another way to create positive associations with the crate and get a dog to enter on their own. Combine this with a command (like saying “Crate”) and your dog will eventually learn to go into the crate on command. You can also drop treats in the crate as you walk by if the dog is calm and relaxed and without engaging further. Your dog will learn crate+relaxation = rewards and want to engage in that behavior more often.
Put something that smells like you in the crate for your dog to cuddle. Make sure it’s something that’s OK if it gets damaged, like an old t-shirt you sleep in one night just to give to your dog.
Put your dog in the crate while you’re home and they can see you. You don’t want to immediately create a crate = favorite person leaves association, you want positive crate experiences before you leave your dog alone. An easy way to do this is to crate your dog in your bedroom while you sleep.
DON’T use the crate as a punishment, for the same reasons as above. You want your dog to associate the crate with good things, not negative ones. If your dog did something bad - like create a mess you need to clean - you can calmly crate them to keep them out of the way while you clean.
Make sure to let your dog have an opportunity to potty before you put them in the crate and as soon as they are released from the crate. It’s also important to spend 10-15 minutes tiring your dog out mentally before crating them for a longer period of time. You can do this with a walk or training and focus work. That way your dog is ready to relax and take a great crate nap!
If you’re working with an older dog that hasn’t been crate trained, start with brief periods in the crate while you’re home and work your way up to longer crate times.
As you can see, there are many benefits to crate training for both you and your dog. Though some of our dogs are “works in progress” on crate training when they are adopted, you can always reach out to your adoption coordinator for more crate training help and resources.