The Great Crate

 

Probably one of the best things a Good Buddy (human) can do for your Good Buddy (dog) is to teach all the good things there are to know about a crate.  One of our current former Good Buddies, Sasha, got the complete 4-1-1 about the crate from her Good Buddy, Marcy, and it worked ... she got adopted and is doing very well.  (Thanks, Marcy!)

Many people apply their "people brains" to the idea of putting a dog in a crate, rather than learning what it means from a "dog brain" point of view.  Very loving, caring, wonderful people say things like, "I wouldn't put my baby in a crate, so there's no way I would put my dog in a crate."  Or (this one is great!) ... "If I wouldn't be happy in a crate, then I know my dog wouldn't be happy in there, either."

Try and think of some other things your dog loves that you would never dream of doing, or much less allow your human children to do.  A few things come to mind ... maybe rolling in the stinkiest things they can find outside because it's fun and they like it?  How about, sniffing of butts (human and canine) as a way to say hello and make new friends?   Let your imagination roam and you can probably think of a few other things ...

The truth is that dogs are den animals, and they like it very, very much if they have a place to go and get away from it all.  They still have some of the instincts of their wild ancestors and very much crave the security they experience when they are able to be tucked away in a secure spot that they call their very own.  Crates for dogs are sometimes referred to as a "private room with a view" for a dog.

Imagine your Good Buddy is a dog that has never had a "den" to call their own, never lived indoors, or maybe spent days and nights tied up outside to a pole, or maybe roamed the streets eating from trash cans and garbage piles to stay alive.  Maybe your Good Buddy really lived in a house, but he was allowed to roam the house, exhibit bad doggie manners and never learned rules, boundaries and limitations that would make him a good citizen.

Whatever your Good Buddy's story, it really doesn't matter ... it's in the past and she needs to move forward.  She needs a forever home.  You are her coach, her friend, her teacher and biggest advocate, and if you can help her add "crate trained" to her resume, her chances of being adopted by her forever family and her chances for not having a "bounce back" will be greatly improved.

So, here are a few basics about crate training (courtesy of Rescue Me Dog.org):

Choose a crate size that allows your dog to stand up and turn and preferably a wire crate rather than a plastic one.  The goal is to give your dog the idea that you are setting him up in a "room with a view," rather than a plastic box.

If  your dog is fearful of the crate, you may need to work on getting him conditioned to going into it:

• Place the crate in a high traffic area so he does not associate the crate with being alone.
• Prop open the door
• Toss a piece of food just inside the door.  Repeat several times and each time toss the food farther into crate.
• Feed your dog a meal in the back of the crate.
• While your dog is happily eating his treat in the crate, quietly and calmly close and open the crate door repeatedly

This is very important:  If your dog is really frightened of the crate, take it apart and just use the bottom half.  If you can't take it apart, then just use a cardboard box.

The goal is to get your dog to go into the crate without a lure.  After he gets the hang of it, start using a verbal cue, such as "crate" right before he steps inside and be sure to give a treat after he goes inside.

For those dogs who won't go in the crate for love or money, follow these steps:

•  When the dog looks at the crate, toss a treat.  When he takes a step toward the crate, toss a treat.
• When he puts his nose in the crate, toss a treat.  Treat for one paw in the crate, two paws in the crate, etc.
• If your dog goes all the way into the crate, give him handfuls of treats.
• Once he is reliably going into the crate, start using the verbal cue word that we talked about a moment ago.

 Here are a few don'ts ... actually they are NEVERS:

• Never make a bad association with the crate by shoving your dog in.
• Never make a fuss when you let your dog out of the crate, or he will perceive it as being rewarding for coming OUT of his crate.
• Never leave your dog in his crate with nothing to do.  This is the time for kongs, chew toys, treats.
• Never punish your dog by sending him to his crate.

And on a positive note ...

ALWAYS give your dog access to his crate at all times by leaving the door open.
ALWAYS vary the amount of time your dog spends in his crate.  Just like the dog that dislikes car rides because the only place you take him in the car is to the vet, the dog who gets locked up for 6 hours every time he goes into his crate might very well become reluctant to go in his crate at all.

For our Good Buddies, there are crates at the shelter that you can use to do much of this work with your dog, and it is a good thing to practice to get your Good Buddy ready for his new home.  Chances are good that this will make life a lot easier for everyone if this work has already begun when their forever families walk through the door.