Dog Crate Training Tips – Effectively Introducing Your Dog to the Dog Crate

person in dog crateNo matter if you have an older dog or a pup, dog crate training is a great training method for your pet. Introducing your canine properly is a key factor to the outcome of your crate training success. No matter how difficult it gets, never force it. You must be patient and take your time. Always go at a pace at which your dog is comfortable. If you rush it, you can get off to a bad start. If that happens, your canine may not ever want to go inside the crate.

First off, make it a comfortable place for your canine to be. Putting it where you plan to keep it permanently helps make it more normal to your pet. If possible, it is ideal to keep it in a location that makes your pet feel like a member of the family. I prefer putting my dog crates in the bedroom, living room, or somewhere like that.

Another great idea is to place your pet’s favorite blanket, bed, and toys to inside the crate. After setting it up, go about life as you normally would, paying little attention to the new addition to your home. This will make your canine more curious about the crate, and likely to explore it on his own.

Having your dog check the crate out on his or her own is a wonderful way to make it comfortable. Never force your canine inside under any circumstances. It is sure to lead to disaster. It is very important that your pet be curious about it. Place a treat inside if you like. That makes nearly every canine curious. Having patience is another important part of the process. Watch your pets behavior around the crate for several days. Once your pet gets used to it just being part of the home, he or she will eventually enter it, especially if his or her nose is following the scent of something good inside. If necessary, you might have to positively coax your pet inside with another treat. Positively is the key here. Another reminder, never force your pet inside the crate. It will only lead to heartache.

Early on, always leave the crate open. Do not lock your pet inside yet. It will give it a comfortable feeling for your pet. Let your canine enter and exit as he or she pleases. This will get things started off in the right direction. Actually, many people find that by starting this way, they are able to leave it open all of the time. Their dogs decide when they need a break and actually retreat to the crate because it is a safe place. Others, like me, have to leave for longer periods of time during the day. If your canine chews, is a puppy, or needs some additional training, then you will want to lock him in during these periods away. Don’t rush to do so. Work with it for a few weeks and make it comfortable before locking your pet inside.

No matter what, NEVER use the crate as a place of punishment! Never send your dog to the crate if he or she has done something wrong. Dogs don’t give each other time outs. Your pet will begin to associate it with a negative emotion from you. Once this happens, getting them to even go near it is extremely difficult. Do it right the first time and save yourself the headache of correcting improperly learned behaviors.

Dog Crate Training – The Best Method to Potty Train Your Canine

trained puppy in a dog crateDog crate training is an often times disregarded method of canine training which is unfortunate because a puppy that’s properly crate trained is noticeably happier and more secure. In fact, dogs consider their crates to be their own special home where they are able to really feel safe.

Getting your k9 used to going into a dog crate can provide your pet with a secure and safe haven. Furthermore, if you want to travel with your canine or simply just take your pet to a veterinarian you may have to put him in a crate and if he’s already used to the pet crate, this can be an added bonus. If your puppy is needing house breaking, a pet crate can help immensely.

If you are going on a trip with your furry companion, regardless if you are driving a car or taking a plane, you’ll want to look at a dog crate. In fact, if you want to fly on an airline with your pup he or she must be in a dog crate and won’t that be easier if he already thinks of his crate as a safe haven? Getting your pet used to and even welcoming a crate will probably make it a lot less difficult when you have to travel.

If you’re not bringing your dog with you on vacation, you might have to board him or her somewhere, and when he is being boarded, he is destined to be in a crate or a cage. Of course, he’ll possibly be frightened of this new situation and frightened because you won’t be there, however, if he’s already accustomed to being in a cage and considers it a secure place this will likely go a long way towards calming his nervousness.

Dog crates are also able to help throughout potty training. The idea is well-known that puppies do not soil where they rest, therefore if you want to prevent your dog from going in the house, implementing a dog crate is the best choice. Nevertheless, it should be noted that you must think about your pup’s bodily needs above all and you have to realize that he can only hold it for so long particularly when he’s a pup. It becomes inappropriate to place your canine in the cage for 10 hours when you are at work when you recognize he can only hold it for five hours. This would only be demanding failure.

Also, you want to pick a crate that’s small enough so that your canine cannot find a distant corner to do his “business”. Crates should only be used for potty training if you’re able to keep an eye on your dog and let him out when you recognize he’s exhibiting the indications that he has to go.

Having a crate accessible to your pet satisfies his natural intuition. In the wild, dogs like to inhabit dog dens or sleep inside secure places. Your dog’s cage will act like a den to provide your pet the security he needs right in your house.

Hot Summer? Check Out the Canine Cooler Dog Bed

boxer on a canine coolerIt’s been a hot summer here in Utah.  I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but if you and your pet are experiencing extreme heat this summer and are looking for some relief for your pet, then you should check out the Canine Cooler® Beds now available at Canine Crate Store.  I am always excited to add new products to my website, but even more excited when I get to personally use them and find out for myself just how good, or bad, they are.  I am here to say that I am extremely impressed with this bed.

The Canine Cooler® is one of the cool dog beds that I have seen in a long time.  I have purchased one for each of my two dogs, and they love it.  The Canine Cooler® is a fluid cooled bed that offers all of the comfort of memory foam.   I plan on using it for my little dog and his arthritis year round.  It uses patented water based cooling technology and is non-toxic.  It truly is a one of a kind bed.  I highly recommend it for any pet in the summer and for pets with ailments such as arthritis.  To read more about it Click Here and check out the product information on my main website.  There is a link there where you can check out the manufacturer’s brochure as well.

Children, Dogs, and Dog Crate Training

training a labrador retrieverThere’s nothing like being a kid and growing up with a new puppy.  Now that I am a father, it has become a priority to have my little ones part of training our dogs.  In my opinion, the first step in training my dogs is dog crate training.  Not only will it help your canine understand some boundaries, but it is one of the best strategies to housebreaking your canine.  Since puppies are children, I have kind of tied the two together here.

When you have a young child, it is wonderful to have him or her to grow up with a puppy dog.  Not only is it almost every kid’s dream,  but it has educational benefits as well.  Dog training and crate training help teach your children to be responsible.  It also teaches your dogs how to behave around children.  My 18 month old already feeds our two dogs.  He looks forward to it everyday, and is actually really good at it.

Small children love to be busy and they are more than happy to help you fill up the food and the water bowl plus accompany you when you take your new puppy on a walk (even if the accompaniment is in a stroller.)  Having a puppy implies you will have to housebreak him or her as well as teach the dog to sleep during the night.  Dog crates are the most productive technique to accomplish this.

Get your children involved early on.  It makes it much easier.  That is one of the reasons I have discussed one of the first and most basic steps to training your canine here, dog crate training.  Most of you who have heard anything about training know that it is much easier to do it right the first time than to fix bad habits.  It really is essential if you have children because their safety is a huge priority.  Your dog’s safety is very important too, and if you do it right the first time, you will save yourself a lot of headaches later on down the line.

With my son being only 18 months, I keep it simple.  It is amazing what dogs understand.  They really do understand actions and mannerisms better than words, because he can get them to do the same things I can and believe me that is words are far from recognizable.  Most of it has just come from copying Mom and Dad, but it is fun to watch him yell and pat his leg for the dogs to come.  The best part is that they do!

Whatever and however you do it, get your children involved early.  Begin when you begin dog crate training your new puppy.  There is a natural bond between children and dogs.  You can make sure that it is grown the right way by teaching them both how to live with and treat each other in the way that gets the best results for both.