Read on for tips to help your new rescue dog like her crate (Photo: A Border Collie in a wire dog crate)
Are you a WHY person? Are you curious why your new rescue dog doesn’t like her crate?
There is a good chance that:
-she was picked up as a stray and immediately put into a crate inside a vehicle and then taken to a vet clinic and was in a crate again
There’s also a good chance that:
-she lived in a foster home with owners who did not understand how to teach a street dog how to love a crate
This doesn’t mean that:
-she will hate her crate forever or that the foster family didn’t do their best
It means:
-it’s now your responsibility to learn how to teach your new rescue dog to love her crate
If you’ve never done this before, I recommend hiring a professional trainer who understands dog psychology. They will help you read your dog’s body language and help you train the dog who is in front of you — there is no cookie cutter formula that will work on all dogs.
At 16 weeks of age, Braxton was already on medication to help with his severe separation anxiety. Medication didn’t work. Training his owner worked :) (Photo: A Brindle Bulldog puppy named Braxton enjoys his first nap in his crate after training with Beyond Dog Training)
These tips have helped a lot of my clients who were first-time dog owners train their dogs to love their crate. I hope some of them help you and your dog.
Don’t leave them alone in their crate on day one: When you bring your new rescue dog home, be 100% prepared to stay home for the next few days (bare minimum.) You are trying to establish a bond with this new dog. If you abandon a dog who is not crate-trained in their crate on day one, you are accidentally setting them up to fail. Some dogs: dig until their nails and paws bleed; hurt themselves as they break out of the crate; damage their teeth from trying to bite their way to freedom; pant and drool the entire time you are away; yelp/howl/bark/whine; empty their bowels out of sheer panic. Get your groceries and dog necessities ahead of adoption day and then batten down the hatches.
2. Learn to lead in all areas of your dog’s life: You can’t pick and choose when you feel like leading when you own a pack animal. If you don’t show leadership every day, your dog will be confused. If they don’t believe you’re their leader, then they are your leader (in their mind.) That means, they think you can’t handle the big bad world without them, and they must escape the crate to go help you.
Dogs require consistent leadership (Photo: a woman walking a small dog on leash. The dog is heeling beside her and looking up at her for direction)
3. Crate training takes a long time: Many of my first-time dog owners don’t realize how many days/weeks it takes to crate train a dog. It’s not something that anyone teaches a new rescue dog (or a brand new puppy) in one day. If your rescue dog has had bad experiences with crate training in the past, then the training may take weeks/months (especially if you’ve never owned a dog before.)
4. “The dogs on Youtube do it, but my dog won’t”: I frequently hear this from first-time pet parents who are frustrated when their pup doesn’t respond like the pup in the video. Some puppies aren’t food motivated and won’t be enticed into the crate for kibble or their favourite treats. Hire a professional to help you through these tricky times.
Prevent your new rescue dog from becoming injured by properly introducing them to their crate (Photo: dog with a bandaged foot wearing an Elizabethan collar in a living room surrounded by kid’s toys)
5. Never force your puppy or dog into the crate: Many clients admit they have pushed or pulled (using a leash) their puppy or new rescue dog into the crate. This happens especially at bedtime when people are stressed, tired, and need to get up for work the next day. Work on crate training when you have the time during the day. Keep sessions short, fun, and positive and you’ll reach your goals in no time.
We have lots of crate training videos to help you. There’s videos with puppies, fearful rescue dogs, and rescue dogs who have been adopted with severe cases of separation anxiety (think: bleeding paws as they try to escape the crate.) Check out the videos on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Find us on Facebook @GoBeyondDogTraining.
Find us on Instagram @GoBeyondDogTraining.
Find us on TikTok @BeyondDogTraining.
Struggling with crate training? Schedule a free call — https://beyonddogtraining.ca/take-action
Take Action if:
-you feel trapped in your home because your new rescue dog is miserable in her crate
-you’re worried about her barking and howling getting you evicted
-you want to prevent her from injuring herself while trying to escape her crate
Happy Training, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos: Upsplash (A Border Collie in a wire dog crate,) Alyssa Foulkes (A Brindle Bulldog puppy named Braxton enjoys his first nap in his crate after training with Beyond Dog Training,) Upsplash (a woman walking a small dog on leash. The dog is heeling beside her and looking up at her for direction,) Andy Losik
@like_flamingo (dog with a bandaged foot wearing an Elizabethan collar in a living room surrounded by kid’s toys,)