Crate Training: Critical or Cruel?

Crate training is a critical step in ensuring the health and happiness of your dog. The good news is that crate training is easy, just follow the tips below.

Why is Crate Training Important?

1. Aids potty training-dogs will choose to go potty away from their bedding, so crates should only be large enough to turn around, stand up, and lay down to prevent going potty in the crate. Keeping your pet crated while they cannot be monitored (while you are sleeping or at work) will prevent them from accessing inappropriate areas to potty, but it is important they get appropriate bathroom breaks. Remember, a puppy can only hold their potty up to one hour per month of age, up until 12 months.

2. Prevents your pet from destroying your belongings, ingesting dangerous items, fighting with other pets in your household, etc.-puppies are super curious and still learning, and sometimes still teething, so if you can't be closely monitoring them then it is super important to reduce their access to dangers, which could be nearly anything for a puppy. Unfortunately, it is super common for puppies to ingest toxins or items that get stuck in their gut, which is often fatal and always expensive. It is also quite common for pets who typically get along great to have a conflict while you are away and hurt or even kill each other. All of these potential problems can be life-threatening and super expensive, but are totally preventable with crate training.

3. Provides your pup with their own safe, separate, secure space-whether at home, in the car, at the airport, or the hospital, your dog will have significantly reduced fear, stress, and anxiety, and provides protection for your pet from other people and animals. Dogs over 60 lbs cannot be safely restrained in moving vehicles unless they are secured in CPS certified crates. When dogs are properly crate trained, the crate becomes a space that they can enjoy being in and provides a safe place for them to escape stress.

4. Allows your pet to be safely hospitalized, boarded, and/or transported when necessary-all dogs will need to be hospitalized at home point at the very least to be spayed and neutered, but many become so sick at some point that they need to stay for the day and/or night for advanced care. It is imperative from a psychological and physiological perspective that injured or ill pets can be safely confined in a manner that is as low stress as possible. It is always obvious when a dog who hasn't been crate trained is in the hospital, because they typically spend the whole time pawing at the cage and/or vocalizing, which is horrible for them, their parents, and the veterinary staff. Dogs who have been properly crate trained typically rest very comfortably and are able to heal more rapidly. Many dogs need to be boarded at some point, as most of us occasionally need to travel for vacation, work, or a family emergency, which are the least ideal times to be worrying about your pet. If you're lucky enough to be able to travel with your dog, it is imperative that they are safely restrained while in moving vehicles, and airlines have very strict restrictions that require pets to be crated.

Crate Training Procedure

1. Acquire and setup an appropriate sized crate BEFORE your new pup comes home. Pups should only be able to stand up, turn around, and lay down with no extra space. I highly recommend life stage crates, which come with a divider to help you properly partition an appropriate amount of space for your dog that can be adjusted as your dog grows.

2. Place your pup's food dish, treats, and toys in the crate, and leave the door open.

3. Encourage your pup to enter the crate by making a trail of kibble/treats into the crate and/or tossing kibble/treats into the crate for them to chase after. As your pet nears the cage, lightly praise and reward with increasing praise and rewards as they enter or remain in the crate.

4. Do not force a scared pet into a crate or use the crate as punishment! Consider implementing the following techniques the moment you get your new pup to prevent fear, anxiety, and stress with crate training.

5. Continue to keep crate door open at all times

6. Once your pet is comfortable entering and being in the crate, close the gate for tiny increments building up from seconds to minutes to hours. The key is to reward and praise your pet when they are sitting quietly and open it before they get stressed and vocalize.

Remember, only good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is never punished, it should be redirected!

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