Crate training your dog.

Dalmatian

Crate training can sometimes be a controversial subject, but generally it is something that all dog trainers will recommend. There is no real reason that a crate has to be aversive to a dog IF we train them correctly.

A crate can become a dogs safe space, and a dogs comfort. Think of it like our bedroom, no one goes in there but us and it's our place where we go to relax. We should never just force our dogs into a crate and lock them away, we start by just introducing them slowly and getting them comfortable being in it before we even think about closing the door.

Why crate train you ask me?

For me it comes down to a few simple reasons -

What happens when you go on holiday?

If you put your dogs in kennels, it's essentially the same thing. They are still confined, and if we haven't trained them to be comfortable in a crate then it's likely they're not going to be happy in a kennel.

What happens if your dog has to stay in the vets?

What already is a stressful situation can be made less stressful if our dogs are already crate trained.

What if your dog is on strict crate rest on vets orders after injury?

Bed rest and crate rest are two different things, your dog will already be stressed due to lack of exercise, likely in pain and stressed. Reduce their stress by having already crate trained.

Do you use a dog walker?

The likelihood is that a lot of the local dog walkers have crates in their vans to ensure the dogs are secure during their journey.

Just because you train something doesn't mean you have to use it! My dogs are muzzle trained in case they ever need it, sometimes the vets or a groomer may want to use it should they need to do something invasive which may make the dog uncomfortable. So by training them with the muzzle it's one less thing they need to be stressed about.

Add crate training to your dogs list of things they have been exposed to and trained on!