Crate training your adopted dog

Welcoming a new dog into your home is both exciting and life changing for you and your furry friend! Crate training is a great way to introduce behavioural management, house training and emotional regulation for your dogs!  It can also help prevent puppies, adolescents and young dogs at the peak of their chewing stage from chewing on inappropriate items if left alone, or if you need time to yourself. 

Here are some things to keep in mind while crate-training your dog: 

• Choose the right crate size. They should be able to stand up fully, turn around and lie down. 

• Some dogs may enjoy the crate being covered with a blanket.  If there’s no concern for chewing or ingesting items, add comfort items like a bed, or blankets and appropriate toys to the crate. This will make it more comfortable and create positive associations.  

• Your dog may need time to get comfortable with the crate. Remember that letting them cry it out just increases stress and creates negative associations, which can make being alone or crated difficult for your dog. 

• Start by offering your dog high-value rewards for coming and going in the crate, then slowly begin closing the door, rewarding and opening it back up. Once your dog is happy to “play” in the crate, you can start adding time the door is closed and even encouraging them to sleep/ nap in their crate.  

• If you have difficulty teaching crate training, consider why your pup is having a hard time. Go back to the last steps where you were successful and never force this behaviour. If crating isn’t the right tool for your dog, learning to adapt and have other doggy proof options for them is very beneficial.  

Remember crate training isn’t for every dog, some may benefit from a different type of training outside of a crate. 

Crate training can improve your dog’s ability to be left alone without concern for destructive behaviours, give them the ability to travel more safely and even help to reduce accidents.  It also gives your dog a safe space to go when they feel overwhelmed or would like to be left alone. If done properly a crate can be a very useful tool for safety and training. 

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