Have you heard much about it?

Crate training is a valuable training tool that is beneficial for training young puppies and adult dogs alike. No matter what age your dog is, you will come to find that a crate can be used for many purposes.

A crate acts like a private "den" for your dog, a safe and secure place that he can go to anytime of the day. For you, the dog owner, the crate is a safe and secure place for you to keep him when you are away from home. 

A crate is a safe place to keep your dog when you need to leave the house. If you do not place him in a crate, your dog will not know what to do or how to act.

Therefore, he will become anxious and nervous and will take this nervous energy out on your rugs, plants, furniture, etc. He will do all of those bad habits that a dog does when he is scared or bored: dig, bark, chew, destroy, attempt to escape, pace back and forth, etc.

Your dog's response to the crate will all depend on how you introduce him to it.

SOME OF THE BENEFITS TO CRATE TRAINING

You"ve already learned that crate training is a safe place for your dog.

Other benefits include:

• A crate can help prevent behaviors such as digging and chewing, because it will serve as a "time out" spot.

• A crate provides as a safe sleeping environment for your dog so he stays put in one place at night.

• A crate can be used when you can"t watch a puppy for a certain amount of time.

• A crate is helpful in your dog"s house training, which you will learn about in the next chapter. 

• A crate helps your dog adjust to a regular schedule for sleeping, going outside, etc.

• A crate is transportable so it can be moved from room to room, so your dog can always be with the rest of the family no matter where they are.

• A crate can be easily transported in a car or airplane.

In order for a crate to be beneficial in any of these ways, you need to help your dog adjust to it.

Your dog's first experience with a crate should be positive. Once you bring him home, you will introduce him to his crate.

Have some treats and toys waiting inside, with the door closed. Walk him to his crate and he will see the goodies inside. Once he is pawing at the crate, open it up and say "yes, good boy" and let him walk inside.

Don't close the crate door yet, just praise him for walking inside. When he exits the crate, don't praise him. You don't want him to think that being outside of the crate is better than being inside the crate.

Never force your dog inside the crate. He will interpret that as a form of punishment. So if you need to, toss in more treats.

Repeat the exercise a few times, each time increasing the amount of time that your dog is inside the crate. Continue to praise him. Then, start shutting the door behind him.

He may whine or bark and try to get out. If he does this, wait until he stops, then open the door to let him out. If you let him out while he is still whining or barking, he will think that you are rewarding his bad behavior. Let him in again, but this time for a shorter amount of time.

Once your dog is comfortable walking in and out of the crate, start adding the word "crate." Then, practice the command from farther distances and keep him in for longer periods of time.

For the first few days of crate training, you should increase time by short increments, but never over 30 minutes. The only time that he should be in the crate longer is when it is time for him to go to sleep.

OK, so we have touched on the idea of "crate training" and there is still so much you should really know to best maximize you use of a crate.