My answer is always "absolutely"! While there are a handful of puppies/dogs that absolutely will not tolerate being crated, I highly suggest you give it your best effort to accomplish this task.
Here’s why:
1) You cannot watch your puppy every second of the day and puppies do naughty things, very quickly. Crating helps prevent those things from happening, and from them getting hurt when you can’t keep an eye on them.
2) As previously mentioned, it is very useful for house training and dealing with teething or overtired puppies.
3) Crates can become your pup’s safe place, where they will go to chill out, take a break or rest.
4) If your pup needs to be crated at the vet or groomer, or in some sort of emergency, you want your pet to recognize the crate as a source of comfort, and not add to the potential stress of the situation.
5) When you leave the house, you have a safe and secure place for them to stay.
As you can see, there are many benefits to having a crate-trained dog. Many new puppy owners struggle with the fact that their puppy doesn’t enjoy the crate and would rather be with them. It is normal for new puppy parents to want the same. I am that person, too! However, I knew the benefits of crate training were great and so I did what I could to make it a good experience for her. I put my new puppy’s crate in my room, next to my bed. When I first put her in it, she cried and cried and cried. And I cried and cried and cried. Then I did something a little selfless. I put a blanket on the floor, grabbed my pillow and I laid on the floor with my hand in her crate until she fell asleep. I didn’t say much to her. I may have shushed her gently while rubbing her ear, but I did my best to be calm and quiet. Then I got back into my bed and slept like a baby until she woke up to go pee in the middle of the night. When that happened, I calmly took her outside, on her leash, labeled the act of her pottying, brought her inside, labelled the crate as I put her back in, and quietly laid on the floor again until she went back to sleep. You want to label as many actions as you can. “Leash” when you attach the leash, “crate” when you put her in, “outside” as you open the door to go out, etc. This way, after a few weeks, you will be able to say those things as commands. Eventually, my pup would play on the floor and when she got tired, put herself to bed by going into her crate. All I had to do was close the door. Once she was big enough to jump up and down from the bed, I let her start sleeping there instead of her crate. I always close my bedroom door, so she doesn’t have full access to the house. This keeps her safe and keeps my stuff safe from her. You know, in case she decides my shoes or couch look particularly appetizing.
More tips for crate training are:
1) Keep the size of the crate small at first. The puppy only needs to be able to lie down and turn around. You can make it bigger as they grow or as they become house-trained.
2) Do not put pee pads or beds in the crate. A blanket or towel is ok, but if puppy pees on them remove them until house-trained.
3) You can feed your puppy in the crate to try and associate it with something they enjoy, but only do this during the day and be sure to take puppy out to potty once he or she is finished eating. Do not leave food and water in the crate, at least until housebroken.
4) Be very selective and careful of the toys you leave in the crate with puppy. Do not leave anything in there that could harm or choke them. Larger Nyla bones and a stuffed toy are things I used. Stuffies or snuggle puppies can be comforting for them.
5) Start with the crate near your bed so puppy feels secure with you near by. Then move it further and further away until it is in the place that you want it to be permanently.
6) When you take puppy out of the crate, put them on a leash and bring them outside right away. If you don’t put them on the leash as they are coming out of the crate and move continuously to the door, they will stop and do their business before you get there!
7) Don’t get discouraged, remain consistent. Reach out if you need to talk it through!
So there you have it. The messy, painful truth. It takes time, patience and effort, but if you can get through the worst of it, and I know you can, the payoff is amazing. You’ll have a hiking partner, snuggle buddy, four-legged bestie, and get to experience the unconditional love of someone who thinks the sun rises and falls on you…you are, after all, the one who fills the food bowl and brings home the yummy treats and fun toys. Best of luck. They’ll have you wrapped around their paws in no time!
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