Thursday, June 12, 2014

Helpful Training Tools: Using A Crate

By Garrett McMahan


People often view dog crates as something negative, such as punishment. However, using a crate actually can be a very positive situation for your dog who will feel safe and cozy in the crate. If you use a crate properly, the crate can be a soothing den for your dog and can help you with behavior training.

Crate training can be used to support house breaking, and that is often the initial use of the crate when you first bring home your dog. It's a good place to keep your dog temporarily during the early days of training if you need to accomplish some tasks around the home and don't want to have to clean up messes or deal with behavior issues. Many people will keep their puppies in the crate overnight to prevent accidents. Dogs rarely relieve themselves in their bed, so this can keep the house clean. Just limit the overnight time for puppies to about six or seven hours and then immediately take them outside to relieve themselves.

When you select a crate, the size of your crate will be important. A dog should be able to turn around in the crate and have enough space to lie down fully. It is also recommended that a crate pad or crate bed be placed on the bottom for additional comfort. This should always be used as a comfy spot to house a dog, and never used to punish an animal because you want them to view the crate positively.

Introduce the crate slowly rather than just placing them in the crate and shutting the door. A treat can be placed inside and the dog can munch on it and begin to associate the crate with something positive. Be sure to also spend time petting your dog inside the crate. For the first few times inside, don't shut the door and when the door does get closed and locked, do this gently as the noise can startled your new pet. You can even leave a special toy inside the crate that is just for crate time, which also can increase interest in the crate.

The crate is definitely not just useful for housebreaking; there are many other situations that warrant use of the crate. Some owners prefer to keep the dog in the crate while they are away from home. Not only does this prevent accidents, it also prevents a dog from chewing on your furniture, scratching at your doors or damaging other items. You can also prevent this type of behavior by completing a dog obedience training program. Dog training also keeps a dog from running off and prevents other hazardous behavior.

While training takes time and requires patience, if you use a system like The Dog's Way, it's not difficult at all to transform your rascally dog into a perfectly behaved companion. The Dog's Way is a set of dog training DVDs that includes a dozen lessons that cover crucial topics such as staying, sitting, staying down and staying quiet when you give a command. Your dog will learn how to walk right next to you in a controlled way, as well as when to stay quiet and even to respect boundaries. This includes commanding them to stop from entering a room on command, such as perhaps when there is broken glass or another danger in the room, as well as permanently understanding that they aren't allowed to run out the door or leave your property.




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