Basic Dog Obedience Device — the Crate

by William Preston

Ah, house training your dog. Don’t you just love the idea? If you’ve ever had to go through this experience, then you know how challenging it can be. If you’ve never done it before, I’ve got great news. By learning some basic essential knowledge, you’ll soon discover that it doesn’t have to be as difficult or challenging as you were initially expecting.

Crate Training

As far as house training goes, crate training is generally accepted to be the most effective and efficient means of house training a puppy in a short space of time. Crate training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you’re not actively supervising her.

The whole premise behind this method of crate training is that all dogs have an inbuilt dislike of going to the bathroom in an area where they normally sleep. Therefore, because she’s spending most of her time in her “sleeping quarters”, she will naturally wait until put outside before relieving herself (assuming that you let her out at reasonable intervals).

How to Choose a Crate

As a general guideline, it’s more cost-effective for you to choose a crate that’s big enough for her to grow into. It should be big enough for the adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around in, and stretch out – but no bigger (so that she doesn’t choose one part as her bed, and one part as her toilet!)

Because the adult dog is likely to be considerably larger than the puppy, it’ll most likely be necessary for you to use a barrier to reduce the internal size of the crate. A wire grille or board will do just fine. Alternatively, you can use a cheap crate (or even make one yourself) and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows.

Consistency is Key With Crate Training

The process of crate training is actually more difficult for the new owner than it is for the new puppy. You will be required to keep the puppy in her crate at all times, literally, except for the times when she will be placed outside to go to the bathroom (and taken for walks), eating, and having supervised playtime with you inside the house. This may seem like cruel and unusual punishment, but it isn’t. It is actually crucial to the well-being of puppy as she continues to grow to become an integral part of your family. Be consistent this, and don’t give in.

Puppies Have Different Tolerances

The maximum amount of time that a puppy can be crated at one time is figured out using the following equation: her age in months, plus one. So, a three-month old puppy can be crated for a maximum of four hours. However, this is likely to be physically pretty uncomfortable for her (not to mention hard on her emotionally and psychologically: it’s tough being cramped up with nothing to do), so you should really take her out at least once every two hours during the day. If she’s sleeping, of course, just let her sleep until she wakes up naturally.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, crate training is one of the most effective methods of house training a puppy. But it doesn’t happen overnight, and it needs you to be consistent. The whole process can take anywhere from one to two months, but in the long run, this will be considered one of the best time investments you will have ever made in the life of your pet.

Are you encouraging your dog to be a barker, without realizing it? Did you know that yelling at the dog nearly always makes the behavior worse?

Some dogs seem to bark for no reason at all. You might be surprised to learn, however, that boredom may be the ‘no reason at all’ problem. And you can take some simple steps right away to remedy the problem, like making sure that your pooch has toys. Also, make sure that he gets plenty of exercise.

Are you making your dog’s excessive barking worse?

Excessive barking is often a two-way street. (Yes, that means that sometimes the dog owner is just as guilty as the dog!) Here are some great insights from a dog behavior specialist.

Dog Obedience Training

Since the focus of this blog is to recommend ways to stop excessive barking, without resorting to shock collars or cruel punishment, I found this article to have some great ideas. #2 is something that I have never heard of before — but I will certainly use the idea with my Aussie. Since she is naturally hyper-sensitive (it’s her breed) this could work quite well.

Dog Obedience Training – Stop Your Dog From Barking!

  by: Anthony W Robinson

For a lot of people, having a dog is one of the great joys in life. Being a responsible pet owner means making sure that your dog is well taken care of, no matter what. If Fido needs to go out at 2 a.m., you get up and let him out. You make sure he’s up to date on all his shots. Then there’s food, toys, accessories, and the list goes on. We do this because we love our dog, but there are some things that you don’t have to tolerate; for example excessive barking. Before we get into some aggressive dog training techniques, let’s understand why your dog is barking. The cause of dog barking can usually be boiled down to one of a few reasons, which we’ll look at here.

Why Is My Dog Barking?

When a dog is barking, it is trying to communicate with you, the owner. It’s up to you to determine what you dog is trying to communicate. This will vary from one breed to another, since some bark almost all the time, while some bark only when necessary. Either way, they want to call your attention to something, be it a prowler, the need to go outside, or just wanting to play. Your goal should be to eliminate nuisance barking, but allow your dog to use their voice. Don’t expect to have a pet that never gets to speak.

How to Stop Dog Barking – Two Methods

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The first technique I’ll share to stop dog barking will work immediately, so you can put it to use today. If your dog is accustomed to barkingat you to get you to do what they want, you have to reestablish yourself as the alpha, the leader of the pack.

The easiest way to do this is to physically stop your dog from barking. Use your hand to hold the dogs mouth closed, and use your other hand to control the dog so that he can’t pull away. Your puppy will try to wiggle away from you, but don’t let him. He’ll quit trying to get loose fairly quick and will then be complacent.

Once he stops trying to escape, keep your hand around his snout for a few seconds, then let go. This tells your dog that you are the dominant one, and is 100 percent effective. Just be sure not to put hold his mouth too firmly, since the last thing you want is to cause any pain.

The next method takes more time to implement, but will have longer lasting effects. To stop dog barking for the long haul, try this. The next time your dog is nuisance barking, stop what you’re doing and turn your back to him. Don’t say anything, just show him your back. This social isolation is one of the best methods to stop dog barking. It will take some time, but is well worth it. Just be aware that doing this will cause your dog to bark more initially, since he’s used to you responding to his bark.

For further information on typical doggie behavior, including a fantastic resource for training how-to’s and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, check out http://www.squidoo.com/dogtraining-problems

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“Is my dog barking too much due to Separation Anxiety?”

Canine separation anxiety refers to your puppy or dog’s fear as a result of being separated from you — the pack leader.  This specific nervous condition becomes worse and worse, without training or behavioral intervention, and will begin to happen every time you leave the house.  It may even begin to happen every time you leave the room.

Since dogs are pack animals, by nature, your dog feels most secure and comfortable when he is part of the pack.  His pack may be headed by a human, but it’s all the same to him.

“So my dog is anxious.  Why is this such a problem?”

The resulting behaviors, caused by separation anxiety, will be things like excessive barking, whining, chewing up everything in sight and going potty (on purpose) in the house.  Your dog may exhibit just one of these symptoms, or maybe all of the symptoms. Excessive barking is very likely to be one of the main manifestations. Not sure if your dog is barking and whining while you are out?  Your neighbors may be able to fill you in!

“What can I do about Separation Anxiety?”

Crate Training

One of the recommended methods for alleviating the problem is to crate-train your best friend.  You will most likely have to help your pooch overcome his apprehension about his new ‘house’, so plan on spending some time on this in  the beginning. Place the crate somewhere where he will feel safe and comfortable to enter and also exit.  Leave the door open at first, and let him get used to coming and going as he pleases.  Never, ever drag him or force  him into the crate.  It may take a few days for him to feel okay about his new digs.  Over time, he should actually begin to prefer the crate as a place to sleep, relax or get away from things that make him nervous or uncomfortable.

Once he is comfortable with coming and going, begin to shut the door for 5-10 minutes at a time, while you remain in the room.  Praise him, but don’t coddle him and feed his insecurities.  Gradually increase the time spent in the crate, with the door latch closed.  Leave the room for awhile and then return.

Always praise him for good behavior.  Don’t reward whining or panicked behavior.  Act calmly yourself, as if nothing should be bothering him. Reward his calm, quiet behavior with a treat or positive words.

Plan to work with him over a period of several days, before just locking him in and leaving for work.  Practice asking him to get into his crate and then getting your keys and leaving the room.  Eventually, leave the house for a couple of hours, while you go to the store.  Soon, he will be ready to accept his crate for an entire day while you are gone to work.  Always, always make sure that he has had the opportunity to relieve himself prior to locking him into the crate for an extended amount of time.  If you have worked up gradually to this point, your dog should no longer be barking excessively, whining and acting out when you leave. He will feel safe, secure and calm inside his crate.

If all goes well, the barking problem that is a result of separation anxiety will be resolved.  And won’t your neighbors be happy?!

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