How To Crate Train Your Dog

Some people view crating dogs as cruel and it can be if dogs are confined excessively. However, done correctly, crate training teaches dogs a number of important life skills and provides dog caregivers with an effective management tool. From my point of view, the benefits of crate training for both dogs and their owners far outweigh the potential risks.

Why crate train your dog?

Dog have a natural instinct to seek safety and comfort and crate training takes advantage of this behaviour. There are many benefits to having a crate trained dog. Some of these include: 

• Assisting with toilet training – puppies and adult dogs learn to hold their bladder and bowls as they don’t like to toilet where they sleep and rest. Be sure to provide your dog with plenty of opportunities to toilet before and after crating your puppy or adult dog overnight. Young puppies may need additional opportunities to toilet outside during the night
• Minimising destructive chewing when not actively supervised
• Helps to avoid night time barking at possums and other things (especially when used with a crate cover)
• Helping dogs learn to settle and relax
• Teaching dogs to cope with separation from their owners gradually – A very important skill to help reduce/avoid the development of separation anxiety
• Crates provide a safe place for dogs and are helpful for dogs who live with young children. Their crate is a place where they can go to rest without being bothered or where dogs can be safely separated from babies and young children
• Crates are very useful when travelling with dogs, especially when staying in other people’s homes or dog friendly accommodation (e.g. AirBnB)
• Crate trained puppies and dogs cope better with confinement they might experience at the vet or groomers

When is the best time to crate train your dog?

The best time to start crate training is the day you bring your puppy or adult dog home. Puppies adapt well to crate training as part of their new routine as soon as they come home. Newly acquired adult dogs can take a little longer to learn to love their crate, especially if they’re not used to being confined. 

Choosing a crate for your dog

There are a number of different types of crates to choose from including wire, plastic and fabric. Choose a style and material that suits your needs and your dog baring in mind that you get what you pay for in terms of cost. Some materials, such as plastic and fabric, can easily be chewed and may not be the best choice for puppies. Wire crates are great because they fold down for ease of transport and storage - One of the reasons I chose a good quality, sturdy wire crate for our dog Lenny. Whatever type of crate you choose, be sure to purchase a size that allows your fully grown dog to stand up, turn around, lie down and stretch out comfortably. 

Even with the door open, this dog prefers to sleep in the cate
Image source: Flickr

How to crate train your dog 

The secret to successful crate training is to do it gradually, using positive reinforcement to create a positive association with the crate and to reinforce your dog for being inside for longer and longer periods of time. Here are the steps I recommend:

Step 1 

Place the crate in a room or area of the home where you (or the family) spend lots of time. This will help your dog feel more relaxed as they’ll be able to see you when they’re inside the crate. At the beginning of the training process, place a towel or mat inside the crate to prevent your dog from slipping. These can easily be washed if necessary. 

Step 2 

To begin the crate training, start to build a positive association with entering and being inside the crate for short periods while you’re nearby. At first, leave the crate doors open so your dog can enter and exit freely. Use praise and high value treats to entice your dog to go into (and momentarily stay inside) the crate. Repeat these training sessions daily. 

Outside of the training sessions, there are other ways you can build on creating a positive association with being inside the crate. Feed your dog their meals or give them puzzle toys filled with high value treats or long lasting chew treats inside the crate. Give your dog their favourite toys inside the crate. Place your dog’s favourite bed inside while leaving the crate door open. 

Step 3 

Begin closing the crate door during training sessions but only if your dog is comfortable inside the crate and shows no signs of stress when you gently close the doors. This may take several days or weeks depending on your dog and how much training you do. 

Step 4 

Gradually increase the time your dog stays inside the crate and the time between food reinforcement. 

Step 5 

Next, start to leave the room for short periods of time (e.g. 1 or 2 minutes) while your dog is inside the crate eating a meal or treats. This step is important and teaches your dog to cope with separation from you and to be comfortable on their own. 

Step 6 

Gradually increase the time you step away but only if your dog is coping well at the previous step. Once your dog tolerates absences of 2 minutes increase it to 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15, 30, 1 hour etc. Remember to only increase the time out of sight if your dog remains calm and relaxed. 

Step 7 

Next see if your dog will sleep inside their crate, on their favourite bed, overnight. Once your dog is happy sleeping inside the crate overnight you can practice leaving your dog inside the crate when you leave the house for short periods. 

Eventually, your dog will enjoy spending time in and sleeping in the crate without the need for constant reinforcement from you. However, it’s a good idea to give your dog a treat or meal inside the crate, every now and then, to maintain a positive association. 

When crate training my own dog Lenny recently, I used the Pet Tutor. With two toddlers, I’m very time poor at present! The Pet Tutor made the whole process incredibly easy and did most of the hard work for me! Watch the video below to learn more about the Pet Tutor and how I used it to crate train Lenny. (Note: If you live in Australia and wish to purchase the Pet Tutor, contact me for a promo code to claim a free small treat adaptor and bag of treats! Australians can purchase the Pet Tutor here).

For me, the whole process took about three weeks of daily training sessions for Lenny to be completely relaxed in the crate and happy to sleep inside overnight. However, it’s important to recognise that every dog is different and the process might be quicker or longer for you and your dog. 

Whether or not you decide to crate train your dog really comes down to personal preference and circumstances. However, having a dog that’s crate trained can certainly make living with your dog that little bit easier. This has certainly been the case for myself and my family. 

If you decide to give crate training a go, we'd love to hear how it goes! 

Happy training! 

Dr Kate.

Adopting Lenny: A year in the Life of a Rescued Dog

This is the story of how Lenny the Border Collie came into our lives and his first year with our family. I wanted to share his story to raise awareness of rescue dogs and to provide some insight into the steps we took when adopting our own rescue dog.

It all began back in September 2017 when I had an overwhelming urge to add another dog to our growing family. At the time our two little boys were two and one year old. Our old Labrador Joe was unwell and I was sad at the prospect of not having a canine companion to share our home. I knew that a young puppy would be too much work with two toddlers so I contacted a lovely friend who worked at a local animal shelter. I emailed her a list of very specific characteristics, secretly thinking such a dog was unlikely to end up at the shelter...Boy was I wrong! ...Enter "Ken".

Lenny and me
Image: What About Charlie

My friend called several weeks later to tell me about a lovely 5 month old Border Collie puppy who had just come in as a stray. His name was Ken. As she described this puppy to me I had a little chuckle to myself as I tended to warn prospective dog owners away from working breeds if they lived in suburbia. I also did not consider a working dog to be a good match for our family in our current situation with very young children. That said, I decided to go and meet this little guy, not so much to bring him home but more so for a bit of a puppy fix.

Looking back now, I think I was a little nuts! Maybe I was still under the influence of baby hormones. Who knows?! The first time I laid eyes on him I melted. He was goofy, wiggly, cuddly and just way too adorable! Despite his charm I was convinced he probably wasn't right for us. "He'll be scared of the boys", "Joseph won't appreciate his exuberance", "My husband Dave won't think it's a good idea". As all these thoughts were going through my mind, and my friend was telling me how wonderful this little guy was, I just spent time with him getting to know him. That first visit lasted about an hour. It went so well that I decided the next step was to meet my two toddler boys...

First time meeting Lenny ("Ken") at 5 months old

Several days later I visited Ken again, this time with my two little boys in toe and my wonderful father-in-law to assist with the introduction. I was sure Ken would be too energetic or rough or potentially scared of them. He proved me wrong. We spent an hour or so with him that day. He was gentle, wiggly and relatively calm. No sign of fear at all. Again, Ken was a little star. "Damn!" I thought to myself. "Next step: Meeting Dave and our old Lab Joseph". Dave didn't need too much convincing to meet Ken but I was a little concerned by how Joe would receive him, being that he was still a puppy.

My two boys meeting Lenny for the first time

A week later we had our third meeting with Ken. Dave liked him a lot and, surprisingly, so did Joe! I was really surprised by Joe's response to Ken. The meet and greet went so well that we agreed to foster Ken with a view to adopt, all going well. Secretly I was still convinced it wouldn't work out but I was happy to have him at home learning skills that would help him be an even better companion.

The weeks rolled by and Ken just fitted in so well. He was easy. About six weeks after bringing him home we officially adopted him and renamed him Lenny. It was the 2nd of November 2017. His Gotcha Day.

When Lenny met Joe

It's important to acknowledge that the past year with Lenny hasn't all been rainbows and unicorns. Other than the usual puppy issues, like chewing everything, we have had some minor challenges. Toilet training went really well initially and then reverted in Winter. Mostly due to me not having as much time to devote to training (because two toddlers!) but also because Lenny hates going to the toilet on wet grass. He has improved a lot but still has the occasional accident overnight, especially when it's been raining.

Lenny was also initially quite fearful of motorbikes, trains and bicycles when we'd encounter them during walks. I've been working consistently on this and he is much calmer when a train or motorbike goes by. We are still working on teaching him that people on bicycles are nothing to be afraid of. He's much better but still has a little way to go, especially when they're close and moving fast.

A year in the life of Lenny

I see the Border Collie come out in him when he mouths the boys as they move and play. He is very gentle and the boys know to be still and say NO! Lenny is learning to carry a toy or ball in his mouth when the kids are running or riding their bikes. The boys are also enjoying throwing the ball for him - which he loves!

Lenny really likes to stalk and chase Magpies during walks. He would bolt after them almost wrenching my arm out of it's socket. Teaching him to "leave it" and reinforcing focus on me with high value treats while walking past the Magpies has worked really well to reduce this behaviour. He doesn't do it often now as long as I ask him to "leave it". Giving him regular opportunities to chase birds off lead at the local oval also helps reduce the behaviour when on lead.

We have been very cautious with Lenny, Joseph and the boys. They are always separated unless actively supervised. This has kept everyone safe and helps to ensure their interactions are always positive. Although I'm a bit sad I haven't had the time I would have liked to spend with him and training him he learned the basics very quickly. He knows sit, drop, stay, shake hands (see video below), on your mat, wait, touch (a target, such as an open palm) and free. I've also trained him for a veterinary exam. I have so many ideas on behaviour to teach him but just lack the time right now.

Toddlers make training sessions a bit tricky! :/

Lenny has been such a wonderful addition to our family. He is playful, affectionate, eager to please, a joy to walk, so clever and just lots of fun. Overall he has been pretty easy and adapted so well to our home and lifestyle. We look forward to sharing lots more adventures with him.

Adopting a dog can be such a wonderful and rewarding experience. Taking the time to ensure the dog you choose is the right fit for you and your situation (and vice versa) will save a lot of stress and potential heartache down the track.

And remember, if you do experience behavioural difficulties with your dog, help is available. Suitably qualified and experienced behaviourists and trainers can help you understand, manage and work to resolve problem behaviour.

Happy Gotcha Day Lenny! xo

Piranha Puppies: How to bring an end to the BITE!

I’ve seen several clients recently with puppies and young dogs who bite and mouth them REALLY hard, often causing scratches, bleeding and bruising. Puppies vary in the intensity and duration of their biting and chewing. Given plenty of appropriate items to chew on, many will not direct this behaviour towards their human family. When they do, however, it can vary from mildly annoying to painful and scary.

Why do some puppies bite hard?

Biting and mouthing is normal puppy behaviour. Puppies explore the world with their muzzles (smelling, tasting, chewing) and biting and chewing on things, including our limbs and clothing, helps puppies learn about the world around them. It also helps to relieve pain associated with teething. This means that biting and chewing is a self-rewarding behaviour and will continue while it provides desired consequences (pain relief, entertainment etc.).

When puppies are with their mother and litter mates they learn many important social behaviours, one of these is called “bite-inhibition”. Bite inhibition is a dog's ability to control the pressure of its mouth and teeth, to cause little or no damage to the recipient of the bite. 

During normal play and rough housing young puppies inevitably bite each other and their mother. The high-pitched yelps given off by the receiver of the bite signal to the offender that the bite was too hard and it hurt. The consequence often being the play session is over.

With repeated interactions puppies learn quickly to modulate their bites to avoid conflict. Sometimes, puppies are separated from their mother and litter mates too early, missing this important learning opportunity, and may be prone to bite harder than normal.

The good news is that given time, most puppies will eventually grow out of the biting stage. That said, there are steps you can take to avoid being bitten and to teach your puppy to bite their toys instead…

How to stop the bite:

You can reduce the likelihood of being bitten by your puppy by following these tips:

• Encourage your puppy to bite and chew on appropriate items such as chew toys, chew treats and feeding toys. Reward your puppy with attention, praise and high value treats for chewing on these toys. You can also put treats inside toys or smear them with peanut butter to make them extra tempting.
• If your puppy’s teeth contact your skin immediately give out a high pitched yelp sound (to make the unwanted behaviour) and remove your attention from your puppy (completely ignore them) for a few moments. As soon as your puppy stops biting immediately reward that behaviour with your attention and praise. If your puppy continues to bite you remove yourself from the room for several minutes. Repeat as necessary.
• As you’re moving around the home or backyard, flapping clothing can tempt some puppies to latch on. Avoid pulling away and creating a fun game of tug. Rather, try not to make a big fuss. Stand still, be boring and ignore your puppy until they stop or throw a ball or toy away from you for your puppy to chase, allowing yourself safe passage.
• Do not allow your puppy to chew or mouth your hands (or feet) in play. Also avoid using your hands to rough house your puppy. Use toys instead. You want to teach your puppy to be gentle with your hands and feet and to bite and chew their toys instead.
• Have a variety of different sizes and textured toys available for your puppy to play with. Rubber toys (e.g. Kongs), rope toys, squeaky toys, balls and treat puzzles are popular choices. Tug toys such as the Tether Tug or Home Alone are great choices for dogs that love tug games, once they’re a little older. It’s also important to rotate toys and introduce new ones every so often to help prevent boredom.

With a little time, patience and consistency, your puppy will learn that chewing on their toys is WAY better (because it results in lots of additional reinforcement) than chewing on you (which results in being ignored).

Now go have fun with your puppy!

Lead Reactivity Part 2: How to avoid or resolve it

As discussed in Part 1, lead reactivity can be a serious problem that should not be ignored, especially if it's developed into its more aggressive form. The good news is the behaviour can be avoided or, if it’s already a problem, successfully modified.

Avoiding Lead Reactivity

There's a lot you can do to help avoid your puppy or adult dog from developing lead reactivity. Remember, most lead reactivity and aggression, whether towards people, other dogs, animals or inanimate objects, develops due to past unpleasant or scary experiences. Try to avoid such experiences by reading and responding appropriately to your dogs behaviour and body language. This is easier said than done, as research suggests people are not proficient at correctly interpreting dog behaviour and emotions. You can read more about how to accurately interpret canine body language here, here and here and see a quick video demonstration here and a more detailed one here. If you notice your dog is uncomfortable in a situation, move them away until they relax again. Remember when your dog is on lead, and feels unsafe or threatened for any reason, their escape option (flight response) is not available and they’re much more likely to use aggression (fight response) in an effort to make the scary thing go away. It’s up to us to ensure we can accurately read our dogs (and others) to avoid placing them in situations in which they resort to reactivity and aggression.

In addition, work on making outings on the lead extra positive. Most dogs already love going for a walk because of the novel sights and smells and the opportunity to explore. However you can boost and help maintain the positive association with things your dog encounters during walks (e.g. cars, bikes, other dogs, strangers, kids etc) by pairing them with things your dog values (e.g. high value treats, pats, praise, favourite toys, games etc). By doing this extra work, you can help negate any mildly negative experiences your dog may have. Also work on rewarding your dog for calm and compliant behaviour while on lead. This is also helpful for dogs that become overly excited and frustrated when on lead. So many dog owners underestimate the importance of teaching their puppy how to walk nicely on the lead – a foundation behaviour which will provide the building blocks of a great relationship. Learn more about lead training your puppy and adult dog here and here. This might be stating the obvious but dogs don’t come automatically programmed to walk nicely on the lead and be model canine citizens. They need to be taught how and, as their guardians, it is our responsibility to dedicate the time and patients to teach them.

A happy and relaxed dog
(Image: Alex Pearson on Flickr)

Resolving Lead Reactivity

If your dog is already lead reactive or aggressive you firstly need to identify the trigger or triggers for the behaviour (e.g. other dogs, strangers, trucks etc) and the critical distance (or threshold) at which your dog begins to show early signs of fear, stress or anxiety. These are often subtle (e.g. lip licking, panting, ears held back, hard eyes, paw lift, focused attention on the trigger etc) and preclude the more overt signs of reactivity and aggression (e.g. barking, growling, pulling on the lead, pilo-erection). Next you need to work on changing your dog’s emotional response to the trigger (e.g. seeing another dog) from a negative association due to fear to a positive association while under threshold. Sounds easy enough but what does this involve? 

The most common approach is a combination of desensitisation (gradual exposure to the stimulus under threshold - with enough distance between it and your dog so as your dog remains relatively relaxed and engaged in the training) and Classic Counter-Conditioning (pairing the presence of the stimulus with something pleasurable such as favourite treats). For example, your dog sees another dog and immediately receives a favourite treat. After several short sessions pairing the just the presence of another dog with high value treats you want to switch to Operant Conditioning in which your dog learns to become more comfortable with the approach of another dog and looks to you for reinforcement. This is when you can ask for and reinforce, a known behaviour such as 'sit' or 'look'. This positive reinforcement training helps to activate the reward pathway in the brain releasing Dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for producing a natural “high” (but more on behavioural neuroscience in a future post!). With consistency and repetition, your dog learns that the previously scary stimulus now predicts good things and no longer poses danger. The result, over time, should be a marked reduction in reactive and aggressive behaviour.

There are numerous protocols available, based on these principles, that have been developed by experts to assist you to work on resolving your dog's lead reactivity. Choose one that’s feasible and realistic for you. Here’s a few I recommend:

• Grisha Stewart’s Behaviour Adjustment Training (BAT)
• Dr Sophia Yin’s Foundation Exercises for Lead Reactive Dogs
• Victoria Stilwell’s Teaching a Leash Reactive Dog to Make the Right Choices

Image: MarkScottAustinTX on Flickr

Things don’t always go to plan in the real world. You may encounter situations out of your control that elicit a reactive or aggressive response even after you’ve made some good progress (e.g. another dog slipping it’s lead and running up to your dog or a kid on a skateboard seemingly appearing out of nowhere). The key is to pick up where you left off and keep going. There is no quick fix. Dogs, like us, are continuously learning based on their experiences. It’s up to us to guide and enhance their experiences as much as possible to optimise their welfare and wellbeing.

Finally, if you feel you don't have the skills or knowledge to work to resolve your dog's lead reactivity or aggression, or you have tried several things that haven’t worked, then please seek professional help. Doing so is in everyone's best interest: Yours, your dog's and the community's.

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