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Using A Crate For Training

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.

Crates often are used to support training when you first bring home that new puppy or perhaps your new rescue dog. The crate is very helpful with housebreaking because it not only keeps them in one place, it also contains a bed, and dogs don't like to go to the bathroom in a place where they sleep. Because they won't potty on a bed, you can keep them in the crate for a few hours, and then take them on a walk where they can go to the bathroom. You can even crate a dog overnight to prevent accidents in your home. Some people always crate their animals at night, while others do so only until housebreaking rules have been established. Generally, it is unwise to keep a dog in a crate longer than about seven hours, especially with a puppy. During the day, a crate can be a good place to keep your new dog as you clean or are busy with other tasks, so they cannot get into trouble or harm during the early stages of behavior training.

A crate should be just big enough so that your dog can turn in a circle and also lie down. If it's too small, they will be uncomfortable and if the crate is too large, then they might just use one corner of it to go to the bathroom, which you do not want. Your goal should be to make the crate time a positive experience for your animal and never used as a punishment.

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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