CRATE TRAINING
The dog must:
1. GO
INTO THE CRATE
2. BE
QUIET IN THE CRATE WHEN THE CRATE GATE IS CLOSED
3. WAIT
IN THE CRATE WHEN THE GATE IS OPEN
4. COME
OUT OF THE CRATE WHEN ASKED
GO INTO THE CRATE
Beforehand, make certain dog has been out to do business.
Then evaluate how you think the dog is going to react. Go over what you know.
Has the dog been in a crate before? If not, you will need a plan.
If the dog is familiar with the crate, life is good.
Have the 6 ft leather leash and correctly fitted chain
slip collar on the dog. Wear your gloves and soft soled shoes.
Stand an arm’s length away from the crate with the dog on
leash
Hold the leash in your dominant hand, (you will step
forward with the foot on that side too so for left handed people, in this
instance, if it is a new dog , I would flip the collar around and work with the
dog on your right hand side until it goes into the crate without a fuss.)
Leash corrections are wrist action movements.
The pop correction, the jerk correction, these close the
collar and release it .So you pop and release back on the leash. Always look
for the loose leash. Pop and then back off on the leash
For this command grasp the leash near the clip somewhere
in the first one foot of leash. Grasp with thumb towards dog. Wrist action is horizontal and forward flick.
Open the crate gate with one hand, pause, with the other
hand give the leash a straight forward pop like you are to pointing into the
crate and say “KENNEL”. It is a command not a request. Step forward with one
foot as you give the command, it will add to the suggestion that the dog move forward
into the crate. You should hear the collar click as you pop the leash forward. Do
not drag the dog. The leash pop should motivate him to at least move forward if
not into the crate. If the dog goes in, say wait wait wait and quickly close
the gate.
If he balks a bit suggest he go in again but with more
action. Did you pop the leash forward correctly? Did the collar click or just
get tight? You have to release, the snap of the chain is what propels the dog
to move, but if you forget to release and he has to worry about choking, your
dog will not be inclined to go in the crate. You must motivate the dog just
with the leash and collar; pick up or push in, or use a treat only as a last
resort for familiarization; they must be eliminated at some point. You must
eventually be able to stand in front of the open crate and command the dog to “KENNEL”
without touching him.
If you have a great big war on your hands, remember to tell
the dog that this is not negotiable.
Some dogs are more difficult and over cautious about the
crate. Wire crates are all one piece but plastic crates come apart and these
are good for getting a dog used to the crate in steps.
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| BUDDY HAD NEVER BEEN IN A CRATE BEFORE AND WAS A VERY WIREY DOG |
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| FROM THE JOURNAL OF BUDDY BROWN THE DOG FROM NOVA SCOTIA |
If you have a
large contentious dog who you think does not want to go into the crate,
evaluate your skills and how you got into this handbasket. Older dogs that have
never seen a crate need to sit in the bottom half with the top off a few times,
then bottom with top on but ho gate, then all together.
