A crate may not be the most comfortable place for your pet, but it will keep it restrained while you focus on other things without its distractions.
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Crate training your dog will make things easier for you as a dog owner during travel, while you’re visiting a veterinarian when you go fishing, or just need it to stay out of trouble when you can’t monitor its movement.
Crate training your dog requires a lot of patience.
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Crates are restrictive, and every healthy dog wants space and freedom, but using a crate can help you manage your time more efficiently and save your dog from getting into trouble when you can’t guarantee supervision.
Help your dog get used to crates with positive reinforcement.
Procedure to Crate Training Your Dog
The first step is to choose a spacious crate for your pet.
If you will make your dog comply, it has to feel some comfort there.
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Place things that the dog recognizes as it’s in the crate.
Make your dog is familiar with the crate by placing treats and toys in it, then use words of encouragement to make it realize entering the crate is a positive behavior.
Once it’s comfortable staying in the crate, shut the door for a few seconds, and see how it reacts.
Extend the time you keep the door closed gradually until it feels comfortable in the crate.
After getting your pet in the crate, you can begin to feed it there.
When making it comfortable staying and eating in the crate, you can then develop a command associated with it.
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A simple order such as “crate,” “go to the crate,” or “enter the crate” should suffice.
Once you’re able to confirm that it understands the command, you can then see your command’s efficiency.
When you are confident that it pays attention to what you’re saying, give the command.
Tell your dog to go into the crate, then leave the room, shutting the door behind you.
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Return to the place and see if it learns the behavior.
If it followed your command while you were away, gradually increase the time for this test, then reward it in the form of treat, playtime, or release its best toys for every time it complied with your command.
You should always keep in mind that a crate is only a means to an end and shouldn’t substitute for a pet’s permanent home.
Leaving adult pets in a crate for over 6 hours can harm the mental and physical well-being, and younger pets should not exceed 4 hours in a crate.
