New dogs need to be introduced to his/her crate and it’s a normal routine done in the first day of dog training. The introductory session is best done after giving the dog a meal and then showing the potty spot. It is best followed because doing this will make sure that the dog is comfortable and ready to be introduced to its new home.
For a puppy or young dog, hold it close to your arms and by carrying it, move your pet towards the crate. Sit close to the crate together with your dog and then encourage it to move inside its den by placing a toy in the crate. Try to guide it towards to area and analyze whether it follows your command. Sometimes instead of using a toy, you can also put in a small piece of doggie treat and lead it inside. However, I would not suggest using this method at the moment since the dog has just finished its meal and doggie treat should only be used later part in the dog training.
There are some positive encouragements which you can do for your dog to accept its new resting spot. Some of the things which you can do to make the place look welcoming is by preparing a soft blanket together with a towel to make the crate look cozy and accepted by your pet. The perfect size for your crate should be large enough to accommodate an adult dog but since you have a puppy, try to block off the remaining area with a cardboard so that the extra space does not end up being an elimination spot.
There are certain breeds of dogs which can be less obedient and will feel a little bit reserved to listen to your command. In this case, do not try and force the dog to enter its crate and by all means use whatever possible encouragement and ideas you can think of to get your pet inside. If a toy doesn’t work, maybe you can consider using other objects but never scold your dog during this period. Some people might ended up pushing it in instead but I think doing this doesn’t serve any purpose at all since training your dog is a delicate process that will always take time.
Finally, the best thing to do is to get all your family members to participate and try to show to him/her how wonderful and comfortable the new home is. In fact, this is the best time that should be fully utilized not only to introduce your dog to its crate but it can serve as a family introductory session as well.
Next ->Introducing collar and leash to young dog
Filed under: Dog Training Tagged: | crate, dog, dog toy, doggie treat, guide, introduction, pet, training
