Dog Kennel Training
Dog kennel training, also known as Crate training, is an important training aid for your pet. You can begin the dog kennel training right away when you get our new puppy for house training purposes. However, in addition to being an excellent method for house training puppies, dog kennel training has other benefits as well.
The dog kennel training, when done properly, teaches your puppy to use his kennel as a sort of surrogate “den”. In nature, his den to him represents a place of security-where he can hang out comfortably for naps, overnight, or when you are away from the house, so you want to create the same feeling of security for your pet with the kennel. During a puppy’s younger days, even after he has become house trained, there remains the issue of teething. Young dogs may continue chewing even past the puppy stage, so many dog owners have found that by placing their puppy or dog in the kennel or crate while they run to the store for errands, is a good way to come home to a household that has remained safe from their pet’s teeth during their absence. For more about saving your stuff from being chewed up by your pet, please check out my article on stopping puppy/dog chewing problems.
Get a great guide to dog kennel training, including the best method of house training your new pet-The Ultimate House Training Guide.
To pick out the right kennel for your dog, you will need a kennel that will be big enough for your pet to stand up, turn around and comfortably lay down in. Kennels come in either a metal or plastic form. Your local pet store will have a selection for you to choose from and the staff will know the appropriate size to buy-based on your puppy’s size when he is full grown. For house training purposes during the puppy stage you should partition a larger size kennel so that the puppy only has enough room to lay down, stand up and turn around. The reason for keeping the space restricted is it helps stop the puppy from soiling his crate. If he has too much room, he may use one corner of the crate as his toilet. Dog kennel training for house breaking your puppy works through the pup’s instinctual urges not to soil his “den”-the kennel. To read more about house training your puppy, please read my article house training your puppy using the Crate Method.
To begin the dog kennel training, it is a good idea to let your puppy or doggy discover the kennel by himself. You don’t want to force him in, and set off any alarms in his mind. A good way to get your puppy to voluntarily enter the kennel is to place a couple of treats inside the door to lure him in. I always put a comfy puppy blanket and some chew toys in there too, to make the kennel seem like a nice place to hang out. After the puppy has entered, give him another treat, and some praise to let him know you like him to go in there. At this stage you have left the door open.
Next, try closing the door while the puppy is inside. As you begin the dog kennel training, just keep the door shut for a short time, so he doesn’t get anxious about it. It is a good idea to have his crate in a room near where the human activity is, so he doesn’t get lonely and start whining. The key is t o get him to be comfortable in his kennel, and not to feel isolated or in any way punished. If he is near you or your family, he will feel like he is part of things, even from inside the kennel.
When your puppy is quite young he must be let out of the kennel frequently, depending on how many weeks old he is, so you can train him to go potty outside. When your dog is older, of course, he can be left for longer periods of time in the kennel. If you do the dog kennel training correctly, your dog may prefer the security and comfort of his “den”-the crate-as a place to take naps or sleep overnight. Some people leave the kennels with the door opened so their dogs can enter and leave when the mood strikes them.
Remember, never use the dog’s kennel as a method of punishment. Even if your pet has just messed up big time, if you angrily place him in the kennel as punishment, it is inevitable that he will start making negative associations with being put in the kennel (jail). If you want to have good luch with the dog kennel training, you must make his kennel a place of refuge, not a place of banishment.
Another rule of thumb for dog kennel training is to not let your puppy or dog out if he starts to whine. Don’t shush him either-paying attention to his whining, either by letting him out or by taling to him, will only serve to reinforce his whining. Instead, ignore the whining-unless it is time for a potty break (always be aware of how long it has been since your pup;s last break). There is a difference between a whine for attention and a whine saying “hey, I need to take a leak over here”. You might try putting a blanket over the kennel to block your pup’s view of the household, and encourage him to take a nap, instead of paying attention to his whining. Once you start letting your puppy out when he whines your dog kennel training is going to be less effective. Be fair but firm. If you give in now, you will surely later have to learn how to stop your dog’s whining with behavior modification. It’s better not to let the whining ever become a habit in the first place.
Dog kennel training is something you should consider for your puppy. The benefits of the rapid success in house training your pet not to soil in the house, and also keeping your possessions safe from sharp little puppy teeth, makes the dog kennel training a valuable asset in your efforts to have a pet that is welcome in the household.
To learn more about dog kennel training, and how it can save your home from “accidents” and chewing damages from your pet, I highly recommend a very thorough and excellent book that teaches everything you need to know regarding raising and house training your new pet-the Ultimate Guide to House Training.
Click here to get your copy of The Ultimate Guide to House Training.