A FUNDAMENTAL NECESSITY

Crate Training is fundamental for dog ownership; to contain the dog for training house rules, as a dog bed, to protect your own belongings,  getting to know each other, for sickness, for old age, as a secure place from company if needed, containment in emergency or evacuation, as secure and safe containment when you have service people in your home, and for obedience training, just to mention a few reasons.

FOR SAFETY, NO COLLAR OR OTHER HANG UPS IN THE CRATE

IF PRACTICAL,  FEED IN THE CRATE

PROVIDE SAFE ITEMS FOR AMUSEMENT IN THE CRATE

3 Places the dog can be for one week

On the leash, chain collar on

In the crate, collar off

In the Business Xpen, collar on

I try not to be in a hurry. Slower is better. Take a long time for foundations and the rest is a breeze plus the dog is happy.

After about 3 weeks, there is more freedom in the kitchen and personal enclosure area. On walks, position becomes more demanding. We should be in an easy controlled walk, but staying somewhat in close at heel. 

ABOUT THE LEASH

I use the leash for everything; it is my communication device, it is my friend

When the dog is a leash length away from me and I suddenly turn around and go the other way, the dog must hurry to catch up the nine feet of distance to get to me, When the dog catches up to me it is now in heel position and I can praise it for the effort to be there.

I shake the leash back and forth side to side lightly to say hello, heads up! HERE I AM.

If the dog tugs on the leash or is silly, I back off to get some slack and I snap the leash not so lightly straight up and down whip like, as if to to say WHAT THE HELL!  STOP TUGGING!. I change my pace or direction of travel and really get moving at times to get the dog to pay attention to what I am doing instead of thinking about what it wants to be doing.

When I can just wiggle my finger on the leash and draw the dog in with an encouraging voice, I am ready to move on. 

BE QUIET YOU DOG YOU!

Be Quiet in the crate. Train while you are at home so you are there to help the dog learn about being in the crate. Some dogs are just quiet, but others will bring down the roof, in which case you must make a bigger fuss.  A baseball cap works well for this purpose. Wear one when training your dog.

The rules of baseball

Grab the brim of your baseball cap, whip it off your head and WHAPP!! the side of the enclosure or crate as you emphatically ask the dog, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!" Snap the words out, " Do you want to hear the rules of baseball? It goes, BE QUIET PLEASE! or I will knock you out of the BALL PARK! Thank you." Or something like that; the tone of your voice is what counts, not what you say. Just how you say it.  Sound seriously serious. 

GOLDEN DOODLE PUPPY QANNIQ

QANNIQ PUPPY

  

GROWING UP

SHAGGY DOG QANNIQ

SPRING DO

FANCY QANNIQ 

QANNIQ GROOMED

LAYLA AND WHIPPET FRIENDS

COCKAPOO LAYLA

LAYLA BEING GROOMED

QANNIQ AND LAYLA

QANNIQ TRAINED RUNNING FREE

QANNIQ AND CONNOR

TRAINED LAYLA DRESS FITTING FOR WEDDING PARTY

 

COMING OUT OF THE CRATE

Learning to come out of the crate in an orderly fashion.

HAVE YOUR LEASH AND COLLAR READY TO SLIP OVER DOGS HEAD

START WITH CRATE GATE CLOSED. Dog is inside crate waiting to come out. No collar or leash on. The word WAIT is said over and over at first to help the dog stay still while you put the collar on. As with all exercises, eventually we only ask or command the dog once. This is why you must be clear. You must also work quickly in order to prevent the dog from making mistakes.

HOLD OUT WIZARD FINGERS

Unlock the crate gate but do not open it up. Count out loud, as you lightly bounce the crate gate 5 times. Count out loud, “one, two, three, four, five”. Now sharply say “WAIT”. Think over what is next. The idea is to teach the dog to come out of the crate in an orderly fashion. Bouncing the gate will help him pause a minute.

Open the crate gate as you gently reach in to put the leash and collar on the dog.  Use waving wizard fingers, to help the dog wait for you. At this point only your voice is keeping the dog there, so do not be surprised if he does not wait. Start over. Say WAIT sharply, bounce the crate gate, open it, stretch out your fingers, like a wizard. Keep saying WAIT but more softly, more like warning to WAIT. Keep saying it as you stand up again closing the gate loosely, bounce it a few times, Now, while you are still standing up, holding onto the leash, leave the gate open, use wizard fingers saying WAIT. Drag out the sound of the word wait to help her stay in the crate. Stand up completely. Take a deep breath. Then ask the dog to come out; say "Let's go". Walk off to the door to go outside as you exclaim happily, "What a good puppy!" (or doggie). Look for the tail wag. Were you kind? 

GENTLE TOUCH ON LEASH FOR A CRITICAL EXERCISE

Rowdy characters will spring out when you open the gate. They will knock you clean over in their joy. This is not acceptable. The dog must come out of the crate IN AN ORDERLY FASHION. Calmly exit the crate, not like a tornado. If he beats you to it, just stuff him back in and close the crate with a clunk to emphasize the error. Say WAIT in a displeased,  annoyed tone of voice.

Bouncing the gate at the beginning should discourage bolting, but sometimes you must be rude and quickly close the gate with a bang as the dog is bolting. If you expect a bolt, say Wait, open the gate and slam it shut immediately and say WAIT again, loudly, as you do. Slam it a few times to make the dog reconsider his plan to bolt. Even if he did not bolt he was probably thinking about it, so slam the gate anyhow. Make a point, do not nag, but be clear. Do not knock the dog on the head even if he knocks you on the head. Just keep your head out of the way and make sure his head is well inside the crate before slamming gates.  Do not knock Rover on the noggin but do keep a no compromise attitude. If he persists, use the word WHAT very sharply. "WHAT!!!! DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!!" and start over.

ALWAYS REACH INTO THE CRATE CALMLY AND GENTLY

Crate training is good for a life long, good life, with your dog.

BE QUIET IN THE CRATE

More CRATE TRAINING           BE QUIET IN THE CRATE

No, no, no . These things are not allowed:

Squeak

Whine\under the breath whine

Heavy breathing

Bark

Ki  yi

Digging at the crate gate or sides

Digging the bedding

Quiet is quiet. Quiet breathing. If the dog is panting at rest, it is too hot or needs out, or is in pain, or is thirsty or is hungry in other words stressed. That needs to be addressed.

If the dog is comfortable except for being locked up in a crate, tell it to be quiet. Absolutely quiet.

The correction.

TRAX 1996

Smack crate top and xpen enclosure with magazine or baseball cap or leather gloves while expressing your complete displeasure at any noise. Act in a rather puffed up ape like fashion (outraged human lol) Increase the emphasis accordingly but timing is everything. The instant your dog makes noise, react swiftly and emphatically. Stamp your foot if you do not have neighbors below you. If done clearly, your instant palatable displeasure will dissuade the dog. on’t be shy. Vent a little. Treat it like therapy.

If it proves to be a battle, pull up a chair and get a magazine or book to read. Be persistent but give breaks to the business area. 

1994 TOBY 1  holds the record for taking the longest to crate train ...4 days of  complaining

CRATE TRAINING: GO INTO THE CRATE "KENNEL"

 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. 

BUDDY HAD NEVER BEEN IN A CRATE BEFORE AND WAS A VERY WIREY DOG

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. 

MAGGIE THE PUPPY WAIT IN CRATE

SOME HIGH ENERGY DOGS ROCKET OUT OF THE CRATE LIKE THE SPACE SHUTTLE.
SOME DOGS ARE EASY AND JUST WAIT. MAGGIE ALREADY HAD A FEW LESSON BEFORE THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN.

ONCE DOG UNDERSTANDS TO BE QUIET IN THE CRATE, THE CRATE GATE IS LEFT OPEN OR OFF DURING THE DAYTIME. UNDER SUPERVISION

CLEAN FRESH PRIVATE ENCLOSURE NECESSITIES
NIGHT CURTAINS REMOVED FOR THE DAY

YOUNG MAGGIE IN HER CRATE SNOOZING, TIME TO WAKE UP
NIGHT CURTAINS DRAWN BACK

KITCHEN CRATE WHICH FITS NEATLY UNDER THE COUNTER. HOWEVER, NOT GOOD FOR CHEWERS, CUPBOARDS AT RISK

WHAT A GOOD DOG!

HELLO PUPPY

THESE CRATES ALLOW EASY REMOVAL OF CRATE GATE FOR DAYTIME

FINGERS EXTENDED, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT

COLLAR READY

LEASH ON, GENTLY, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT

LIGHT PRESSURE ON LEASH

EVERY NOW AND THEN TAKE OUT TO DO BUSINESS
DO  OBEDIENCE EXERCISE OR TWO AFTER

SMOOCH POOCH

PUPPIES LIKE MAGGIE LEARN THE POTTY DRILL VERY EASILY THIS WAY

CLEAN FRESH PRIVATE ENCLOSURE NECESSITIES

NOT ALL DOGS WANT TO COME OUT OF THE CRATE

Not All Dogs Want to Come out of the Kennel (Crate)

If they are older and timid, it will require a lot to coax them out. If petting or reaching into the crate appears risky, just encircle the crate with an exercise pen and in good time the dog will come out for food or water. From there study the dog to get to know it better, taking it out of the confines only on leash and collar. Puppies can be enticed with toys, petting, gesturing and just plain sitting and waiting for them to trust coming out of the crate. Use the RIBBON LEASH and CHAIN COLLAR to get the dog from it's enclosure to the potty places.  Once the dog is coming out of the crate with a measure of trust, you can begin the RIBBON LEASH HOUSEWORK.

TIMID PUPS NEED TO BE COAXED

AVOID REACHING IN AND PULLING PUP OUT

GESTURE, USE YOUR VOICE AND JUST PLAIN WAIT

TO TRAIN A RESCUED DOG

ESSENTIALS FOR NEW DOG, RESCUED DOG, or ANY DOG
You must use the proper equipment or you will likely confuse the dog and yourself.
Slip collar, leather leash, gloves, crate good to go

Maddie landed under my Christmas tree.

Luckily, I already have the equipment required for a sane experience of bringing a dog into my life. I am the Dog Nana,  Maddie the Chihuahua needs:

Dog crate for the car

Dog crate for the bedroom

Dog crate for the kitchen or day area

Exercise pen for the kitchen or day area

Exercise pen for the outdoor business area

Leashes and collars

Dishes

Bedding for three crates

Day couch

Food and Water

Toy

Grooming stuff

also

File folders for documents like veterinary information, license receipts and copies

Journal and calendar to keep track of training and observations of self



enclosure and crate are new dogs living quarters indoors



exercise pen enclosure to keep everyone out of trouble

fresh water bowl at all times

exercise pen enclosure indoors extremely important

wash up new dog, check for issues

freshened up

crate essential

TA DA! happy dog

travel crate for car, safety first

Someplace safe outside enclosed to do business

suitable whisker wide dishes





Maddie three months after

All Dogs: Purebred, Mixed breed, rescued, adopted,  Sporting group, Hound group, Working group, Terrier group, Toy group, Nonsporting group, Herding group, Dogs of no particular group,  NOT FOR DEBATE WHATSOEVER … ALL DOGS need the SAMETRAINING

Be cautious about bringing new dogs into the home. Perform a rigorous check for lice. A greyhound comb helps separate longer hair to get a close look at the skin. Fleas and lice are tricky to see so I also gave Maddie a flea shampooing to be on the safe side. It beats having to clean and wash the entire abode later on because I missed a sneaky flea.