{"id":1281,"date":"2018-05-15T17:10:55","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T21:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/?p=1281"},"modified":"2018-05-15T17:10:55","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T21:10:55","slug":"crate-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/?p=1281","title":{"rendered":"Crate Training"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are many reasons you might want to crate train your new puppy. A crate can be invaluable while you are potty-training or teaching your dog the rules of the house, it\u2019s a great way to transport your four-legged friend, and it can serve as a safe place for your pup to escape to once he comes to accept it as his space.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, even though dogs are den animals and they like having an area that\u2019s all theirs, most won\u2019t automatically take to crates \u2014 and your pup can even come to fear them if you don\u2019t handle crate training in the right way.<\/p>\n

The good thing is that puppies don\u2019t have any preconceived notions about anything. As long as you follow the below tips, your new canine family member should come to love her crate and may even start going into it on her own when she want to rest or relax.<\/p>\n

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  1. Introduce it casually<\/strong>
    \nThe worst way you can introduce your puppy to the idea of a crate is to bring it home and lock him inside it immediately. People don\u2019t like being trapped against their will, and neither do dogs. Instead, you should initially treat the crate like it\u2019s just another piece of furniture \u2014 but one that he can enjoy.<\/p>\n

    To this end, place it in a part of the house that he frequents, add a blanket and a toy or two, and keep the door open. Then back off and give him a chance to explore it. Some dogs will immediately start sniffing around and going into the crate, which is a great sign. If your puppy isn\u2019t quite so bold, encourage him to check it out by placing favorite foods and toys near and inside the crate. The ultimate goal is to get him comfortable with going inside, and this is something that could take days. Be patient with the process.<\/li>\n

  2. Use it for meal time<\/strong>
    \nAfter she\u2019s willing to enter the crate, your next goal is to get her comfortable with staying inside for extended lengths of time. One of the best ways to do this (and create a positive association with the crate) is to start putting her food in the crate.<\/p>\n

    If possible, you want to place the food at the back of the crate so that your dog goes all the way in. Some dogs may not be willing to do this, though, so you can start with the food just inside the crate and slowly move it back with successive meals.<\/li>\n

  3. Close the crate<\/strong>
    \nAs soon as your dog is eating his meals while standing all the way inside the crate, it\u2019s time to close the door. After he\u2019s done eating that first time, open the door immediately. You\u2019ll leave him in longer and longer with each meal, adding just a few minutes every time.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s possible that your dog may whine. If this happens, open the crate immediately and don\u2019t leave him in as long next time. However, if he whines again, wait until he stops before letting him out or you will teach him that whining equals open door.<\/li>\n

  4. Extend crate time<\/strong>
    \nOnce your dog is hanging out in her closed crate without signs of stress, it\u2019s time to lengthen her stay. Use a favorite toy or treat to encourage her to enter the crate, then close it. Hang out by the crate for several minutes, then go into a different room for a few minutes so she gets used to the idea of staying in the crate alone. When you return, don\u2019t open the crate immediately. Instead, sit with her again for a few more minutes and then open the door.<\/p>\n

    Keep increasing the time as you do this until your dog is able to stay in the locked crate for half an hour without your presence. When she\u2019s able to do this, she\u2019s ready for you to leave her for short periods and possibly even sleep in the closed crate overnight. Make sure you keep the crate relatively nearby for overnight stays though. Puppies usually need to go to the bathroom overnight and you\u2019ll want to be able to let her out.<\/li>\n

  5. Leaving and returning<\/strong>
    \nThe key here is to make crating seem completely normal and avoid excitement. Encourage him to get into the crate and praise him when he does so, but keep it brief. When you come home, stay low-key and ignore any excited behavior that he shows.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    By Juliana Weiss-Roessler<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There are many reasons you might want to crate train your new puppy. A crate can be invaluable while you[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[40,22,78,77,18,34,21,33,43,42,17,79,41],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1283,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1281\/revisions\/1283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smokymountaindoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}