Crate Training your dog

CRATE TRAINING

The Den Within a Den

Your dog thinks the family is his pack and that your whole house or apartment is his den. For manydogs, however, the house is too large of a den, with many unwanted opportunities for stress andconfusion. A properly used crate can be the dog’s sanctuary. It also serves as a valuable tool forowners to manage the dog’s behavior during the training process, especially toilet training.

Some important points about using a crate:

1. A crate should never be considered a substitute for diligent training and supervision.

2. The need for safety and shelter is but one of your dog’s needs. If all his needs are not appropriately addressed, crating may only create new problems.

3. Dogs should not be left in a crate unsupervised. Do not leave your dog crated for morethan 4-8 hours, depending on his age and bladder size/strength. When you must confineyour dog for an extended period, place him in a small room or otherwise safe and restricted area.

4. Buy a crate that is appropriate for the dog’s size. It should only be large enough for thedog to stand up and turn around. While the puppy is still small, you might have to createa barrier to reduce its size. Some crates come with dividers for this purpose.

5. Never use your crate as punishment. “Time-outs” are not an effective training strategy.

Teaching your dog to use a crate:

1. Place an old sweatshirt or blanket on the floor of the crate as bedding. The “pack” smellof your old things will help comfort your dog, so be sure to handle or wear the item first.

2. Create a cozy, dark and comforting environment for your dog by placing a cover overthree sides of the crate leaving only the entrance open. Just keep the temperature in mind;you don’t want it too hot in his den. In warmer weather, a dark sheet will suffice.

3. Start the introduction with no pressure. Allow your dog to investigate the crate by placingtoys, treats, even food and water inside, leaving the door open. Encourage him toinvestigate it. Lavish praise on him when he does enter the crate on his own.

4. Start closing the door when he is occupied and let him be. Many dogs will take a nap.However, do not be surprised if it takes your dog three or four days to become comfortable and relaxed.

5. If you have successfully implemented the correction system in other circumstances, youmay correct your dog for whining, or showing other signs of stress. Do not remove yourdog from the crate because he whines—wait until he is quiet. Reacting to his demandswill teach him that whining works to get what he wants.

6. Once he has had pleasurable exposures to the crate, you may gently guide him to it onleash, if necessary. If he resists, stay calm but firm—do not yank the leash. Feeding theleash through the back of the crate to provide better direction while giving lots of encouragement often is all that its needed.

Body Language for People (and Dogs)

I submit…

 

What Your Body Language Tells Your Dog

By Scott Beckman

Dogs are pack animals. As such, they have a specific way of interacting, which includes an instinctual manner of communications. Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language it understands is the first step in establishing control over it.  By leveraging a dog’s instinctual pack mentality with voice control and body language, we humans can learn a new language that clearly positions us as leaders of the pack, which results in establishing authority, respect and control over our canine friends.

Dogs crave good leadership, and if they don’t get it from their owner they’ll take charge, This leads to bad behavior such as barking, jumping, aggression and pulling on the leash – all examples of the dog taking charge.  Dogs will challenge for leadership in the home, just as a wolf does in the wild.

There are several ways for an owner to establish leadership.  It is very typical for an owner to want to go to his dog instead of making the dog come to him or her.  This communicates to the dog that it is the leader, as the leader will always have the other members of the pack come to him.

You can also establish leadership by always walking ahead of your dog, whether it is up the stairs, through doorways or especially on walks.  Remember, in the wild the leader leads the pack – physically.

All requests from your dog must be granted on your terms.  When a dog constantly nudges you to be petted, for example, you should break eye contact immediately.  When the dog has given up, call him back to you to be petted or to play.  When he responds to you, versus you to him, he will begin to see you as the leader.

Often times the owner grabs his dog or, in the case of a small dog picks him up, to stop the dog from going somewhere the owner does not want.  By all means, do not grab at the dog to control his behavior.  When an owner is physical in this manner, the dog has only two options.  It can either take flight or “make fight.”  If the dog can’t run to get away, his next option is to bite.  This may not happen in every situation, but the dog will inevitably feel threatened by the action whether it bites or not.  This is not a conducive mindset for a dog to be in when an owner is trying to train or control it.

If your dog misbehaves, such as chewing on a child’s toy, correct its behavior with a forceful, low-toned “BAH.”  As soon as he stops, reward him with a pleasant, high-toned praise.  He will soon understand his mistake and, again, respect you as his leader.

Taking and keeping control of your dog is all about establishing leadership, and the most effective way of doing so is by using your dog’s own language to communicate with it.

Learn To Speak Dog

I can't hear you!

Speak Your Dog’s Language for Better Communication
By Scott Beckman

 

To communicate with each other, dogs use body language and guttural sounds, such as barks and growls.  When they first meet, dogs use their body language to assess where each ranks in the pack order.  Signs of dominance and confidence are a stiff body, head and ears up, hackles up and tail up.  Signs of submission and respect are a lowering of the body, the head, the ears and the tail.

 

Because dogs instinctively know and understand these body signals, it only makes sense that we humans would be able to communicate with them better if we can learn how to imitate the ways in which they communicate with each other.

 

For example, dogs do not instinctively know the words that come most naturally to us.  If two dogs meet and neither shows respect to the other, they will issue warning growls.  This again is a language that dogs already understand.  They do not instinctively know “Spot don’t come any closer.”

 

That’s why experts say behavioral training is so important – and that lasting training isn’t about treats and physical punishment.  It’s about understanding the way your dog thinks and communicates in a way that establishes the owner as “top dog.”

“Dogs are pack animals,” stated Liam Crowe, Bark Busters’ president, CEO and master trainer.  “They have a specific way of interacting, which includes an instinctual manner of communication.  Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands is the first step toward establishing leadership and control.”

 

So, while Spot and Rover might learn the meaning of a few words, they will learn more quickly if we communicate using their language.  Once we communicate clearly with them by using a language they already know, then we can start to teach them some of our own language.

 

Learning canine is not hard.  It takes practice, however, because it is not instinctive for us.  If you watch Rover and Spot talk to their friends and then to strangers, you will begin to see certain patterns of communication.  We learn how they meet each other, how they greet each other, and how they call one another to follow.  We see how they let each other know when they are uncomfortable with someone getting into their space.

 

Using a dog’s own language to communicate with them is the quickest, most effective way of getting through to him.  Thus, when we are trying to train our dogs, it just makes common sense to teach them in a language they already understand.