Crate Training & Toys

Although it might seem cruel to put a dog in a crate, it comes naturally to canines. Dogs are den animals, and crates provide a space for them to retreat. Crate training can be made into a fun game so your dog learns how to go into and come out of the crate without getting frightened or nervous. Even though they're den animals, a crate is a foreign object and might make a dog uncertain or wary of it until it gets accustomed.

  1. Prepare the Crate

    • Place the crate in an area of the house away from the hustle and bustle of other family members. Leave the crate door open for several days and gradually introduce it to your dog. Draping a blanket over the top and sides of a metal crate with see-through sides creates a denlike feel, which will draw your dog.

    Choose Safe Toys

    • Bring your dog to a pet supply store and give dog toys a "test-run." Most stores will not object. Buy two or three toys your dog seems to like best and be sure to pick up hard rubber hollow toy. Fill a hollow toy with peanut butter or squeeze cheese and freeze overnight. Hollow toys keep a dog busy with a rewarding task inside a crate and foster a positive association with being crated. In other words, crating equals food.

    Introduce Your Dog to the Crate

    • Put a few toys inside the crate before introducing your dog to it. Lay a soft blanket on the crate floor. As you put your dog inside grab the hollow toy and use it to lure the dog to the crate's entrance. Place the toy toward the back of the crate and say, "good dog" as your dog goes in. Most dogs will enter without resistance, enticed by the food.

    Gradual Crate Training

    • Don't close the door behind your dog for a while. Let it get used to going in and exiting right away if it wants to. Once you dog can go in and eat the treat out of the toy or is going in to explore on its own without coaxing, you're ready to close the door behind it.

    Crate for Short Periods

    • Keep using the hollow toy. Most trainers recommend putting your dog in a crate for short periods at first, building to longer durations as your dog becomes accustomed to it. Most dogs acclimate within a week to 10 days, but anxious dogs or canines that have been diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder need more time to adjust.

    Make the Experience Positive

    • Proper crate training with toys creates a happy dog.

      Be patient. Never rush your dog or force it into a confined space like a crate; furthermore, never use the crate as punishment. In other words, if Rover has an accident in the house, don't punish him by dragging him to the crate and putting it in there angrily. This doesn't each a dog anything other than to fear going into the crate. Attempting to trick it into going in will also backfire. Dogs have an uncanny ability to make associations. Use that to your advantage. Always have plenty of toys and treats handy when beginning crate training so the crate becomes a place your dog enjoys.