Crates work like a charm with proper training

Crate Training Bond / by Deborah Parkhill Mullis

By Deborah Parkhill Mullis

I recently came across one of my favorite photos of my daughter, Christa, with her first puppy, Blanco. (above.) She was so in love with her puppy that she wanted to be with him every minute - even during crate training. After seeing this photo of Blanco sleeping peacefully in his crate, I wanted to share what a wonderful tool a crate can be.

Crate training magic

Blanco was the first dog we crate trained. That was five years ago and it worked like a charm. No messy newspapers to pick up and only one indoor accident during the training period! Blanco was 'house broken' in a short time and seemed to understand exactly what we meant by "do business" whenever we took him outside. We had the same positive experience crate training our new puppy, Okami, last year.

Our first two dogs, Alex and Hobo, were 'paper trained' and continued to have occasional indoor accidents throughout their lives. I believe this is because we taught them via 'paper training' that sometimes it is appropriate to "do business" inside. I highly recommend crate training. It reinforces a dog's natural instinct to sleep in a den-like setting and not soil his personal space.

I also like Poochie Bells. In addition to using a crate overnight, we trained Okami to go to the door and ring "Poochie Bells" when she needs to go outside during the day.

There are so many clever tools available to dog owners now. However, these tools were created to complement dog training - not take the place of it.

Professional dog trainer, Luann Van Leer, cautions pet owners not to crate puppies for extended periods of time. A good gage is your pup's monthly age plus one hour. "Which means if you have a three-month-old puppy, she should not be left in her crate more than four hours, " she said.

Taking your puppy from the crate to a "potty spot" outside every two hours is the quickest way to help her understand the behavior you desire; thus, she will become housebroken/crate trained sooner, said Van Leer.

Crates teach other lessons, too

Puppies need exercise, socialization, supervision and training. Crates should never be used as a substitute for any of those things. However, a crate can be a useful tool for more than reinforcing canine hygiene skills. You can also teach your puppy that he is supposed to settle down and be quiet when you are away from the house by putting him in his crate with a safe toy to entertain him just before you leave. When he's older, your dog will know what behavior you expect while you are away whether he's in a crate or not.

"Your puppy will actually look forward to getting his treat in his crate and not make an assumption about you leaving," said Van Leer, who recommends frozen stuffed Kong toys to keep dogs content and free from boredom while they are crated.

Because I write about dogs, family members and friends often ask me why their puppy misbehaves when they leave the house and will report to me about their chewed furniture, destroyed decorative pillows and so on. There could be any number of reasons for this type of behavior: boredom, frustration, loneliness, teething but what is true in all cases is that puppies are puppies. They need supervision and training - just like children and teenagers.

"Some puppies look physically grown by eight or nine months but they are not mentally (mature) until eighteen months and with some breeds it's closer to two years," explained Van Leer.

"Crate when you are away. You would not leave your toddler home alone to roam; do not leave your puppy alone to roam," she said, adding that a sure way to correct destructive behavior such as barking, chewing, digging and jumping is to make sure your puppy gets enough exercise.

"A dog should have at least a 30 to 40 minute walk twice a day or be taken out to play a game that includes running to release built up energy," Van Leer said.

Misuse of crates

Some owners have confided in me that they confine their puppy to a crate as punishment after they get back home and find a mess. This is a big mistake. You want your puppy to like his crate and think of it as a safe place. You can try placing a blanket, cushion or towel inside the crate to make it cozy.

Some puppies become aware that blankets and towels absorb urine, warns Van Leer. "They will then push it aside and still have a dry spot to lie ... take everything out of the crate until they are no longer having accidents," she said. "If you find your puppy has soiled her crate do not say anything ... just take your puppy outside and clean the crate," she added.

There should be enough room for your dog to stand up, turn around and lie down with ease which may mean buying a bigger crate as your puppy grows. Blanco was so small when we brought him home that he rode in our cat's carrier. That was soon replaced by the collapsible crate pictured above which was eventually replaced by an identical but even bigger crate. This style crate has an easily removeable door which happen to be off when this photo was taken.

Traveling in a crate

Even though he graduated to a Kuranda bed long ago, Blanco still loves his crate which is only used for travel purposes now. Still, he is happy to jump into the back of the van and climb inside his crate. He knows it is a safe place that likely has a special treat inside and he feels very secure there even when it's in a moving vehicle.

Deborah Parkhill Mullis is a freelance writer. Luann Van Leer operates Shake-A-Paw Dog Training.