Ultimate Dog Crate Training Guide

Crate Training

Dog training can sometimes be a very frustrating experience, especially if you are trying to teach your pet to stay in the small closed area for an extended period of time. There are numerous techniques that yield different results, but some of them are proven to give you a considerable advantage and shorten the whole process, but prepare yourself for the long journey regardless.  

The most desirable outcome of dog crate training is that your dog treats the crate as a home or as they would treat their den before domestication. That means that he is not going to soil the space where he is sleeping. This is not achievable with every dog out there, but if dog crate training is done properly, it can really be a game changer for both you and your dog. It is going to help you establish the healthy dog and owner relationship which is going to pay out, in the long run, multiple times.

Of course, it is not possible that your dog is going to stay accident-free for the rest of the days. 

But by taking him out at the specific time, after some trial and error, instinctively he is going to get used to the restraining and is going to take every outdoor opportunity to relieve himself.  

Crate and Dog

By getting your pet familiar with crates early on in the life it is not only going to save you from a lot of headaches at home but also on the road. Using crate is great for pet transportation and if it's already familiar with the one that you want to use, the short trip to the dog park, vet, or a travel to the other country is going to be a breeze.

As we mentioned earlier, a process of teaching the dog how to use the crate is a great way to set the hierarchy in the household because, just like humans, dogs need to be taught about behavior and boundaries. Let's say, for example, that you need to be outside the whole day or you're in the house but occupied with other things and you can't give enough attention to your pet, you leave him in the crate.

Until he get used to being inside for extended periods of time he will be more hyperactive when you let him out and rug chewing and damaged furniture is almost inevitable.

But this is the right time to teach him about the behavior in the house. In short period of time, your pet is going to treat the house as your personal space and his crate as his. Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid prolonged crate training at all costs. Dogs, like humans, like freedom and to be able to roam around. By keeping your pet in the crate too long will deprive him of a much needed physical activity and your attention. This kind of treatment can lead your dog to a depression.

To make the whole process easier for your dog, you got to make sure that the crate is comfortable. The dog got to be able to stand, turn around, lay down or stretch inside his crate so if your pet is still a little puppy, plan ahead and do the research on the potential size of your dog’s breed. By doing this you will avoid the situation where after few months to a year you have to buy the crate because your dog outgrew the current one.

It is also a good idea to layer the bottom of the crate with a blanket or a dog bed to soften the surface of your pet's new home. You can also throw in some toys like balls, and rubber dog bones to keep your dog occupied while his inside. And another good tip to remember is to always take your pet's collar off while inside, it can get stuck on something and accidents might happen.

One thing to keep in mind is that crate training should not feel like punishment to your dog. It is completely understandable that you want to put your dog inside whenever he starts being hyperactive or starts destroying everything in the sight but this must be avoided at all cost.

As soon as your pet get a sense that you are punishing him for bad behavior by sending him to the crate, resentment towards it is going to take place.

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Through this whole process, you and your pet will get to know each other more and get closer. So arm yourself with patience because it might take some time to finish the whole training, but the outcome will be beneficial for everybody involved.