cratetrainingOURS

http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk

THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer

http://www.veterinarypartner.com

Crate Confinement: Is It a Good Choice for Your Dog?

The use of a crate with a dog is so common that we may automatically assume it’s a good tool for all dogs. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.

Good Reasons to Use a Crate
1. Puppies need to learn the skill of resting calmly in a crate. This will never again be as easy for the dog to adapt to as it is in puppyhood. Even if you prefer not to use a crate routinely, seriously consider doing this conditioning for your pup. We can’t know what might be ahead in the years of that dog’s life that will make a crate an absolute necessity.

2. Dogs who will travel by plane or go for professional grooming are going to have to be able to tolerate a crate, so crate-training is a must for these canines.

3. Emergency evacuation in time of disaster, staying with your dog in travel or rental housing, being a guest in a home that has other animals or doesn’t like animals are all situations where you could suddenly need to use a crate.

4. Veterinary care and at-home nursing care require crate restriction for certain conditions. Some veterinarians have runs they can use with crate-phobic dogs in certain situations, but this isn’t always workable.

5. Few people can afford the damage a dog may do left free inside the house during the destructive chewing stage, or when the dog has a severe case of separation anxiety. Even if you are wealthy enough that damage isn’t an issue (and have no items of sentimental value that you couldn’t bear to have chewed), the dog is at risk of chewing something that will be fatal. A crate is the logical solution if the dog can tolerate it.

6. If your dog ever has to be re-homed to a new family or your family situation changes (including a kid going off to college) or you move, the dog may experience separation anxiety and badly need the support of a crate to get through it. At these times, you want the crate to feel like a safe place to the dog as a result of good foundation training in the past. In fact, you want this at any time you use a crate with your dog!

Reasons to Not Use a Crate
First, let’s note that you can still condition your dog to a crate, even if you’re not going to use it routinely. It is in your dog’s best interests to do so. If you’re not using the crate day-to-day, it’s easy to take this conditioning slowly and make it fun, fun, fun for your dog. So why not do it? A crate and the time to condition your dog for the ability to rest calmly inside it is good insurance for any dog. And remember—it’s fun!

There are times and reasons that may make you decide not to crate your dog, though. Here are some of those reasons:

1. The dog has a medical condition that is worsened when the dog can’t move around somewhat freely. Old dogs commonly have arthritis and some may stiffen up with close confinement. Inflamed joints on a dog of any age can react the same way. If the dog with such a condition needs to be prevented from running and jumping for medical reasons, you and your veterinarian may decide to use a small room instead of a crate or keep the dog with you on leash.

2. The dog has begun urinating or defecating in the crate. Not only is this messy, it’s bad for the dog’s skin and can damage the dog’s instincts to keep a clean sleeping-place. This dog needs to be out of the crate, perhaps in an exercise pen or a small room with a baby-gate across the doorway, until the dog re-establishes the habit of a clean bed and you solve any problem causing the dog not to be able to hold it during confinement.

3. The dog is afraid of the crate. This fear can be difficult to distinguish from separation anxiety, and one fear can lead to the other. Some of these dogs are difficult to manage, which is why we want to condition all puppies to be able to rest calmly in a crate. That foundation can make a huge difference later.

If you have a crate-phobic dog, you can recondition the dog’s reaction to the crate, but you don’t want to use the crate as a routine confinement method while doing the conditioning. That would undo the positive conditioning to the crate you’re trying to establish.

4. The time the dog needs to be left alone is too long for crate confinement. Eight hours is a good top limit for crate time, even if the dog is doing great in a crate. Why risk trouble?

For pups under 7 months of age, the rule of thumb is to crate no longer than the number of hours equaling the dog’s age in months plus one. When a dog has the experience of being crated too long and feeling trapped while needs go unmet, that is the perfect set up to begin fear of the crate, fear of being left alone, and other problems. So if you need to leave a dog longer than the dog can comfortably hold bladder and bowels or longer than 8 hours (whichever is less), use different confinement, such as a small room.

5. Is there any reason to crate this dog? If you have a dog who behaves wonderfully when left alone loose in the house, consider why you would crate. One reason might be that the dog is new to your home and you’re not sure what the dog might do in the next few days or weeks. Better crate than sorry.

Another reason is when your 4-month-old puppy is housetrained and you think the need for a crate is over. Chances are the permanent teeth will erupt in the next few months and serious chewing such as you’ve not seen in this pup before will start! So don’t stop crating at this age. Wait a bit to see how much of a chewer your pup is going to be. With large dogs, expect to use the crate to age 2 to 2 ½ years of age to get past the destructive chewing stage. It’s not for life!

6. Does your dog have a job to do in your home? If one reason you have a dog is to deter criminals from breaking into your house or harming your family, the dog can’t do this job confined to a crate. In such a case you’re going to want to choose a breed, bloodline, and individual dog with a high chance of growing into an adult dog who can be trusted loose in your house (some are not likely to develop this ability, so do your research!). You’re also going to need to do the right foundation work, including use of a crate to help management until the dog has learned to chew only the right items, to eliminate in the right place, etc.

Use Crates Thoughtfully
Dogs have at times had their lives saved by crates. They have also been able to handle stressful situations much more serenely because the crate has been built up in the dog’s experience as a safe place. The skill of resting calmly in a crate is a life skill that can benefit almost all dogs.

There is, however, a disturbing trend for people to overuse crates with their dogs. Being able to spend several hours a day moving around the house rather than spending that same time in a crate will benefit a dog in many ways.

The dog loose in the house moderately exercises the body, which for some dogs can be all the exercise they need. Small dogs and “busy” types like herding dogs will keep going and going and going indoors, happily getting a great deal of exercise.

Dogs don’t learn anything when crated, other than to accept crating—or to fear it, in certain unfortunate situations. To train your dog for the ability to be reliable free in your house, have the dog out of the crate and with you whenever you can supervise and teach. With maturity and training, the majority of dogs will learn to behave well in the house when you’re not watching as well as when you are.

Dogs need mental exercise as well as physical exercise, and being free in the house allows more mental stimulation, too. You can help determine how your dog will use this wonderful brainpower by providing toys and games (hide treats around the house when you’re going to be gone, for example) and working with your dog to establish safe play habits in the house.

Ideally, good crate practices start when you plan to acquire a dog, by getting a good crate (or two, or three!), deciding where to place it (bedroom, car, possibly family room), thinking through a good schedule for your dog, buying safe toys, and otherwise being well prepared to meet your new dog’s needs.

If the dog is a puppy, consider the background. A pet shop or other puppy-mill puppy will likely need alternate confinement for a while until clean instincts can kick in, so have a plan for that. Ask the breeder or foster home of any dog you’re adopting about that dog’s experience with crates. Be prepared for separation anxiety to kick in when you bring home a new dog. Most separation anxiety of this sort subsides with time and sensible, stable management.

A dog who has previously been fine with a crate can develop fear of it for various reasons, sometimes reasons we don’t understand. Do everything you can to keep the crate a happy place that feels safe to your dog. Be prepared to get the dog out of a crate, temporarily or permanently, if the dog develops a problem with it.

The crate is not the only way to confine a dog, and some dogs don’t need confinement for much of their lives other than being inside a house or a fence. The more we understand about why we’re using a crate with this dog at this time, or why we should avoid a crate with this dog at least for now, the better we can manage our dogs for health and happiness.

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.

This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.

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THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

http://www.veterinarypartner.com
By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer

Bed or Crate?

You are bringing home a dog soon, and this new family member will need a place to sleep. Looking through the huge variety of beds and crates available for dogs, how do you pick the best one?

Part of the answer lies in the age of your dog. Part will depend on the dog's background. Part will even depend on the dog's breed and body type. Let's take a look at the options, which dogs they suit best, and what can be the disadvantages of each one.

Crate
Every dog needs the ability to rest calmly in a crate. To achieve this, the dog needs to be able to view the crate as a place to sleep, and not a place for punishment. Put the dog into the crate preventively, if the dog needs the crate to stay out of mischief. Don't wait until the dog has displeased you and then use the crate.

If you use the crate strictly for the dog to rest and sleep, many dogs will start going into it happily. Dogs sleep about 14 hours a day. Puppy housetraining is an excellent time to condition your dog to be able to rest calmly in a crate. This skill can save a dog's life many times over. If your pup grows into a typical adolescent dog with a destructive chewing stage that can last up to age two (even longer in some breeds), the early crate training will become a huge blessing.

It helps to give a small treat every time you put the dog into the crate and close the door. This makes it pleasant for the dog, and also will help you avoid forming the habit of putting the dog in the crate because you are upset--after all, you're going to have to give the dog a treat for going in there!

Children, including grandkids and visiting kids, need to be taught to leave the dog alone in the crate. The crate then becomes a place the dog can go to get a break from the kids. With children too young or too disobedient to follow the rules, place the crate where they absolutely CANNOT get to it. Never leave a child younger than school age alone with any dog, even for one second.

As far as determining when to discontinue routine use of the crate, ask yourself if housetraining is perfect yet. Also ask yourself if the dog is still doing any destructive chewing. You don't want to discontinue the crate too soon. Your dog could form bad habits, be harmed by chewing the wrong thing, and of course do extensive damage to your property.

Crates can be overused. Dogs need exercise, mental stimulation, opportunities to bond with other family members, social experiences, acclimation to your home and the world in general-and none of this happens inside a crate. Whenever someone is available to supervise the dog, have the dog outside the crate with a person, where learning and the joy of living can take place.

What Goes in the Crate?
Expect a puppy or young dog to chew whatever is in the crate. Dogs need to chew for healthy teeth, and chewing can also help a dog relax and fall asleep. Two or three toys in the crate will give the dog choices of textures. The teeth seem to need different textures at different times of development. Notice what your dog tries to chew of yours that is inappropriate, and try to find safe toys of a similar texture for the dog.

Watch carefully how your particular dog uses toys, and be alert for changes. As dogs mature, toys they once chewed safely may be destroyed and swallowed, creating huge hazards. There's no toy that's safe for all dogs. Toys are necessary for dogs, but will always require vigilance.

Putting bedding into the crate with a puppy or young dog can cause serious injury or even death if too much of the wrong kind of material is swallowed.

Many pups and young dogs will do just fine with a bare crate floor. Those who have little body fat-like the sighthounds-may require some padding. Monitor the dog's chewing to find a material that particular dog doesn't chew. It can be a challenge. One material to consider is Dri-Dek vinyl tiles, available through some pet suppliers. Ask your veterinarian and your dog's breeder for other ideas.

Bedding can also encourage housetraining problems. Dogs who will not relieve themselves on a bare crate floor will sometimes do so if there's bedding to wick the moisture away from their own bodies. The goal in the crate is for the dog to develop the ability to hold it until the next trip to the proper relief area, so this is clearly a reason to avoid bedding when it's not truly needed.

Housetrained dogs who don't chew their bedding can of course have bedding in their crates. It may not be necessary to use a crate with these dogs anymore on a daily basis, depending on your living circumstances.

Special Cases
Dogs with orthopedic problems may require special surfaces to protect their joints. Ask your veterinarian if this is the case with your dog whenever arthritis, orthopedic injury or genetic orthopedic problems are suspected.

If a dog needs restricted activity to recover from a medical problem, the crate may be absolutely essential-which is another reason to condition every puppy to be able to rest calmly in a crate. But if the dog does not need restricted activity, it can be preferable to keep the dog out of a crate so that it can move the joints frequently and keep them mobile.

What Constitutes a Dog Bed?
A dog bed can be anything from a rug to a four-poster affair fit for canine royalty. Some dogs actually prefer a smooth, cool floor. To help determine the dog's preferences, watch where your dog snoozes around the house during the day.

The temperature in your home makes a big difference, as does the dog's coat. A short-coated dog in a cool house may prefer bedding with a warm texture, while the same dog in a warm house might need a bed that lets warmth escape the body. A long-coated dog may need a cool surface at all times.

Blanket-like surfaces tend to feel warmer, and bed-sheet-like surfaces tend to feel cooler. You can make an inexpensive bed by wrapping a sheet or blanket around the egg-crate-foam padding widely available where human bedding is sold.

Transitions
The crate is a good way to start the dog learning to use a bed other than yours. You can have a crate in your bedroom for the dog to sleep in at night, surrounded by the comforting smells, sights and sounds of family.

As the dog matures and learns to handle housetraining and chewing appropriately, you can transition the dog to a comfy bed in your room. Those dogs who have never been allowed on the bed up to this point may transition easily into using a bed other than yours. Those who have, even occasionally, been allowed on your bed will be more challenging.

When you're asleep it's not easy to keep getting up and reminding the dog to go back to the dog bed. You could handle this in a couple of ways.

One would be to put a dog bed into the crate. Leave the door open if the dog uses the dog bed, but close it when the dog comes to your bed instead. Don't make it a punishment, and do remember the treat when you close the door!

Eventually, if you're calm and completely consistent, the new habit will be formed, and you will be able to leave the crate door open and at some point remove the bed from the crate. Don't handle the dog roughly or harshly to get the dog off your bed, because the dog could become defensive and aggressive. Positive training with your dog will help this go more smoothly.

Another way to condition the dog to use a dog bed is to tether the dog to the wall. This requires great caution to avoid the risk of the dog getting tangled and choking, so the crate method is usually safer.

Your Bed as Dog Bed?
Dogs under a year or so old are generally best not permitted to sleep on a person's bed. Until the dog gets far enough into puberty that the adult temperament becomes apparent, you really can't tell if this puppy is going to be a dog who can sleep on a human bed without aggression toward humans. It's much, much more difficult to take this privilege away than it is to simply wait until the dog is ready for it-if, indeed, the particular dog is going to ever be ready for it.

The strictest safety rules say not to have the dog on your bed. Here are some of the reasons:

Small dogs and dogs with orthopedic problems can be injured jumping off beds.

Dogs who don't react well when awakened suddenly may bite the people in the bed or someone approaching the bed.

Children are often injured when they come rushing up to or onto a bed and startle or even hurt the dog.

Some dogs will try to take over the bed as territory to guard. This can result in bites.

Still, a huge percentage of folks with dogs do eventually have the dogs sleeping in bed with the people. If you want to do this, the safest way is to raise your dog first to sleep elsewhere, train with your dog to establish good communication, and condition your dog to be deeply comfortable with human touch.

In cases where there is any doubt about the dog's safety to be on human beds, consult a behavior specialist who can evaluate the dog in person. Think especially carefully about having a dog on beds in a home with children (or grandchildren) under school age.

CRATE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY

Blue Knight Labradors

D. Welle

If you are going to buy ANY piece of equipment for your puppy, make it a fiberglass crate. I know, “It looks so cruel”. It isn’t. A fiberglass crate is nothing more to your puppy than a den. Canines are den oriented animals. In the wild, they seek out a small hole to crawl into, and that is where they relax and sleep, have their puppies, and find comfort when they are ill . A fiberglass crate is nothing less to your puppy. With that in mind. You should consider all of the benefits of crate training your puppy:

A crate serves as an aid to potty training.

A crate is a safe place for your puppy to ride in the car.

A crate keeps the house safe from a puppy eager to chew up everything you own.

A crate permits the dog to have a place of its own...off limits to children.

A crate breaks down into two separate dog beds.

A crate lasts as long or longer than the dog itself.

A crate is ALMOST chew proof...from the inside at least.

A crate can be used to ship your dog by air, in the event of a move.

The crate should be set up in a room where that puppy can be close to the family (It can easily be moved from room to room). Place a soft, washable item inside of the crate for bedding. DO NOT USE NEWSPAPER, as this may encourage the puppy to potty in the crate.

The puppy should be introduced to the crate slowly at first. You should place the puppy in the crate when he is sleepy (perhaps after a meal or heavy playing). Keep the door open at first. A puppy will do everything it can NOT to potty where it sleeps, so be aware of when the last potty occurred, and anticipate when the next one should. We want the first few times in the crate to be potty free. Allow the puppy to sleep as long as it likes in the crate with the door open. As soon as the puppy wakes, take it out to potty. If the puppy has not slept, and comes out of the crate immediately, gently place the puppy in the crate, and praise it for going in.

After the first few times in the crate, you can close the door. Only insist that the puppy stay in the crate for about 1 hour at first. If the puppy objects loudly, you can tell it to QUIET, but do not rescue it. Try to let the puppy out when it has become quiet, and praise the puppy for being quiet. Gradually increase the time the puppy is to stay in the crate. As the puppy gets older, you can be more insistent with the word QUIET, and reprimand (with a shake of the muzzle) any failure to listen to your reprimand, but do not allow him out of the crate. Make sure he stays in the crate a minimum of fifteen minutes after becoming quiet.

Before long, you will find that the dog seeks out the open crate to sleep in. Be sure that your children are told that the crate is off limits to them. This is a place for the dog to spend quiet time alone.

You will soon find that the crate is your most valuable tool in teaching your dog. “Time out” periods are needed by every child now and then. Just as you never learned to hate your bedroom after being sent there for naughty behavior, neither will your dog resent his crate.

Do not abuse the crate, and leave your dog in it for extended periods of time. Be sure to provide your dog with plenty of time out of the crate, and with the family. The purpose of the crate is to provide a safe place to keep a happy dog. Not as a place the dog must live in for long periods of time.

Size: Series 400 ‘Vari Kennel’ (this is the perfect size kennel for a Labrador)

copyright 1997 - D. Welle
Permission to reprint granted if author and http is provided
Copyright 1998, '99, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04 ~ Blue Knight Labradors

http://www.blueknightlabs.com/

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THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer
http://www.veterinarypartner.com

Crate-Training for Adult Dogs

Crate-training is easiest in puppyhood, but at times it’s both necessary and feasible to train an adult dog to rest calmly in a crate. It’s important to note, though, that not all dogs can be crate trained. Some will panic and can hurt themselves.

It’s possible to create the panic problem by how crate-training is attempted. If the puppy or dog gets the idea that making a fuss will cause you to come to the rescue, you can accidentally create a dog who becomes hysterical when confined to a crate, a dangerous situation for the dog.

But most dogs can be crate-trained, especially when it's not a crisis and you can take your time. Plus, with a mature dog who is not a chewer, you can put bedding in the crate and make it a cozy place to sleep. That's often unwise with chewing pups or young dogs who will chew and possibly swallow bedding.

Evaluate your mature, non-chewing dog as to whether you’ll best use cool bedding or warm bedding. Blankets can be too hot under furry dogs. Cold-natured dogs, on the other hand, need warmer bedding. So customize that aspect for your dog’s body. Ideally, you want your dog friend to like the bedding enough to go in there for a nap with the door open.

Then, with the crate door open, start giving your dog treats in the crate, feeding some meals in there, and generally making it positive and pleasant. Never overdo the length of time a dog is in a crate. While you might be able to regain the dog’s trust with a slow process of building up from short times again, some dogs will never forget.

The length of time to continue work on positive conditioning to the crate with the door open will vary according to your dog’s history and how your dog feels about the crate. Take it slowly.

As the dog gets completely happy about the crate with the door open, start closing the door briefly with the same pleasant things going on. Build the time gradually, staying in the room. Next, start leaving the room for short periods. Then gradually lengthen the periods of time you are gone.

Eventually you'll be up to the time periods you need. Eight hours is the top limit for crating at any one time. A dog who can sleep 8 hours in a crate cannot necessarily go 8 hours at other times. During sleep, the dog’s body quiets bowels and bladder. When the dog wakes up, the body has to compensate for having held this waste.

If your dog can’t handle the crate for some reason, often a small area of the house works equally well. Another option is to use baby-gates to keep the dog out of certain sensitive areas of the house. You may need to do this while conditioning the dog to the crate, since you would ruin the conditioning by suddenly leaving the dog in the crate for longer than the time you’ve conditioned.

Other options for managing your dog until the training is complete would be doggy day care or day boarding with your veterinarian. You might also be able to find a friend, relative, neighbor or professional to dog-sit while you’re out.

Managing a dog is an interesting and creative activity! Dogs change, our circumstances change, and we often have to rethink what “always worked before” but now doesn’t. Communicate with your veterinarian to stay aware of any issues that affect your dog’s ability to cope with crating or with the current schedule. Various medications, medical conditions, and body changes with age can mean a dog simply can’t handle what worked fine when the dog was younger.

Dogs differ, too, in their temperaments, ability to hold bowels and bladder, past experiences, and many other factors that affect crating. What one dog takes in stride can be just too much for another dog.

The ability to rest calmly in a crate has saved dogs’ lives during crisis times. If you have to cope with a situation such as evacuating in an emergency or keeping your dog on restricted activity for several weeks after an orthopedic surgery, crate-training can make a huge difference in how the dog will do. Be sure to allow plenty of time for your dog to learn to feel safe, secure, and comfortable in a crate.

This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.

*********************

THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer
http://www.veterinarypartner.com

Crate Training Puppies

Every puppy needs to learn the skill of resting calmly in a crate. This skill will be needed at the veterinary hospital, for traveling, and for restricted activity due to illness. It's also a lifesaver for many young dogs during the destructive chewing stage that starts at several months of age and can last until age 2 to 3 years in some breeds.

After a dog has become trained and reliable in the house, the crate will often be needed only for specific reasons rather than everyday use. One critical situation that can call for bringing out the crate again is separation anxiety. The ability to relax in a crate can save a dog's life during this crisis.

Usually it works best to crate the puppy in your bedroom when you're sleeping. If you want the dog to share your bed, wait until the adult temperament emerges. Then if it turns out the temperament is not suited to bed privileges, you will not have the difficult job of teaching the dog to stay off the bed. Teaching a puppy to stay off the bed from the beginning is much easier, both for you and for the pup.

People tend to make the mistake of giving the puppy attention for making noise in the crate. When you do this, you confirm the puppy's instinct that being alone is death (it would be, in the wild), and that calling for help will bring someone. Having the crate in your bedroom for sleeping tends to help because the puppy can hear, smell and possibly see you. Not being alone, the puppy usually finds it easier to get used to the crate. Your sleeping helps set the scene for the puppy to sleep, too.

Keep the puppy on a good schedule of food, water and outings so the puppy's body will have the best chance of making it through the night without a bathroom break. If the pup does need a break, make it very low-key with dim lights and soft voices and no playtime. If you completely avoid going to the puppy when the puppy is making noise, problems usually pass quickly. But make no mistake, lost sleep comes with the puppy-adoption territory! Don't miss the chance to start your puppy off right, or you will lose a lot more sleep over a longer period of time, because crate-training will take much longer.

The worst thing to do is let the puppy yell for a long time, and then go to the puppy. Doing that teaches the puppy to persistently make noise in the crate. It communicates to the pup that you want to be notified with lots and lots of noise! It also causes the puppy enormous stress that can become a lifelong response to being confined in a crate. Adult dogs in this stressed state can break out of crates and badly injure themselves. This is not the future you want for your puppy.

What you want the puppy to discover is that nothing bad happens from being alone in a crate. You also want the puppy to learn that it's okay to let you know of a need, but you will not come in response to loud racket. Check on the puppy after the puppy has become quiet again.

If your puppy isn't making it through the night without a potty break, schedule it so that the puppy doesn't have to wake you up and ask. Realize, too, that the puppy's body will awaken and need to potty whenever someone in the household gets up. That person or someone else will need to give the pup a potty break.

Don't trick a puppy about the crate. Give a treat when the pup goes in, but don't be sneaky about shutting the door. Don't put the puppy into the crate when the puppy is sound asleep, to wake up trapped in a crate. That can cause the puppy to distrust both you and the crate.

Be careful not to abuse the crate. When you are at home and awake, supervise the puppy in person rather than using the crate. Puppies need exercise, mental stimulation and guidance from you in order to grow up healthy and happy. Too much crate time is not humane. Puppies sleep 14 hours a day or so. If the crate time is scheduled so the pup can use it for sleeping, that's ideal.

Make the crate a pleasant place to rest. A few safe chew toys and a treat can help the puppy relax and drift off to dreamland. Everyone in the household can sleep better with a crate-trained puppy.

This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.

*********************

THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES

By Kathy Diamond Davis
Author and Trainer
http://www.veterinarypartner.com

Crate Soiling

Trying to act on good advice about training your dog, you confine your new puppy or dog to a crate. But instead of a clean and rested dog when you return to the crate, you find a soiled one. What is happening, and what can you do about it?

The Instinct
Crate training often helps with housetraining because many dogs instinctively avoid eliminating where they sleep. The idea is that confining the dog to the crate will motivate the dog to hold urine and feces until the next opportunity to eliminate outside the crate.

A major cause of this plan going awry is the dog who has been confined with no chance to eliminate elsewhere. This is common in pet shops and high-volume breeding operations. If a puppy has never had the chance to learn to eliminate outside the bed area, the instinct hasn’t had a chance to develop. Even if the bedding was changed often or the mess filtered through the flooring, the pup never got the chance to learn to hold it and go someplace else to eliminate.

Any dog who has been confined without the ability to avoid eliminating in the bed area can have damage to this instinct. It could be because the dog is ill or has some sort of physical problem impairing sphincter control. It could be that the family schedule causes them to leave the dog longer than the dog can hold it. The dog will have no choice but to eliminate in the crate.

The sooner you detect and interrupt the pattern, the better your chances of avoiding a long-term habit. The longer the habit of eliminating in the crate continues, the more difficult it will be for the dog to adjust to a different habit. Habits are good things when they make it easy to automatically perform a desirable behavior without having to think it through every time. Your goal is to help your dog form the habits that will help you live happily together.

First Aid
Your first line of defense is to check out all the housetraining and dog care basics. Take your dog out more often. If the dog is dirty when you get up in the morning, try a potty outing later at night and during the night. Then try eliminating one of those outings and see if the pup can still make it. Eventually you may be able to extend the time, but never longer than 8 hours with a dog of any age. Some dogs may never make it that long, especially small ones.

Check out the physical issues, too, with your veterinarian’s help. Take a look at the diet (avoid high fiber) and the feeding schedule. Remember that all treats count in the diet.

You will also want to make sure you are taking all the right steps to facilitate your dog being in the right place at the right times to eliminate. Keep punishment strictly out of your dog’s housetraining, no matter how many well-meaning people think that ‘s the way to housetrain a dog. In fact, punishment is one cause of crate soiling.

If you can solve the problem quickly, you may be able to keep using the crate. But if this is a pet shop puppy or dog from a background of being kept in tight quarters, you probably have other steps to take.

Instinct Repair
Getting the dog out of the crate is often the means to repairing the damaged instinct. If you catch the problem early, it might only take a week of alternate confinement before you can go back to the crate, but plan on putting in more time. If you return to using the crate and the dog has one or two soiling incidents, get the dog out of the crate again. There’s just no point in perpetuating that sad condition.

An alternative confinement area that works well for many dogs is a small room, such as a bathroom, with a baby gate across the doorway. If the dog would jump over one baby gate, stack a second one above the first to make it higher. Avoid using a closed door, because that tends to cause dogs to develop the habit of clawing up the door and the flooring at its base.

Put down some absorbent material and use a room with a floor that’s easy to clean. One approach is to cover the floor completely in newspapers, with the dog’s crate (door left open), water and food dishes on one end of the room. When the dog chooses an area to eliminate, move the crate, food and water to the opposite end of the room. Gradually reduce the papers to the area the dog has chosen for elimination.

Keep the room very clean because you’re trying to help this dog get used to clean surroundings. If your preferred method for elimination is indoors (papers, puppy pads, dog litter box), then use it in this room. If you prefer the dog to eliminate outdoors, get the dog outdoors frequently. When the dog no longer uses the papers inside and is relieving outside all the time, you can remove the papers.

This small room confinement is a fall-back position for many situations in a dog’s life, including the ill or elderly dog who develops some incontinence. When the dog’s physical condition is in question, always consult your veterinarian about the confinement area the dog needs. Factors that may be important include the footing (not slippery), restriction of the dog’s activity, temperature of the room, and the type of bedding.

Crate Stress
Sometimes the real problem is that the dog is overly stressed by being confined to a crate. Surprisingly, people often fail to recognize this. It may seem the dog has a housetraining problem, separation anxiety, or something medical going on, and crate stress isn’t considered.

It should be considered, though, and probably first thing. The popular notion is that dogs perceive crates as “dens,” like where a wolf has her pups: all warm and cozy with the feel of the nest. A crate is not a nest, though, and the natural wolf den doesn’t have the latched door of a crate. Pups start leaving the den rather young, and it’s soon abandoned. It is not a place where wolves live or even sleep.

Dogs who choose to sleep in their crates when they have a choice probably do so because of positive conditioning to the crate as a safe place where they will not be disturbed. Conditioning a dog this way is certainly possible for many dogs, when people take the time and care to do it.

If your dog has become stressed about the crate and you need to be able to use a crate, consult a veterinary behavior specialist to help you condition the dog. During the conditioning, you may need to use some other area to confine the dog when you can’t supervise.

A dog can become stressed about crating at any point in life, sometimes from just one bad experience such as being left for too many hours when the family doesn’t make it home. In some cases the best solution is just to eliminate crating. Rehabilitation is possible, though, with the right help and plenty of patience.

Dogs need the ability to calmly accept safe confinement, since we must have safe places to leave our dogs when we cannot supervise them. Happily, for those dogs who either temporarily or permanently cannot cope with crating, there are alternative means of confinement. And for many house dogs, confinement can transition to the entire house, or most of it, by 2 to 3 years of age.

Clean Dog
If your dog seems to be urinating or defecating at rest, with little or no warning (or in any other way that seems abnormal), be sure to involve your veterinarian promptly. A variety of physical causes can make housetraining difficult or impossible. When a previously-housetrained dog starts having accidents, it’s likely the cause is physical.

Most dogs like having their bodies clean of urine and feces, once they’ve gotten used to this as a normal way of life. Have patience with the dog who got a bad start. It is never the dog’s fault when this happens. Some of the work of rehabilitating a dog who has been neglected is dirty work, but it’s worth it.

This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.

*********************

Crate Training

http://www.ahimsarescuefoundation.org

“However much I may sympathize with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising
opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes.” ... Mohandas K Gandhi

YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?! PUT MY DOG IN A CAGE?!! HOW CRUEL!!

Cruel? NO. Done properly, crate training can be the answer to many problems faced by dogs and their owners.

Dogs have a natural instinct that they inherited from their ancestors, the wolf. Wolves find a small cave, or dig themselves one and this is where they sleep, rest and just “hang out.” It is home. Providing your dog with a crate satisfies his desire to den. No one is going to yell at him for doing something wrong while he is in his crate. No one is going to step on his tail, trip over him or pull on his ears. It is easier to teach small children to stay away from the dog while he is in his crate than it is to yell “LEAVE THE DOG ALONE” every couple of minutes.

FIRST, WHAT IS A CRATE?
A crate is an indoor dog house, with a door. It is big enough for your dog to easily stand up, turn around and lie down in. This “indoor dog house” is placed in a much used area of your house such as the living room or kitchen during the day. At night, the crate should be moved to an occupied corner of a bedroom. It can be made of plastic, wire, wood or a combination of all three. It is a place for your dog to relax in when no one is around to make sure Rover is staying out of trouble. It is your dog’s space in your house. It is his bed (or room) and sanctuary; it is his.

WHY CRATE TRAIN?
Many people crate train their dog for the simple reason that the dog can do no wrong while he is in his crate. Your dog can’t piddle on the rug, harass the mailman, chew on the furniture, get into the trash or eat your children’s hamster.

He learns to relax and go to sleep while you are away. This in effect is teaching him good habits...SLEEP while his family is away. And while he sleeps, you can go shopping, visit friends, run errands or take in a movie and not have to worry about what kind of shape the house is going to be in when you get home. You put your dog in his crate, shut the door and leave for a few hours, knowing that when you return it will be a happy reunion and not a one-sided yelling match, with your dog cringing in the corner.

BUT WHAT ABOUT EXERCISE? I THOUGHT A DOG NEEDED FREEDOM TO RUN AROUND. WON’T MY DOG BE CRAMPED IN SUCH SMALL QUARTERS?!

NO. Before putting your dog in his crate each day before you go to work or go off for a couple of hours to run errands, you will have made sure he has had a good exercise session with you. Remember, you won’t be putting your dog there forever. Four or five hours while you go shopping, or overnight so you can sleep without having to worry about what your dog is doing is fine.

He will not have to spend every day of life in his crate anyway. Just until he outgrows that puppy destructive stage, or until you teach him your household rules or until he adjusts to living with you (especially in the case if you have adopted a shelter dog). Your dog will actually enjoy being in crate after you have taught him that it is his “room.”

For longer periods of time (generally anything over eight hours during the day), your adult dog should be confined to a larger area such as a completely enclosed dog run along side your house so he has the choice to eliminate if needed. Ideally if you need to crate your dog during your work day (5+ hours) then either come home at lunch to let your dog out for a stretch and elimination; hire a dog walker or pet sitter to come during the day OR provide a secure area large enough for your dog to eliminate in and yet sleep or play in the other (i.e. a closed off kitchen area, outside enclosed dog run or a very secure backyard area). Again, always make sure your puppy or dog has had a good exercise session with you anytime before confining them for the day. See our Play and exercise.

THEN WHY CRATE TRAIN AT ALL? WHY CAN’T I JUST LEAVE MY DOG IN THE YARD ALL THE TIME?

Because dogs by nature are pack animals, they are very social. They prefer the company of others probably more so than humans do. They need to be in the house, even when you are not there or when you are sleeping and can’t be interacting with them. They need to feel that they are part of your family “pack” and that means being in the house (the pack’s den), even though you may not be in the house. Depriving your dog of that feeling of “belonging” and of being a part of your family pack can do as much psychological damage as locking a child in the closet for most of the day. They become neurotic or psychotic.

Problem behaviors such as digging, barking, chewing and escaping WILL develop in a dog kept primarily outdoors. Crate training prevents destructive behaviors when you are not home or can’t supervise the dog directly when indoors.

If all you want is a backyard fixture, then get yourself a statue. But, if what you want is a family companion and friend, then get yourself a dog and let him in the house with you, let him belong.

BUT WON’T HE GET TERRIBLY BORED, BEING LOCKED UP?!!
NO. He will learn to just sleep while you are away. That’s a lot better than leaving him out where he learns it is fun to chew on the door, get into the garbage or piddle on the rug (these are all normal behaviors that ANY dog will exhibit until he is taught how to live WITH people).

A dog will sleep eighteen hours a day if you let him. And remember a dog’s version of recreation while you are away often involves destroying your house or your yard.

Also, it is not as if he must remain in his crate for the rest of his life; just until they get over the destructive period all dogs go through when they are young. Or if it’s an older dog in a new home, just until you, as the owner, feel safe leaving him alone in your house unconfined.

Many dogs form habits, such as house soiling, that can easily be changed by crate training. If a dog has formed the habit of urinating or defecating in the house wherever and whenever he feels like it, then crate training can teach your dog to hold it until you provide him the opportunity to go out and to relieve himself. A normal, healthy dog will try very hard not to urinate or defecate in his crate. To do so would mean he would have to lay in it. Most dogs prefer to wait until you can return to let them out.

HOW MANY MONTHS/YEARS SHOULD I USE A CRATE IN MY DOG’S LIFETIME?
It is highly recommended that any newly adopted adult dog be crate trained until he understands your household rules and has proven to be trustworthy when left alone for short time periods. For most newly acquired adult dogs, plan on using the crate regularly (when ever you are not home or can’t directly supervise the dog) until the dog reaches at least 1 to 2 years of age or for a minimum of 8 consecutive months if the dog is past this age. For puppies, plan on using the crate for a minimum of 1 to 2 years to assure the dog has matured and grown out of the adolescent/destructive phase that ALL dogs go through. The crate can be used for the rest of the dog’s life as well; the door tied open so the dog has the choice to use it or not.

PERHAPS I’LL GIVE IT A TRY. WHERE CAN I GET A CRATE?
Any of the larger pet stores such as PetsMart or Petco.

Crate training is a wonderful thing you can do for your canine and you!

Crates come in a variety of materials and sizes. Buy one large enough to accommodate an adult animal even if you have a puppy and simply section off the crate with cardboard boxes.

The crate should be located indoors in the most used room in the household.

For nighttime, the crate can be moved to a bedroom.

WHAT KIND OF MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
It depends on the size of your dog and where you purchase the crate. Just remember though, a crate is something your dog will have the rest of his life. It is his bed, his room, his space in your house. A good crate will last much longer than your dog will; so don’t worry about it wearing out!

Also, compare the initial cost of a crate with the cost of destructive behavior. Shelling out sixty dollars for a new crate is nothing compared to buying new carpet or a sofa, replacing stereo equipment, relandscaping your yard, trying to find Rover after he has escaped from your yard or explaining hamster heaven to your kids!

WHAT SIZE SHOULD I GET?
Your dog’s crate should be big enough for him to easily stand up, turn around and lie down in. If he piddles in one corner of the crate then just make it smaller by adding cardboard boxes, bricks or a wire barrier. As he gets the idea that the toilet is outdoors, then you can take the barriers out of crate and let him have a “king sized” room.

WHAT ABOUT PUPPIES — I DON’T WANT TO KEEP BUYING CRATES AS MY PUPPY GROWS BIGGER!

Right. You should guesstimate what size your puppy will be as an adult (breed books will be able to help you with this, providing you know what breed or mixture of breeds your puppy is) and buy a crate that will be big enough for him as an adult dog. Then you put cardboard boxes or a wire divider in one end to make the crate smaller. As your puppy grows, you gradually increase his “living space” in the crate by getting smaller boxes or moving the wire divider.

If you have an adult dog already, take him with you to the pet store to size him for the crate. Just stand your dog next to the crate (don’t scare him by shoving him in!). The top of the crate should extend three to four inches above his shoulders. The end of the crate should be about three to four inches from your dog’s rump. If in doubt, buy larger as you can always make the crate smaller with a wire divider or piling boxes in the back of it.

WHAT’S THE BEST KIND OF CRATE TO BUY?
Plastic is probably the best, although metal crates have the advantage of folding up for storage and metal crates allow for better air circulation. If you have a heavy coated dog, pick a crate with better air circulation as you can always cover the crate with a blanket if it is too cold. Remember though, that a dog will want his crate door left open so he can go in and out as he pleases after he has outgrown the initial purpose of the crate. So, the fact that metal crates can fold up when they are not in use may not be a good reason to purchase that kind of crate. Plastic is easier to clean and does not squeak and rattle like metal does when the dog moves around inside. You can make your own crate out of wood, but wood is difficult to keep clean and some dogs like to chew on wood anyway! Some brand names of plastic crates are: Vari-Kennel, Kennel Aire, Kennel Cab and Sky Kennel.

ONCE I HAVE THE CRATE, WHERE DO I PUT IT?
Your dog’s crate should be placed in the most often used room in the house during the day. The living room, the family room, the kitchen, wherever your family spends the most time. At night, especially if you have a puppy, the crate should be moved to a corner of an occupied bedroom. This helps the puppy sleep at night (being in the same room with their “person”), helps the pup bond to the family and helps with housetraining as you will know when the pup needs to go outside.

OK, SO NOW I HAVE A CRATE. HOW DO I TEACH MY DOG THAT THIS IS HIS ROOM?
At first most dogs resent being confined because they feel you have left them and are not coming back. However, given some time to adjust, your dog will soon learn to love his crate and the security and privacy that goes along with it. Try feeding your dog his meals with the door tied open the first week or two and intermittently hiding special goodies in the crate. You want your dog to keep going back and checking out the crate in hopes he may find something good in it.

Crate Training the 8-12 week-old Puppy

Young puppies have very small bladders and cannot control them very well. They have to eliminate much more often than older puppies or adult dogs. To have a successful crate training program, follow the guidelines below.

Place a cardboard box or some other material in the crate to allow the puppy only enough room to lie down and turn around. An old blanket or towel can be placed in the remainder of the crate as the puppy’s bed (WARNING: do not give your puppy an expensive blanket or pet bed; all puppies are destructive! Give them something old so if they chew it up, you won’t be angry!). The crate should be located in a bedroom so if the pup wakes up in the middle of the night, you can take him outside quickly. Most puppies that have had access to their crates from beginning have no complaints. The first time they are shut in, they may cry a little, but ignore them and soon they will give up and go to sleep. A three-month-old puppy can usually spend an entire night without having to relieve himself, as long as he did his business right before going to bed and he has not had any water at least two hours before bedtime.

The general rule of thumb is that during the day, a puppy can hold off elimination for as many hours as he is in months of age. For example, if you have an 8-week-old puppy then never make him spend more than two hours in the crate during the day without a toilet break.

If you must leave your puppy unattended for longer time periods during the day, then leave the crate door open so your puppy has access to his bed (crate) and a small area right outside the crate door allowing for a “bathroom spot” outside of his crate. The kitchen is a great choice as it will be easy to clean up any accidents. You may line his “bathroom area” with newspapers for easy clean up but you will NOT rely on this method for training. The papers are there for easy clean up for you BUT not to deliberately teach the puppy to go on them. Make sure the barricade is sturdy enough to prevent the puppy from climbing out and relieving himself in an inappropriate spot. This “bathroom spot” should not be a large area; usually two feet square is plenty of room. When you are home, the papers should be put away and you should be taking the puppy outdoors on regular intervals to toilet.

Paper training your puppy is not recommended as it does confuse the pup. House training should mean that the dog NEVER eliminates in the house. Paper training a pup is telling him it is OK to eliminate in the house so we do NOT recommend using papers unless it is absolutely unavoidable. See the house training section for more information on the correct way to house train your puppy. DO NOT LET YOUR PUPPY OUT WHEN HE IS CRYING RIGHT AFTER YOU HAVE SHUT THE DOOR (the exception to this is if you have forgotten to take him out to do his business first before locking him in). If you let your puppy out while he is crying, you will have taught him that crying gets his way (emotional blackmail!). Always wait until your puppy is quiet before you let him out of his crate. Another solution for over-vocalization while in the crate is to cover the crate with a lightweight sheet or towel. Many dogs will give up within minutes if they cannot see you. The only other exception to this is when you first get up in the morning (or you have been gone longer than 2 hours) and your puppy is probably “loaded” and needs to go out immediately. Take him out right away. Also if you have been gone during the day for any length of time, you want to take your young puppy out and immediately upon your arrival home. As your puppy physically matures and gains bladder and bowel control, you can expect him to “hold it” longer. A rough gauge of how long your puppy can hold it during the day is how ever many months your puppy is in age is equal to how many hours he can hold it safely in the daytime. So if your puppy is four months old, he can probably hold it safely for four hours at a stretch during the daytime and so on.

**Do keep in mind that diet changes and medications can affect how long a dog can “hold it”. Digestive upsets can cause your dog to use the toilet much more often. Certain types of medications can increase water consumption, which again can cause a dog to eliminate much more often than normal. Always ask your veterinarian about the effects medications may have on your dog. **

Your puppy’s crate should only contain an old towel, a special chew item such as a stuffed Kong toy or stuffed sterilized beef bone. Do not leave food or water in the crate with your puppy. The crate should be located INDOORS so the pup is safe from the weather, scary noises or teasing from neighbors.

You can teach your puppy to enter his crate upon cue. Read the section on crate training the adult dog to find out how.

Crate Training the 5 month-old Puppy and Adult Dog

Although crate training the older puppy or adult dog is not as easy as a young puppy, it can still be done with less hassle than would be expected. Most dogs resent being confined at first, but soon learn to love and enjoy the security their crate provides.

Patience, persistence, some small yummy treats your dog enjoys and a good set of earplugs are the only requirements to begin crate training. The first step is to let your dog investigate the crate with the door securely tied open. Throw his favorite toy or one of his treats just inside the lip of the crate and watch what happens. As soon as your dog goes in after the treat or toy, praise enthusiastically with a happy tone of voice (do not try to shut the door at this point). Keep tossing the treats or toy into the crate so your dog has to go further in each time. Remember to praise as your dog goes IN the crate. Ignore him once he steps out of the crate. Keep this up until your dog quickly and easily goes into the crate whenever you toss his toy or treat into the very back of the crate. Next try putting his food dish in the crate so if he wants to eat he has to go in. DO NOT TRY TO CLOSE THE DOOR JUST YET. At this point you are still trying to build confidence in your dog that this indoor doghouse is his and will not “eat” him. This procedure may take a few minutes to a week or more. Throughout the day, hide treats in the crate when your dog is not watching. You want to teach your dog to investigate the crate often during the day.

The next step is to repeat the above but each time your dog goes in his crate, say a cue word such as “GO TO BED,” “KENNEL,” “CRATE,” “ZONE OUT,” “CHILL OUT,” etc. in a happy tone of voice. It does not matter what words you say, the important point is you say the SAME words each time you play the crate game with him. For him to learn a verbal cue such as “KENNEL” may take up to fifty repetitions or more, so you may want to split this into several training sessions spread out over a couple of days.

The next step is to actually shut him in the crate. Do not shut your dog in the crate until he is easily going in and out of the crate without any hesitation or fear. Give his cue such as “KENNEL,” and as soon as he goes in, give him a special chew toy (like a stuffed Kong or a nice rawhide bone) or feed him his meal and quietly shut the door. Be ready for the verbal onslaught! Stay in the same room for a few minutes and then when your dog is quiet for 20 consecutive seconds, open the crate door and let him out. If your dog accepts being in the crate quietly right from the get-to, then make sure you reward him with quiet praise and some treats pushed through the door as well.

If your dog is being very vocal first try ignoring him for 20 minutes straight. If he continues past 20 minutes then quickly rap on the top of the crate while you give the verbal cue “QUIET.” Wait until he is quiet for a minute or two, give him a treat, wait another couple of minutes and THEN let him out while he is still quiet. Again wait for several minutes of silence BEFORE YOU LET HIM OUT. This is where the persistence and perseverance part comes in. The more consistent, firm and unyielding to his complaints you are, the faster your dog will crate train. On the flip side, make sure you praise your dog when he is calm and quiet as well as slipping him an occasional treat while he is in the crate.

Another solution for over-vocalization while in the crate is to cover the crate with a lightweight sheet or towel. Many dogs will give up within minutes if they cannot see you.

Practice the above five or six times a day, each time increasing the time your dog has to spend in his crate by five minutes each time you try it. Try moving into a different room when he is in his crate. Be ready to ignore your dog if he is whining. By the time you reach up to forty minutes, your dog can safely be let in his crate for several hours at a stretch. Leave him for an hour or two inside his crate while you watch TV or clean house. Let him feel secure that he will not be left in there forever, that he will be let out eventually and that you are not going to go away and forget about him forever. Just make sure he has been exercised heavily, has eliminated first and gets his special chewy toy when he goes in his crate for longer periods.

OK, IT SOUNDS LIKE A CRATE WOULD HELP ME. ANY OTHER TIPS TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL?

You can make the crate more successful by always acting “happy” around the crate, making sure your dog is VERY tired if he has to spend more than an hour in the crate and making sure your pet always gets a high value stuffed Kong (a Kong stuffed with steak, chicken, turkey, hot dogs, etc.) to work on when he is in the crate. Do make sure that all your children understand that once the dog is in the crate, not to bother him (except to give him a treat if he is being calm & quiet of course!)

***Do keep in mind that diet changes and medications can affect how long a dog can “hold it”. Digestive upsets can cause your dog to use the toilet much more often. Certain types of medications can increase water consumption, which again can cause a dog to eliminate much more often than normal. Always ask your veterinarian about the effects medications may have on your dog. ***

ARE THERE ANY OTHER ADVANTAGES TO HAVING A CRATE TRAINED DOG ...BESIDES THE HOUSEBREAKING PART?

Well, a dog that feels secure in his crate is much easier to take on long trips than a dog that is left to jump excitedly around the inside of the car. Your dog does not get hit by falling camping gear, and is much safer should an accident occur.

Hotels or motels are much more willing to allow dogs to stay if you bring your dog’s crate, plus the maid isn’t likely to accidentally let your dog loose into the streets of a strange city should your dog be crated while you are out.

Dogs being shipped by plane or train feel much more secure and can handle the stress of traveling much easier if they have their own crate to travel in. Federal law requires that animals must be in crates when shipped by air or train.

OK, IT SOUNDS LIKE CRATE TRAINING IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA, BUT TELL ME, SHOULD EVERYONE CRATE TRAIN THEIR DOG?

Not necessarily, but if you are considering crate training as a method of housebreaking, you should ask yourself these questions:

Do you find yourself constantly punishing your dog for the same misbehaviors?

Is your dog spending more and more time outside and less and less time with the family because of destructive or uncontrollable behavior?

Do you have children under the age of ten in your household? Is the once placid Rover now becoming snappish or too rough with your kids?

Are you declining dinner invitations and only scheduling errands when you know someone else will be home to make sure the dog doesn’t destroy the house while you are gone?

Does your dog think his name is “BAD DOG?”
If you answered YES to any of these questions, then perhaps you should think more seriously about crate training. Even if you have none of these problems, crate training is a nice thing to do for your dog. Dogs love their crates. Plus you are preventing your dog from developing unwanted behaviors such as chewing and digging.

So give it a try. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Crate training is one approach to housetraining and the prevention of destructive behaviors.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The Power of Positive Training
Pat Miller
Howell Books, 2001

The Dog Whisperer
Paul Owens
Adams Media Corp., 1999

Quick Clicks
Mandy Book & Cheryl Smith
Legacy By Mail, 2001

Copyright © Ahimsa Rescue Foundation 2003 - 2007
No reprints or copies without expressed, written permission
reprinted with kind permission from Teresa L. Morton, Ahimsa Rescue Founder
http://www.ahimsarescuefoundation.org

*******************

CRATING: TRAINING OR TORTURE?

From The Akita Club

The scenario is familiar to most dog owners: an adorable puppy is bought because it is so cute, so cuddly, so adorable... Then it starts to grow...and grow... and grow... and so, too, does its appetite. It graduates from free feeding in its early days to four regular meals a day, then three meals a day, and then (if it's a larger breed) two meals.

It's little needle teeth are soon replaced by adult TEETH! Big, pretty and white. And sharp! And soon it starts supplementing its diet with such tasty morsels as: the couch, an end table the corner of which is just the right height from the floor to allow it to fit neatly into the corner of Poochie's mouth, making it perfect dental floss for the molars.Those new drapes are great for play-attacking, as are those hand-made throw pillows.And, aaahh Lord, those really terrific feathers! I mean, are ththe greatest, or what?

Soon, tender expressions of family love are replaced by apoplectic wild-eyed screaming, once gently stroking hands become flailing weapons with but one intent: to grab Poochie and knock him cold! Human feet that once tip-toed across the room so as not to waken sleeping baby Poochie("Look, he's asleep. Isn't he a darlin' little guy? Couldn't you just hug him to pieces?") now attempt to kick Poochie right through closed doors or a wall.

Banished, screamed at, ignored, confined to whatever tiny space contains the least valuable of family possessions, allowed to be with the family only after being read the riot act and under threat of instant death, Poochie continues to grow: from cute puppy to gangly, discombobulated clumsy puppyhood to young adult, not quite understanding what the fuss is all about. So he begins to plot his revenge, and one night while all is silent in the house he makes his move.

Reveille, and all hands are up and about, with daddy headed for the kitchen for his coffee, when the first whiff of eau d'poo assails the nostrils. By the end of this day, or this week at most, Poochie is history with this family. And with him goes all the anger, the destruction, the weird behavior that caused such frustration and despair to his once loving owners, all of it is gone! Out, damned dog! And don't ever mention "dog" in this house again!

Poochie, of course, is salvageable and if he's lucky, really lucky, he'll end up with a Breed Rescue organization or in a no-kill shelter. And maybe, just maybe, he'll be adopted by a more understanding new owner who will take Poochie home and CRATE him until he's properly re-socialized, house-broken, and trained until he understands what is needed of him and is steady in his performance.

The above tale of woe could have had a happier ending if Poochie's original owners had crate trained him from the start. House breaking would have been swifter, with steadier results. Destructive behavior would have been nipped in the bud, before it had time to become a pleasurable (and hard to break) diversion for the pup. It all boils down to one important point: if you keep a constant watch on Poochie, you can catch and correct him whenever he thinks he'd like to... whatever! If you can't watch him because you (had to go to the toilet, answer the phone, stir the pot, go to the store, etc), then pop him into his crate! When you get back from???? he'll still be there, alive, chewing his rawhide, standing with his front feet in his water bowl and a grin on his face, or (most likely )asleep. Unless, of course, you went shopping in another country, and the above mentioned toilet was on American Airlines. Then, by time you gotback to Poochie he'd again be history and you'd be under arrest!

Many people have an unfounded but understandable aversion to crating a dog. It's inhumane, they say: cruel and cage1

unusual punishment. How could you put Poochie into something that's no bigger than a bread-box, no better than a jail, and keep him there? You ought to be reported (investigated; horse-whipped; wrapped in barbed wire and rolled down a long hill; boiled in oil; denied permission to ever own another dog, prevented from having children..oh, heck, the list is endless!), they say. When pressed for their solution to Poochie's behavior they reel off a whole list o fimprobable suggestions, including the ever popular and totally disgusting and cruel "...rub his nose in it!". Now I ask you, is beating with the hand or a stick or rolled paper, chaining to a tree in the backyard, locking up in the laundry room, putting into the basement, confining to the outdoors never to lay at the foot of his master's or mistresses bed at night, better than a few weeks of crate training?

That's right. A few weeks... Not the rest of his life. Not day in and day out, being released only for food and a quick trip to the nearest tree before being confined again. Crating is nothing more than a training aid that helps prevent problems before they start. It will help in quickly breaking habits before they become ingrained in the nature of the beast.And if you do it with intelligence, with real conviction, and with love, Poochie isn't going to look unkindly upon it. Remember, canines are"cave-dwellers" by nature. In the wild they build dens and lairs, or inhabit natural caves. In your house a dog will often lay beneath a table or in the corner of the room, or (as my male does) on the first landing of the stairs where it is dark and protected on three sides! Properly introduced to a crate early in life Poochie will quickly look upon it as its own safety zone, its cave if you will, and will retreat to it at appropriate times or on command. For example, I have a friend who has two children (one a toddler) and three dogs: two Akitas and a miniature poodle. He introduced the Akitas to crating the day after he had run to the local grocery store for milk, leaving the dogs asleep on the living room floor. He was gone fifteen minutes at most, but he returned to find the couch shredded! Totally shredded; I mean, down to the frame, folks! A brand new $1200 couch... that was as close as those dogs ever came to dying, for he was literally going to take those youngsters out and shoot them. But wife and children came to the dog's defence, and reason prevailed. I loaned him two of my crates until he could buy his own, the couch was repaired to the tune of seven hundred dollars and he went to the local pet store and spent eighty bucks for a couple of crates to replace my loaners. Today, those two fully grown Akitas respond to the quietly spoken command "Crate" by getting into their respective "cave", laying down and going to sleep, even though there is no longer any reason to continue to crate them. The doors of the crates are left open; they are now used simply as a means to get the animals out from under foot during house cleaning or dinner parties.

Look at the economics involved: Ninety bucks or less for a crate, or five hundred bucks to repair damage to the house or its furnishings? The answer to that, of course, is obvious. Look at the peace of mind involved: when you cannot keep an eye on young Poochie because (bathroom, the phone, guest for coffee and a chat, the store... ) into the crate-- No! substitute the word LAIR for crate and it might be easier for you to accept-- and close the door. When you get back to your pet he'll still be there, alive and well and ready for "walkie-walkies".

OKAY, I'M CONVINCED! WHAT DO I DO?
1. Consider what size this little fella will attain at maturity, and pickout a crate that will accommodate the dog when full grown. An adult dogshould be able to stand erect in the crate, and turn around in it without being cramped. If you make an error in judgement as to size, better it be too large than too small. Consider the distance between the bars of thecage: they should not be more than two inches apart or the pup could very well wedge its head through them. Remember, the initial cost will be repaid you with peace of mind beyond value. There are two types of crate available: the travel crate, which is enclosed on all sides except thefront which is a wire grid door; or, (the type I prefer) wire-grid open all around, with a sliding pan type removable floor, which crate2

affords the dog unrestricted visibility. Both types are portable, of course, with the open-grid type having the added convenience of disassembly if you want to break it down and carry it in the trunk of your car, for example.Whichever you choose, once you get it home set it up nicely for the pup. Apiece of carpet cut to size for the floor of the crate (you can get remnants from your local carpet store) will make it cozy inside. Put it in a location that will be convenient for you to keep an eye on, and where Poochie can keep an eye on you. In my own case, I had one in the livingroom and one in the bedroom so my pal could always be close to me but under control in those areas where we normally hang out and relax...and thus allow me to relax!

2. In the wild, the pup is introduced to the concept of "cave" by being born into it. Later, a change of location is introduced by the bitch when she carries her litter to their new home. You, too, must introduce Poochie to its new home. Make it as pleasant as you can: put toys in there; feed the dog in the crate, leaving the door open so he can get to his food whenever he wants to eat; coax the pup inside, quietly close the door, and play with it through the bars. After a while walk quietly away and leave him alone. If he yodels and yells, ignore it or correct it with the usual "No! Quiet! Phooey!".

NEVER, EVER, USE THE CRATE FOR PUNISHMENT NOR IN SUCH A WAY THE PUP PERCEIVES BEING IN THE CRATE AS PUNISHMENT!

This canno tbe over-emphasized: if you want "Poo" to accept that crate as his own, as safe refuge, refrain from hitting him then throwing him in it and slamming the door shut with anger. For example, your attention wandered from the pup because you had to attend to supper cooking on the stove. In the meantime, Poo discovered that some houseplants taste great and have all this really terrific dirt in them that makes SUCH a nice contrast with the newly cleaned white carpet. When you discover Poo's discovery, discipline on the spot, but do NOT express your displeasure by sticking him into the crate with a show of exasperation. Clean up the mess, continuing to verbalize your displeasure (What a bad dog! Shame! Phooey!); Poo will most likely retreat to the crate without prompting, in order to find refugefrom your anger. If so, great! He's doing just what you want him to do: accept the confinement of the crate as his safe haven. If not, after you calm down, coax him into the crate, or gently place him there, and close the door. Remember, his transgression was YOUR fault for you failed to follow one of the basic tenets of crating: If you cannot keep the pup under constant observation, even for so short a period as it takes to stir the soup, put him into the crate!

3. As an aid to housebreaking, the crate really shines as an investment. Just keep in mind the following general principal of pups and what they eat/drink: whatever Poochie stuffs into its face will sooner or later reappear at the other end of him, usually within thirty to forty-five minutes later! AND... an animal will rarely if ever foul where it lives or sleeps! If it does foul its crate, it's your fault because you miscalculated his ability to "hold it in". This is a given, and this is what makes housebreaking possible! It's just an extension of Poo's natural instinct, i.e. to dump outside the home. Given the pups undeveloped bladder/bowel control, you have to help him along. EXACTLY THE SAME AS TOILET TRAINING HUMAN CHILDREN!! Therefore, you should be prepared to walk Poochie thirty minutes to an hour after he eats, and immediately after a play session in the house and before you put him into the crate.

This was my routine: in the evening, around eight o'clock, food was pickedup and put aside, Seiko (my Akita male) was released outside to his established "spot" for toilet. Leashed, we'd walk a ways letting him sniff and snuffle here and there, then return home. Play, groom, hang-out, then a quick trip outside to his spot before putting him back into the crate. While we were hanging out together, if the phone rang, into the crate! Taking a shower, into the crate. Run next door for a chat, into... You get the idea, right? At ten I picked up the water bowl (regardless of how hot the weather was, by the way) and immediately took Seiko outdoors to his spot. Upon return indoors, I put Seiko into the bedroom crate where he would watch me preparing for bed. Lights out, and thereafter any complaint from Seiko was reprimanded quietly.

Reveille at 0530; Seiko was released from the crate and immediately takento his outdoor spot where he would sniff and snuffle to his hearts content while I sipped at my coffee and enjoyed the early morning calm. As soon as he finished his toilet I'd make a small party for him, celebrating his great intelligence at dumping in all the right places. Back into the house, he'd have breakfast as I had mine. Then he went back into his crate so I could finish my normal morning routine. Throughout the day his routine never changed: Period of play; outdoors for toilet; into the crate; out of the crate and immediately outdoors for toilet; period of play; outdoors for toilet; into the crate. Within three weeks, Seiko would immediately head for the door as soon as I released him from the crate andwait impatiently for me to let him out for "peepee/Kaka". Quickly onto a regular feeding schedule (early AM and early evening), his routine was soon established and adhered to.

Seiko has never had an "accident" in the house, nor has he ever put his teeth into anything I didn't give him to chew! Neither has his main squeeze "Kiku" nor their son "Ichiban". Thanks to crating, I've rarely had to punish any of them for unchecked indiscretions. So now, on those rare occasions when I do correct or discipline for some infraction, my displeasure is vented verbally and the disapproval in my voice makes them much more regretful than beating or banishment ever could.

Once you have embarked upon the crate-training journey, and have over comethe pet-store-puppy-in-a-cage image conjured up by seeing cute little Poochie behind bars, then remain consistent in your routine and methods.It boils down to a very basic routine: From crate to outdoors to play to outdoors and back to crate; then start all over again. Soon enough Poo will make it to the front door without prompting from you; he'll play withyou until he's tired and will then wander into his DEN, flop down and goto sleep without having to be coaxed, or even run to the front door and ask to go out. He'll even go into his den on command (Poo... crate!) without fuss or nonsense. Within two or three months you will have achieved more with your little pal than non-crating friends with their dogs who, if they bought their pup the same time you bought yours, are by now probably into punching, kicking, screaming at or isolating their uncontrolled, thus less well-behaved pets. You will never regret your decision to give crating a try! And crating will have no adverse effect upon the dog. It isn't cruel and inhumane treatment. With your own peace of mind (no more coming home from the grocery store wondering "...what the hell the dog got into this time...") will come a more relaxed and loving attitude towards your dog, and a happier and more understanding eager to please attitude from good old Poo.

reprinted with kind permission from Catherine de la Cruz
http://www.sonic.net/%7Ecdlcruz/GPCC/

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Crate Training the 5 month-old Puppy and Adult Dog

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