Rescue dogs themselves can already be a challenge to deal with, especially adult dogs. They can have pre-learned behaviors, and depending on where they were rescued from, they can show aggression or separation anxiety. Shoving them into a box and commanding them to hush will only make things more difficult for the both of you.
If you can get your dog to trust you enough, they can be crate trained, no matter the background. Here we’ll go through some basic steps on how to crate train your pup.
Step 1: Picking Out and Preparing a Crate
When considering your dog’s crate, there are a couple things to keep in mind. Firstly, find a crate that fits your dog’s size. You don’t want it to feel too cramped in there. If you rescued a puppy, make sure you understand how big they will get when they become an adult so you don’t have to buy two separate crates.
Secondly, when I look at my dog’s crate, I try to see it as more of a den than a box with bars. Make sure it’s homely with things to keep them entertained or bring them comfort. Blankets, toys, perhaps a comfort item they’ve taken a liking to; all of these will help your dog adjust.
Also consider where the crate will be. We highly recommend somewhere that will see lots of activity, before being moved to your room once bedtime comes. Quiet, isolated places aren’t good for your dog’s mental health, especially if they’re the only pet in the home.
Step 2: Getting Your Dog Comfortable With the Crate
Here comes the meat of the matter. You may have to redo this step for quite a bit depending on the dog, or it may work on its first try. Either way, make sure you clear a day so you and your dog can get through this together.
Firstly, you’ll want to get your dog familiar with their new den. They need to think of the crate as a home, not a cage. Get the crate ready, then sit back for a bit to see if your rescue takes any interest in it. If they don’t, bring your dog over to the crate and introduce them to the den. Speak softly and bring your dog comfort to help them associate positive emotions with the crate. Then attempt to lure your pup in with some treats and a toy. Don’t try to force them in, but keep your foot down and don’t give up if they’re hesitant.
Once they’re in, make sure to give them tons of praise for this big step in their life. Once the dog has become accustomed to the crate, go ahead and feed them while they’re inside. Eating is always a positive experience, so associating the crate with food is a must. Close the crate door while they eat and don’t open it until the meal is over. Repeat this with each meal time, increasing the time span until they’re completely settled.
Step 3: Leaving the House
This will be a sort of test before preparing your dog to sleep in their crate overnight. It’s during these times that your dog will need to associate their crane with calm and sleep. Like humans, however, a dog doesn’t want to sleep if they’re not tired, so you’ll need to tire them out first.
After a good session of playing or a particularly long walk, they should be ready for a lie down. Lead them into your kennel with treats or toys as you would usually do before you leave. Don’t make a big show about leaving, either, as the dog could associate the crate with separation anxiety. Make sure you give them praise for going into their crate before you close its door. Then leave and complete any errands that you wanted to. This will get your dog used to time alone and the quiet. Once you’re back, be sure to praise your pooch for being so brave.
Step 4: Going to Sleep
This is the final hurdle. If your dog can get through a night, you’ve succeeded in crate training them.
For the first few nights of crate training, we suggest tiring your dog out before they go to bed in the crate so that their internal clock can fit yours. From there, there’s nothing much else to do than sleep and see how it goes. Whether or not things go well, you should always praise your dog when you let them out in the morning for staying in their crate all night.
When getting ready to sleep, we always suggest keeping your dog’s crate either in your room or just outside it. This is so if something is wrong, then your dog can let you know. Of course, you do need to know the differences between when their whining is important and when they’re simply making noise because they want to be let out.
Step 5: Know the Differences in Whining
The classic dog whimper. It’s grating on the ears, especially at night when you’re both trying to sleep. However, whining is also one of the only ways a dog can signal to you that something is wrong. So how do you know if the situation is serious?
If your dog starts to whine, you need to ignore it. If you let your dog out as soon as they begin to whine, and it turns out they just wanted to be let out, they won’t learn their lesson and will instead do it again and again. If they continue to whine for quite a while, they might just need to use the bathroom. Once that is over, if the whimpering starts up again, you need to ignore it once more.
If the sounds continue into the night or morning, and your dog shows anxious behaviors such as chewing on the bars, there might be a more serious issue. Try crate training from step 1 again, add something with your scent in the crate, like a t-shirt for example, and if results don’t show, make sure your dog is physically healthy before seeking the advice of an animal behavioral specialist.
