We made the choice to use a crate for out little guy when we first brought him home. For car travel safety and because when we camp he needs to be put in a secure area when we are out of the rev and an x pen was too large.
First let me start with, Not all dogs are the same, try different options.
We started out soon after he came home 1-2 days. We placed his bed and a pillow case I had slept with the week before over to one side. Lined the bottom of the crate with a pittle pad. I think it's a key point to make (you really need to either play with or walk your puppy before you put him in the crate). We also covered 3 sides of the crate with a blanket. We had to use the cover when he would bark. Once he got quiet we would lift one side. Even during the day when he didn't need to be in there if I found him laying in the floor I moved him to his crate with the door open. Trying to teach him that laying in the middle of the floor was a bad idea...
Reward good behavior. We always gave him a treat before we let him out of the crate.
He will freely go in and out of his crate on his own. As will my other dog who was trained the very same way.
My mom has a large cat cube she got my puppy for her house while its not his crate when he gets tired of playing or is in need of a nap, he makes his way to his "safe" spot. Where I know he won't get stepped on.
* I just wanted to add a note, altho it may be long I think its noteworthy*
I chose to crate train my first dog before we got an RV or traveled based on a terrible accident my aunt had. She owned 2 wonderful s**t-zu's who slept in bed with her every night. On night her neighbors shed who was next door to her bedroom caught on fire. She didn't wake up till the fire alarms in her house started going off. Her dogs panicked it was pitch dark and the power line to her house had been burnt thru and her dogs were scared and hiding. She called to them and even went so far as to rip the fire alarms off the walls of her house to silence them. But the dogs were so very scared they would not come out of hiding. My aunt suffered severe burns on both legs in her search for her dogs. They parrished in the fire. If she had them crate trained they would of been in there crates in a specific spot that she could of gone to retrieved the dogs and ran out of the house to safety. Test the fire alarms in your house see how your pets behave, have a plan of action. |