Learning the secret to crate training a dog isn’t that hard, but many people still struggle to overcome this complicated process. If this sounds like you, don’t freak out! Today, I am going to show you a few tips that you can use to start crate training your dog and get your bed back from your furry (although smelly…) little friend.

Cate training is a great way to get the dog out of your bed, but it also has a lot of other uses as well. Crate training a dog will help make traveling easier, and you can use it to housebreak your new puppy. It even is helpful when trying to stop your dog from barking, or to relieve separation anxiety in the household.

 The Value of Crate Training a Dog

If you are already crate training a dog, or just looking around for information on how good it can be for your dog, you should know that many dogs love their crates.

My parents had a Shih Tzu named Rio, and he lived in his crate. That was his home, and he would protect it at all costs. It was his own space that he could use, and be safe from others.

You see, in the wild, dogs look for small spaces where they can burrow. In your home, their crate can take the place of this den, and give them a safe place to retreat to in times of need.

When your dog has too much wide open space, they can get anxious trying to protect all that space on their own. When you limit the space they are “in charge of” they will be more at ease.

 How to Start Crate Training Your Dog

In an ideal situation, you should start crate training your dog as a puppy. The earlier you do this in their life, the better and faster you will see results. An older dog, especially a bigger one, will have trouble adjusting to the restricted space, and they could develop some anxiety early on.

Puppies will also feel similar distress, but they can adapt to the changes much quicker than an older dog will. Also, training your puppy will be easier if they don’t have the bad habits like sleeping in your bed, or hogging up all the covers all night.

When you start crate training a dog, you want to put it in the family room, or den to start off with. Then, at night, move the crate into your bedroom. This will help them get used to it, and still have you present in case they get too anxious. Over time, you should be able to move their crate into an out of the way place within your home. However, at first, keep them close and they will be much calmer.

When you first put them in the crate, make sure that they have a clean and comfortable place to sleep. Also, make sure they have some water, and a toy to play with. Keep them in a crate that is just big enough for them to sleep in. If you go with a big crate, they may make a mess, and get into a bad habit of soiling their own den. As long as your dog can turn around and lie comfortably, its okay, and not inhumane.

Crate training a dog can take some time. Make sure that you never drag them out of their crate when they are in there. doing this will increase their anxiety. It will also teach them that if they make a fuss, you will drop everything and give them attention. Make sure you leave them in there alone until they have been quiet and calm for at least 5 minutes or so. After that, Greet them with some attention and even a few treats. This will help you to reinforce the behavior that you want.

Crate training your dog needs to be done in stages. Don’t just throw them in and expect them to stay for hours on end.

Instead, work them into it slowly. Start out with 5-10 minutes. Slowly work it up to half an hour, an hour, and on up to all night long. Slowly work him up to long term stays in the crate.

By learning these steps to crate training a dog, you will be well on your way to ensuring a life long friendship that is much easier to deal with. This will help you train your dog so that they won’t be too destructive, loud or anxious when you are not home to watch over them. Puppies will always adapt to the new situation much faster than an older dog, so make sure you begin crate training a dog as early as possible.