Menu:
Crate Training
If you have recently acquired a pet for yourself and are trying to ensure your puppy is happy and well trained, you must have heard the term “crate training” by now. What exactly is crate training? Moreover, why is it such a key ingredient to ensuring that your new companion has good house manners?
What is a crate?
A dog “crate” is a general term referring to a rectangular enclosure consisting of a top, 3 sides and a door. Crates can be constructed of wire, metal, molded plastic etc, and are meant to provide a secure, short- term confinement area for:
- Safety
- Housebreaking
- Protection of household goods
- Travel
- Illness
- General control.
What is crate training?
House training your dog with the use of a crate is what crate training is all about. Here is a catalogue of the benefits of crate training:
- Dogs usually do not soil their resting area. This is why crate training makes housebreaking your dog easier. The confined area aids bladder and bowel control and thus establishes a rule for outside elimination.
- You will be able to leave the house whenever you want without tearing your hair out with worry about what mischief your pet must be up to in your absence. You will rest assured and secure in the knowledge that your house will still be the way you left it and that your dog is safe.
- It enables you to travel safely with your pet without him becoming a distraction for you while you drive.
Misconceptions regarding crate training
Many feel that a crate is like a “doggy prison”. Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. A crate is like a den, not a jail. It fulfils your dog’s inherent desire to have a resting area, which is secure and sheltered along with ensuring your peace of mind.
Misuse of a crate
Despite the fact that the various conceptions regarding crate training are untrue, misuse of a crate can be dangerous for your pet. Crate training is NOT the same as confinement. In fact, as far as toilet training is concerned, it is actually the opposite. While confining your pet to a small room or enclosure implies you would want him to eliminate there, a crate ensures your pet exercises bladder/bowel control and eliminates only once he is let out. Leaving your dog alone and unattended in a crate for too long can give rise to other problems as well.
Like other techniques of dog training, crate training requires you to reward your dog whenever he does what is desired of him. Praise, gentle play and doggy treats dished out at the right times, greatly help facilitate training.
Crate training is a great boon for pet owners the world over and is rapidly gaining popularity. However, do remember to go through all the different varieties of crates in the market before you decide what to buy. Also never prolong your dog’s confinement to the crate for too long as it can adversely affect the process.