Crate Training

Overview

A crate is your dog’s own personal sanctuary where they can escape from the goings-on of the household and feel safe & secure (plus not shred your house when you aren’t watching!)  One of the common uses for a crate is housetraining.  Dogs don’t like to soil their sleeping quarters so limiting their movement away from their bed helps to teach them where they should go to the toilet.  Our goal is for our dog to transfer this thinking to the whole house. The crate limits their access to the rest of the house while they learn other house rules, like not to chew on furniture or chase the cat. 

You want your dog to have a positive association with the crate so that when given a choice, they would choose to enter the crate. Crate time should not be used as punishment and your dog should not LIVE in a crate. A dog crate is a training tool, not a place to house your dog.   

Young puppies shouldn’t stay in a crate for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time as they can’t control their bladders and bowels for longer than that.  While some people choose to use a crate on an ongoing basis, to teach house manners, you need only use a crate with the door closed until you can trust your dog not to destroy the house or mess inside. The length of time would differ from dog to dog.

Choosing a Crate

Crates can be collapsible metal or moulded plastic.  Metal crates offer better ventilation and are easy to carry around.  Plastic crates are cozier but not as portable. When buying a crate, choose a size large enough for your puppy to stand and turn around in, as an adult.  Block off the extra floor space to prevent them using the other end of the crate as a toilet initially.

Getting Started

Make a comfortable bed in the crate and place it in a spot where your puppy can see you come and go.  Cover the crate with a duvet cover to make it cosy. Play with your puppy outside, make sure they have been to the toilet, then when you see they are getting tired, put them in the crate with a chew and close the door.  Walk away and ignore any crying or whining.  After a short while, your puppy should fall asleep. If they don't, wait for a lull in the crying and take your pup outside to the toilet and start again. Repeat until they relax and fall asleep.

Once they have had a sleep, you need to listen for signs of stirring and immediately open the crate, pick your puppy up and rush outside to your chosen toilet spot.  If you just open the crate door and allow them to walk out, they will wee just outside the door of the crate.  Stand with your pup and wait until they have been to the toilet. Keeping a lead attached to the collar for toilet visits means that they can’t wander off and forget what they were meant to be doing. Afterwards, if it is the middle of the night, carry your pup back to the crate, place them on their bed, close the crate door and go back to bed. You can ignore all crying as long as you are sure they have been to the toilet. Having the crate next to your bed makes the night times less stressful. If it is day time, you can keep your pup with you for a while when you return indoors, until they seem tired. Then take them back outside to the toilet, as before and place them in the crate for a nap with a tasty chew or a toy.

You can use the crate as a safe space for your puppy, whenever you are busy and cannot watch them - as long as you have taken them to the toilet first. For the first few weeks, your puppy can quite safely stay in the crate or on a lead attached to you while inside the house. In this way, your puppy will bond with you and not get a chance to mess in the house or destroy anything which means there is no need for any punishment or correction. 

As your puppy matures and gets used to the crate, you can leave them in the crate for short periods when you need to leave the house.  Don’t have a long drawn out goodbye; just take them out to the toilet and then pop them in the crate and leave. When you come back, act very matter of fact, don’t have a big reunion, just take your pup straight outside to the toilet.  If you make a big fuss you will increase their anxiety about being left alone.

If you work during the day and have to leave your puppy for long periods, put the crate in an enclosed area like a cordoned off part of the kitchen, an enclosed yard or a bathroom.  Leave the door open and cover the rest of the area with newspaper (if inside). Your puppy will go into the crate to sleep and walk out of the crate to go to the toilet. House training this way will take a little longer than if you are near your pup to monitor them for the first few months.

 If you are vigilant, your puppy should never make a mess in the crate.  To reduce the risk of any accident, make sure that:

• The crate is not too big for your puppy. (they should not be able to make a mess and get away from it)
• You always take them outside before you put them in the crate and make sure they have actually been to the toilet.
• You do not put a water bowl in the crate.

If your puppy should have an accident, do not punish them, just clean out the crate with a non-ammonia based cleaner.

My personal crate experience

I have crate trained my last five GSD puppies and I think the crate is the single most useful training tool I have ever used. I take my pups to work with me, so I found it best to have a crate next to my desk at work and another next to my bed at home. As my house is double story, I also have a crate downstairs, in the kitchen. The metal crates are quick to fold up so can be carried from room to room and also popped into the car.  Within a week, my pups happily go into their crate whenever they want to snooze or when they know I am on my way out.  By the time my pups are about 10 weeks old, we can leave them for a few hours to go out in the evening.  We come back to find them fast asleep. No messes in the house, ever (honestly).  Whenever my pups are outside the crate, they are on a lead. Initially the lead is attached to me but after a  few weeks, I leave the lead trailing.  Only once my pups reach about 5 months, do they have freedom to walk around the house unattended.

I “turf” my puppy out of the crate when the next puppy comes along.  My dogs love their crates and jump into any crate I unfold. I personally no longer use crates once my pups grow up (although other people’s dogs happily sleep in crates for their whole lives with the door left open).  When left alone, my adult dogs don’t mess in the house, destroy anything, howl or bark - they just chill.  They jump into the cage at the vet when needed and while in the car, they don’t pace or bark, just lie down or sit quietly.  All of this good behaviour I put down to crate training.

I have successfully raised several litters of feral kittens (and 2 cats of my own) using a large metal crate, big enough for the kittens to safely be housed with a litter box, food, water and space to play. For the ferals, I spend many hours at the open door, hand feeding the kittens while getting them used to human touch. I even spend time sitting quietly inside the crate with them. With my own kittens, I use a crate for the first few weeks so that I can introduce my older cats and dogs to the newcomer gradually.   

In recent years, I have been renting out crates for the rehab of dogs and cats after surgery or injury (as well as for puppies for house training). I am so used to hearing how dogs come to love the crate after a month of crate rest even though they were introduced to the crate as an adult without any time to gradually become used to being in one. Usually they have been forced to move straight from the cage at the vet into the crate at home.

Having seen my own dogs (and so many others) benefit from the use of a crate, I confidently feel I can endorse the concept of crate training to other dog and cat owners. 

Julie

www.woofworxcrates.com