In this episode, I am talking about one of my favourite things to train. If you love your dog, I'm asking you to listen with an open mind, because we're talking about comfort with confinement, a topic inspired by a note from one of my online students.
In the episode you'll hear:
- Why should you care about crating your dog.
- About the importance of safety for your puppy or dog.
- The one thing that makes comfort with confinement essential for your dog’s wellbeing.
- How to help dogs with separation anxiety.
- What type of crate to use for your dog and how I choose my crates.
- Where you should put your puppy’s crate.
- How I use a “gated community” that combines a crate and ex-pen.
- Why to be intentional about crating.
- How long your dog or puppy should be in a crate.
- The time to invest in helping your dog be comfortable with confinement.
- Why not to be in a hurry to close the crate door.
- The progressions to ensure crate comfort and security for your dog.
Oh my gosh!!!
Here ya go!
My newest puppy is 4 months old – I have been working through Itsyerchoice and Crate Games – she needed to go to the vet for an emergency drop off visit – and the techs said she was the best behaved pup they had seen for the 4 -5 hours she was there!
My dog is a rescue and is fearful. He is also a permanent foster. I brought home an airliner crate from the shelter. He would not even look at it, let alone get in it. I bought a wire crate. I worked at getting hime to go into the crate. Wonderful treats and foods were put in the crate. He would stick his head in as far as he could without placing a paw in. I placed the food in a line going further into the crate–no go. Is it possible to break his fear of the crate?
I realize that your post is from April and I am hoping that your dog is comfortable in the crate. However, if the dog is still fearful of the crate then maybe this may help. My idea comes from the episode 153 about muzzle training. I wonder if you could borrow a large enough crate for you to get inside. Next step would be to feed your dog treats through the closed crate door You probably would have to just hold it closed with one hand and feed treats through the bars with the other. Next step would be to have the crate door open, yourself/hand even with the door opening (so your dog doesn’t even have to stick their head in all the way) and continue to feed treats to your dog. And then keep moving your hand further inside the crate to feed your dog the treats. Do this until the dog is now all the way or mostly inside the crate. Also, maybe every once in a while throw a treat outside the crate as well. Then test to see if you can then continue with the crate games. Or maybe feed the dog from inside the crate with the door open until the dog seems to be totally comfortable then try crate games? **Obviously you could adjust the size of the crate as appropriate once the dog is no longer fearful of it
Wonderful information. My dog, Alfie, had to go to the ER vet for poisoning when he was just 1 year old and sadly I had not done enough work with crate training. My son-in-law describes it best, it must be like being abducted by aliens, lights, needles put in a box with bars no mom in sight. He was so stressed, I am sure it contributed to the PTSD I am playin out of him with the help of your programs! I vowed to never have a dog put in this situation again. Thank you for your constant advocating for the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of dogs.
Thank you . You are my savior when my patience is running low with my puppy.
It is miraculous how quickly my little boy is understanding my intentions, even when I am not doing the training perfectly.
I find the term “baby puppy” to be a useful term to refer to puppies in the “critical socialization period” –well, for me, I include all puppies up to 14 weeks, as I teach a special class just for them and their owners. So it’s not redundant to me.
After that, they’re “adolescent” puppies… though that is certainly an “age” with fluid boundaries depending on the breed, maturation rate, etc.
I have a problem, my young dog goes into his crate at home and settled well, even with the household dogs coming and going. He is the same with the crate in the car until we stop and have to take them out. If he comes out first he wants to have a go at the dog in the crate next to him. I have to take the other dog out first and let him calm down before taking him out. Even then he is looking into the next crate to have a go. He is fine once out of the car. Help
My puppy will be 9 weeks tomorrow and has been in my home 4 days. I have started working on crate games with him, but he is still whining and crying when he is in there even when he can see me., like when I take a shower. I’m single so I don’t have any other options at this point except his crate. I want him to love it so I can go to work and not worry about him crying himself to death (which apparently is a real thing 😱). What am I doing wrong? Am I just over thinking and expecting too much too soon?
I have followed Susan before I actually had a puppy. Before I had even made my decision on a breeder to be honest!
Having said that, I now have Levi. I picked him up 4 days ago at 8 weeks of age. He’s totally fine and comfortable in his crate. He has slept through the night from day 1, with the only exception of last night. However we had a severe thunderstorm come through, he was good and calm in his crate but about an hour after the storm had gone, he needed out. I didn’t say a word to him. Took him out to his potty area in the backyard, he peed, picked him up and back in the crate with no talking to him. Got in bed, turned off the light and that was it until 6:30 this morning.
A big thanks to Susan because it’s due to her training methods that Levi and I have had an easy transition! He’s calm, comfortable and feels secure in his bed and in his crate. 😊
Love everything about this podcast Susan!!
Lexi and Mindi both love their kennels!!
I have to tell you about something I witnessed this year at an Animal Referral Center. Mindi had to go to a Big Animal Clinic to have her eye looked at because she had suddenly gone blind in 1 eye. Every animal that came was assigned a kennel in the lobby.. Because of covid we had to go in one at a time, put our dog in a assigned kennel and then leave and go back to our vehicle There were 2 people there with a lab that could not get their dog to go in to a kennel no matter what they tried. So sad to watch and witness the sadness and anxiety in both the dog and his people. Sadly, they were not alone in their stuggles. I witnessed a few other people having a hard time getting their dogs to “kennel up”. I was so grateful that I had no problem with Mindi because she had only positive experiences with crates. She hopped right in!! She felt safe, secure and confident even in a very strange and scary place!! So very, very grateful to Crate Games!! Thank you Susan!!
So many good reasons to crate train. We’ve always had dogs that were happy in their crates. Our current dog is more than happy to sleep in her crate, door closed, all night. But she refuses to go in any other time. I started Crate Games and realized I needed something more. Was lucky to get HSTD in October and have started at the beginning. Just listed to one of Susan’s videos. We have wire crates. I’ve decided I am going to take the bottom out of her sleeping crate and use it in HZ in our normal training area. As a starting point. And build.
I had stopped using the crate and had put it away and then started doing crate games with my boy and he now often chooses to sleep in the crate at different times of the day. In the SUV I have started to consider a barrier and after seeing this will be looking for a crate that will fit a 90 lb dog in a small SUV. Thank you for this
When I put up the crate in readiness for our new puppy my 4 yr old dog was so excited to get in it! We are currently on holiday and bought another crate so both could sleep in them without worrying about what they might get up to in a strange environment. We also have reinforced metal crates in the back of both cars for safety.
I don’t know how anyone copes without one
excellent advise
Work colleague moaned about her pup chewing,I said get a cage-sorry,it was pre calling them crates- she was horrified,told her you make it a fun,safe place,don’t just shut him in etc..nope,then she came home one day and he’d pulled at a pipe and flooded the kitchen,I told her what I’d he’d also gotten to electric cables? Him and her could have been dead,she still didn’t get how crates keep,dogs safe.i can’t see how folks don’t get that.
at home, we have no problems with the crate. In the evening when it gets late, Shir will leave us in the living room and go to bed for the night in his crate. The problem is that when I go to a class, agility practice or a trial he does become unhappy when I leave him. Do we need to go back and work thru all levels of crate games again in each of those environments? I didn’t work on that skill much with him because he was so good with his crate in general. I am also spoiled by my older dog who never barked or objected to being left in a crate in those circumstances.
Help.
I was wondering whether {sorry if you said this and I did not hear!!!} you prefer soft, wire, or travel crates better? ~L
100% agreed! Love Crate Games! But I am sad for my parent’s cat. She is 15 years old, and because of Covid the vet they go to REQUIRES all animals to be crated. My parents have never required the cat to go in a crate. Now the cat desperately needs medications for arthritis, and is a lot of pain… but they are delaying going because they know the stress it will put on the cat being crated. I have explained how to positively train the cat, but I am being completely ignored. So sad.
Hey Susan,
Great podcast, I would add three more reasons to crate train
1)preparation for flying a dog
2) in condo living service people often come into the unit to change air filters, check smoke alarms etc, dog can be in condo if she is crated.
3) taking a dog to work, or to someone else’s home.
Perhaps the best consequence of crate training that I have found is having a dog who is comfortable away from me. I can leave my dog in my room at work, crated or not and go away for a meeting or lunch and she is perfectly happy!
I agree with Susan Shipton, those are more great reasons for crate training your dog, however I also have another reason.
If you are waiting at a trial for hours on end, it is REALLY convenient to have a crate trained dog.
Our chihuahua loves his crate. He tells us when he is ready for bed. He also goes in willingly when he sees us getting ready to go out. (Only if we put certain clothes on and then he knows he isn’t coming with us) Our other two are left loose he is crated for his own safety, they all love to play but due to his size 2.5kg. We don’t want him to get inadvertently hurt when we are not there to supervise.
I’ve had a vet comment on how great it is that my Labs can settle into a crate when they have to visit. i must admit that Mr Jaunty Butt the mini poodle was not so easy to train. He was ok with x-pen but not crate. Guess i need to get back onto that. T
My dog absolutely loves his crate. It is his quiet safe place. He goes in on his own frequently to curl up and sleep.
That love was developed through Susan’s Crate Games, and is a key training component in her other programs. It has given my dog the skill to wait at any door before being granted permission to pass through. I do not worry that my dog will bolt outside, or jump out of the car as soon as the door is opened.
I see my dog in his crate as being happy, safe, and comfortable.
I have a client (pet sitter) who calls the dog’s crates their “houses”. I love that! They go to their houses eagerly. Crates just sound kind of negative. ❤️