Dog Obedience - Crating Your Puppy
Everybody knows that a new puppy brought into the home is going to be as inquisitive and nosy as your mother-in-law, and it is this character trait that we can take full advantage of when introducing him/her to their crate for the first time. Remember, we ourselves are similar in this retrospect to our four-legged companions. Let me explain:
If I walk down a street and pass a bakery, and if that bakery is omitting the smell of home made bread, you better believe that I will go in there to investigate the free sample rack! Now when training your dog to “crate” you can use the same philosophy.
Make it worth your pup’s while to go in there, at least for the first few times until he associates you putting him/her in it with a good outcome. Treats or toys, placed inside the crate but hidden from the dog’s view will serve you best. What you should also be doing is word associating every time your pup goes to enter his crate. Once in the crate, praise, then leave alone. The crate time is your dog’s quiet time so as little fussing over him/her once in the crate the better. What you will find is that once your dog is familiarized with the crate he/she will look to go in there anytime he feels like being apart from you. Sleeping or just lying down are good examples of this. You must understand that the crate is your dog’s and your dog will come to know this, and know that it is the one spot of solitude that he/she has that is totally their own.