Saturday, June 7, 2014

Using A Crate For Training

Using A Crate For Training

By Garrett McMahan


While it might seem like spending time in a crate is restrictive for a dog, in actuality, dogs often find crates to be more of a cozy refuge or den rather than a cage. Crate training has many benefits for dog owners, and it can make life safer and happier for your pet.

One common way that crates are used is as a helpful aid while housebreaking. You can place your puppy or dog inside for a set amount of time and then after taking them out of the crate, take them directly to place where they are allowed to go to the bathroom. It's also an excellent place to keep a new dog if you have household chores or issues to deal with and training is still in early stages. They cannot make a mess or destroy anything or run away while they are safe inside the crate. It can be a good place to hold a puppy or dog overnight as they don't typically go to the bathroom where they have a bed. It's not a good idea to keep a dog in the crate overnight for more than seven hours, particularly puppies.

You need to purchase a crate that is just large enough for your pet to turn around in a circle and lie down comfortably. A soft, flat bed or mat can be placed on the bottom for comfort. The crate should never be used as punishment; rather it should be a place where a dog feels happy, safe and comfortable.

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.

While crates make housebreaking easier, they also are helpful places to keep your dog when you are not at home, and many owners always crate their dogs when they are away. This prevents accidents, of course, but dogs often get nervous and restless when their humans are away and can become destructive. This will only make you unhappy with your dog, and using a crate can help prevent problems. Obedience training in general also can prevent many common problems such as chewing or scratching and even dangerous issues such as running off.

Dog training easily can be done at home by using The Dog's Way training system. This includes a set of five dog training DVDs that include twelve lessons that teach all the important obedience skills you will need to keep your pet safe and well-behaved. This program can teach you how to get your dog to come when you call them, to sit and stay on command, how to walk correctly while on a leash, how to keep a dog quiet and many other behavior skills.




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