Crate training your dog properly makes it understands that its crate is not a den where it wants to hide. Rather, it’s a safe place where it can simply go when it wants to be alone or in stressful situations. This is where the crate comes in. The crate helps with the dog’s training and also with the dog’s safety. Here are some dog training tricks to try out when crate training your dog.
Dogs enjoy being petted in their crate during the day. You should keep in mind that crate training a puppy might take longer than the process of crate training an adult dog. Puppies tend to have a lot of energy and need to have regular, energetic exercise. So, it may take a while before your puppy has the habits down that make crate training an easy thing to do.
One dog training trick that you should try is putting your dog in his crate to play. Start by putting some dog treats in the crate and then letting the dog wander around and sniff. When the dog starts to go in the crate praise him. You will soon find that your puppy will be looking forward to going to bed, because he will get to snuggle up with you there.
When crate training puppy, you will want to establish what times of the day you will let him out so he can relieve himself. You can set up his crate so that he can’t get out for a certain time each day. For example, you might want to set his crate up for six hours at a time over the course of a few days. Let your dog relieve himself in the crate during those times. You might also choose to close the door so he cannot get out. Just be sure to keep him in his crate during the daytime when he is not eating or drinking so he does not have to use the bathroom.
One other dog puppy training trick is to allow your dog to see his crate during the day. During the day, it is pretty much impossible to hold your dog responsible for doing his business, unless you are watching him closely all day long. However, you can let your puppy see his crate during the day to help him potty train. This will motivate him to go to the bathroom. Keep in mind that he will probably need to go outside shortly after using the crate so try not to hold him responsible.
One final dog crate training trick that will help you potty train is to allow your puppy to eat meals out of the dog crate. During the day, your puppy may have a lot of accidents in his food bowl, but you can correct this problem by offering him a dog bowl in his crate during the day. Your puppy will quickly learn that he will have his dinner bowl at the end of the day and this will make it easier for him to go to the bathroom. You will soon notice that your puppy is no longer getting upset or distraught over having to use the bathroom when he is eating meals. In fact, he will probably even look forward to having his dinner with you.
If you find that your dog has accidents in his food bowl after meals, then you should set aside one hour during the day that you can watch your dog while he eats in his crate. Then, take him outside to his designated spot. Once he has relieved himself, give him a dog treat so he is motivated to go outside again. The process is similar to having an accident in his crate during the day, only you do it at night so your dog will be less likely to worry about it during training.
These dog crate training tricks are great ideas if you want to start taking advantage of the benefits that come from having your dog live inside a dog crate. Just be sure that you are using these suggestions before letting your dog get stuck inside one. After all, you do not want your dog thinking he is being locked in the crate during the night.
