Crate Training

There are many misconceptions about what the crate’s job is and how it affects the dog. Crating is important to train a dog to be calm, for potty training, allowing the dog to rest when anxious or overstimulated, and for containment management. Let’s say there’s an emergency situation that requires evacuation, or an emergency overnight vet visit, crating the dog for safety in the car, or simply boarding the dog with someone or at a facility – crate confinement will need to happen. If the dog has never been taught to be calm being contained, it will cause lots of issues with the handlers and caretakers of your animal and add unneeded stress for your dog who has never learned to cope with different situations. Crates keep your dog and others safe!

“It’s a punishment.” Some think crates are a punitive tool or that it causes anxiety. Far from it! Crating is not a punishment – it allows the handler management opportunities by preventing situations where the dog would get into trouble and develop bad habits. It prevents the need for punishment. Controlling your dog and allowing it to see the correct picture every single time will set your dog up for success. The more opportunity the dog has to see a bad picture (by destroying things or peeing where and when it wants) the harder it will be to break this habit. Dogs who have separation anxiety will display it more in a crate, but it’s not the crate that’s making them afraid, it’s separation from you. The root issue isn’t the crate. Early development and structure with a young puppy is the best way to curb social or separation anxiety. The older the dog is without this structure, the more challenging and lengthy the training process will be. But it’s worth it! Be patient with your dog and make training sessions fun!

“My rescue dog was abused in a crate so I’m not going to use it.” This isn’t an excuse, to be brutally honest. It may take longer to re-condition the crate to being a helpful and calming tool for your dog, but now allowing the dog the means of overcoming past issues is not setting your dog up for future success. Give your dog the coping and problem-solving skills it has lacked up to this point. Dog training is all about empowering your dog to be confident and overcome trauma. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. With dedication, time, and most importantly patience, your dog can overcome stressors.

Understand the basics of marker training. Refer to my blog post on Shaping Behaviors for a primer on this topic. Have an established vocabulary and know when and how to mark and reward a good behavior and how to encourage duration. For crate training, have a “kennel” command, like “kennel” or “crate” or whatever word you like best. Have a release word for any exercise you do with your dog – a release word (such as “okay!” or “break!” or “free!”) means the dog is allowed to get up or end the exercise and do as they please. Keep your vocabulary words the same each and every time. Don’t change it up. Don’t add on phrases or talk to you dog in sentences. Make your words clear and concise. Be consistent with your language.

Food Luring. Keeping the crate door open, toss food into the crate and allow the dog to willingly go into the crate on its own. Be ready with more food in your hand to lure the dog back out. Repeat this for several sessions until the dog doesn’t feel apprehensive about entering the crate but rather shows interest and excitement.

Build Excitement. As the dog becomes excited about this game, you can start introducing a command such as “kennel!” or “crate!” as you toss food into the crate. Once the dog is used to the mechanics of entering and exiting the crate, say the kennel command first while holding the dog back so it’s eager to charge ahead into the crate after food, then release the dog to go into the crate. Praise the dog for being in the crate. Call the dog out with a “release command” from the crate. Work on limiting the rewards to only when the dog is in the crate at this point. Repeat this for several sessions.

Introduce a closed door. Use the “kennel” command and allow the dog to enter the crate. Close the crate door and immediately offer food reward through the crate. Open the door and give a release command. Repeat this for several sessions.

Here are helpful videos going over come training game ideas you can play with your dog to encourage entering the crate.

The 3-second rule. Work on crating the dog with the door closed for set periods of time (ie as you’re doing laundry or dishes) then release the dog ONLY if the dog is calm before you release it. Keep the crated sessions short at the beginning, depending on your dog’s threshold (how long it takes for the dog to start to whine or protest). If the dog starts to protest, IGNORE IT!! Talking to or giving the dog attention is a reward for the dog. The moment you have about 3+ seconds of calm, reward the dog either by food through the crate or by releasing the dog. This is where your patience will come into play! Don’t let your negative emotions be read by your dog – just pretend you’re at the beach. Your dog isn’t there and everything is fine. The moment you get that 3+ seconds of good, calm behavior, reward and praise the dog! You may try placing the crate in different parts of the house depending on what works best for your dog. Perhaps starting off with the dog in a busy room will help. It will be up to your dog’s needs.

Crate Size. If working on potty training, the smaller the crate is, the better. A crate should be just large enough for the dog to stand, turnaround, and lay down comfortably. Excessive room is not needed and will give opportunity for the dog to have a designating potty corner.

Dog Training Gear. NEVER leave any equipment on the dog when unattended in the crate (ie: leashes, harnesses, collars, training gear). These things can be fine when used during observed training sessions, but should not be left on when the dog is not observed. There is a risk of strangulation, suffocation, or injury.

Travel. Crating a dog in the car is a good practice. In the event of an accident, the dog won’t be a runaway risk, or a threat to emergency personnel. A scared dog in an emergency situation can often be unpredictable and can cause harm to itself or others. There are companies like Gunner Kennels who make crash-proof crates that are far more safe than wire-frame or generic plastic crates. Emergencies aside, crating a dog in the car, a hotel room, or another person’s house is a valuable tool to prevent the dog from door dashing. Say a squirrel runs by just as you open your car door, or a cleaning maid enters your hotel room, the last thing you want to see is your precious dog running away!