Why do we think that this is important?
Crate training can take some time and effort - but it so beneficial in a number of different circumstances and situations.
It is worth pointing out right from the start the crate training, and your dog being in the crate should never been seen as a punishment. As with all of our training here at Paws Academy, we focus on positive training and reinforcement - and this principle applies with the crate training. This should be a safe place where your dog feels relaxed and wants to spend some time chilling out and sleeping.
What are the benefits?
As mentioned above, this should be considered your dogs safe space in the house. It allows them to chill out and have some time out - this is especially key for puppies, who need the time to sleep and continue growing/developing. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that this stays your dogs space, and not let your children etc into this space (and I know this can be hard...)
As well as the above, this can also help with potty training (see our other blog for more info) as well as being as useful and safe aid for travelling your dog in your vehicle.
Trained correctly, your dog will love his crate and enjoy spending time in there. We find that this can be especially true for rescue dogs, who sometimes need this addition into their routine.
There are also great games that you can play with your dog, which not only cements how 'fun' the crate is, but also strengthens the bond between you and your dog.
What is the right crate for my dog?
There are lots of different crates on the market today, and the majority of pet shops both online and on the high street have a lot to choose from. There are plastic crates, metal and fabric crates.
It is important that you purchase a crate which is suitable for the size of your dog. They need to have enough space to stand, turn around and move comfortably. If you are buying a crate for your puppy, remember that your puppy will grow, so the crate should be the right size for your dog when it is a fully grown adult. This also has additional benefits, as the crate will be bigger when the puppy is smaller allowing you to leave half the crate without a bed and some puppy pads, just in case your puppy has an accident
How To Start Crate Training
Just like all dog training, this length of training time needed really depends on your dog. Remember that like humans, some dogs learn faster than others, so always go at the speed that your dog needs.
With this in mind, remember that the crate training may take days or weeks. The key is being consistent, patient and always rewarding. You always want your dog to associate the crate with something really good and positive. All training should be done in small baby steps/increments, and always end every training session on a good and positive note. We have put below the steps that we following when introducing any dogs to a crate.
Step One - Introducing the Crate
We suggest putting your new crate into a room in the house which is used a lot by the family - such as the living room, or a room that you/the family and the dog spend a lot of time in - for some families this may be the kitchen.
Make sure that the crate is on a soft surface, such as carpet/rug so that it cannot slip or move around. If in the kitchen or similar room which does not have a carpet/rug, depending on the size of the crate, we recommend either a towel on the floor or a non slip bath mat.
Make sure that inside of the crate, you have a nice area for your dog - this could be his blankets, a cosy towel, or crate beds (you can buy these online or in pet stores and they are specifically designed to fit snugly inside your dogs crate).
Top Tip - When introducing the crate make sure that the door is firmly fastened, so that it cannot swing and scare your dog
Once the above steps, have been completed, it's time to start introducing your dog to the crate.
Make sure that you have plenty of time so that these first sessions are not rushed, and that you also have some high-value rewards/treats if you dog is food motivated. If you dog prefers toys, make sure you have his favourite toy to hand.
Next sit with your dog on the floor and throw some treats towards the front of the crate (or toy if your dog prefers toys to treat) and let them go and eat the treats/play with the toy etc. Keep repeating this action and gradually start to throw the toy/treats into the crate for your dog.
Don't worry if at first your dog doesn't go into the crate - it will happen! Time and patience is key here - we always use our reward command here along side the treats - this can either be via the Clicker if you are clicker training your dog - or the word 'yes' or 'good' whichever is the word that you use to let your dog know that they are doing the right action.
Continue throwing the toys/treat into the crate until your dog will walk in calmly. This can take several days/weeks depending on your dog. Remember don't rush them, and always reward. It is essential that they always have a good experience with the crate and that this is seen as a safe and rewarding space without any negative reinforcement.
Step Two - Introduce Meals
Once step one is mastered, then its time to move onto the next step, whereby you start to introduce feeding your dog in the crate - this again starts to add the value and reward to the crate.
If you dog happily goes to the back of the crate in step one, then you can put their dinner at the back of the crate. If you dog however is a little hesitant to go all the way to the back, then we recommend feeding at the front, waiting until your dog is comfortable at this stage before gradually moving their dinner further towards the back of the crate.
Once your dog is comfortable in the crate and eating without any problem - you can then start to close the door whilst they are eating. To start with re-open the door as soon as they have finished eating. If at any stage in the training you dog starts to show signs of being anxious or nervous, go back to the previous stage in the training. There should be no time constraints put on how long this takes - your dog should always set the pace at which you train.
With each successful session of eating with the door closed, start to leave the door closed for a little bit longer, until you can leave the door closed for 10 minutes after the food has been eaten. If you dog gets anxious etc at this stage, you may have gone on too quickly, so just go back a stage the next time that you are train and wait until they are comfortable again and then move on.
Top Tip - If your dog does whine when in the crate, wait for them to stop before opening the door, so that they do not learn the behaviour to whine and get the door opened - but the next time that you train, go back a stage so that they do not have the opportunity to whine. You have just moved on with the training a little too quickly - so this is easy to rectify at this stage
Remember to keep this reward based and always praise your dog for the right behaviour, and don't tell them off if they whine or get anxious - as we mention above, the training has just moved on a little too quickly for them, and go back a stage
Step Three - Condition For Longer Time Periods
Once the above two steps have been mastered and your dog is happily eating in their crate with the door shut, and being able to stay in the crate for 10 mins relaxed and happy after having their meal - its time to move onto the next step.
We start this by encouraging them to go into the crate with treats, encourage your dog to go into the crate, and once inside give them the treat from your hand outside the crate, and gently shut the door. Always praise your dog and let them know that they are doing it correctly.
I also like to put a command to this at this stage. Some people use 'bed' or 'go to crate' or whatever works for you and your dog. Remember that they are only learning at this stage, so repeat this command every time that they go into the crate, both on this step and also the earlier steps when feeding.
Once your dog is happy inside the crate, sit next to them quietly for 5-10 minutes and then leave the room for a few minutes before coming in. Sit with them quietly for a few more minutes before opening the crate and letting them out.
Repeat this process several times a day, and gradually start to build up the time that you leave them in the crate on their own. As before if at any time your dog starts to become anxious go back a step and also remember to reward.
Once your dog will happily stay relaxed in their crate for 30 mins (you will start to find that they just chill out and go to sleep) you can start to being leaving them crated when you go out for short period of time. Don't rush this stage, or leave them for too long to start with - this needs to always be a positive experience for them - the more positive the experience, the faster your dog will learn - See Step Four for further information.
If you dog is comfortable at this stage, you may want to introduce letting them sleep in their crate overnight - this is totally upto you and your dog - See Step Four for further information.
Remember that this process can take days or weeks depending on your dog - there is no right or wrong in timescales when we are training dogs, each dog is unique. The only consistent is patience and positive rewards.
Step Four (a) - Crating Your Dog When Left Alone
As soon as your dog is comfortable in their crate for 30 mins, you can start to leave them alone or leave the house for short periods. As mentioned above, it is essential at this stage, that this is short periods so that they continue to have positive experiences associated with being in their crate.
Put your dog in the crate using your regular command and treat as mentioned above. You may also want to leave your dog with some safe enrichment type toys (further blog post coming shortly) or frozen stuffed Kongs/or equivalent.
Top Tip - Don't crate your dog too early before you leave - put them in the crate approx 5-10 minutes before you leave the house
Don't make leaving your dog emotional, be very matter of fact, praise them and give a treat and then walk away with purpose. This is similar for when you return home, try to be calm and not overly excitable. Praise your dog for being in the crate, give him a treat and quietly and calmly open the crate door.
We still also complete Step Three alongside step four to continue the positive association with the crate.
Remember your dog should never be left in the crate during the day for long periods of time. Wherever possible we tend to try and take our dogs with us if possible, this training also then helps if you are travelling your dog in a crate in your car.
Step Four B - Crating Your Dog Overnight
Same as the above steps, always put your dog into the crate using your command and treat.
We recommend that if you have a puppy or a new dog, that the crate is either near your bedroom or in your bedroom to start with - the crate can always be moved once your dog is comfortable. We always crate ours in the bedroom, and then move out into the hall (as an example). This is key with puppies as they may whine during the night to let you know that they need to go out for a wee.
If you have older dogs in the household, we recommend that they are also kept close by so that your puppy does not feel isolated. As your dog starts to get more comfortable in the crate and sleeping through the night, you can start to move the crate etc as you see fit
Potential Problems?
As we all training, especially for first time dog owners, some challenges may occur, we have listed the common ones below and how you can address these.
Potential Problem One - Too Much Time Being Crated
A crate should never been seen as the 'magic wand' to fix problems - it must been seen as a positive and safe space for your dog - too much time in the crate can actually have the opposite effect whereby your dog ends up disliking the crate and can feel trapped/unhappy which can then lead to further behavioural problems.
This tends to happen when they have been left in the crate for too long, such as when their owner is at work all day etc and in some circumstances the dog has been crated all day and then again overnight - this is much too small a space for your dog, and you can see why they would start to associate the crate with negativity vs a positive experience.
Your dog may need alternative arrangements to balance their physical and mental wellbeing.
Top Tip - Puppies should never spend more than a few hours in a crate at anyone time as they have smaller bladders than an adult dog and need to be let out for toilet training etc
Potential Problems Two - Whining
If you have followed all the steps above, and ensuring that you have not rewarded your dog for whining by opening the crate door - then the best thing to do in this case is ignore them.
Whatever you do, do not associate the whining with negative experiences such as banging on the crate and/or yelling at your dog. If you ignore them, they then to stop after a while.
However if your dog continues to whine (especially if a puppy) then whilst in the crate then try giving them their toilet command "do you need a wee?" and if they become excitable, put a lead on your dog and take them outside for their 'business'. Remember that this is not playtime, it is a purposeful trip outside for 'wee's/poo's'.
If you are convinced that your dog doesn't actually need to go to the toilet, then carry on ignoring them - again remember do not bang on the crate or yell, as this will exasperate the problem and lead to negative associations with the crate, and not the behaviour which they are demonstrating at this point.
In most case it is that the training steps above have been moved on too quickly, we recommend going back to the earlier steps and rewarding your dog/reducing the time being in the crate
Final Thoughts
We hope that you have found the above article useful. It is worth noting as our final thought that crate training on its own will not solve any separation anxiety issues that your dog may face. For this, you may need some additional support, so please reach out to us for more tailored one to one advice on addressing separation anxiety, or if you need any additional support with starting the crate training process
We can also help further enhance your crate training with crate games - if you want any further advice on this or to book a session, please reach out to us via our contact page information.
Good Luck and Happy Training
A superb article and so helpful