Page 19 - Chow Life - Spring 2018

close the crate door, back up in your Ready to Show, slowly introducing solitude. Make
training and spend more time on Ready to Go the crate comfortable and appealing
the earlier stages until he develops for adult dogs. If you have a dog
more confidence. Once the dog Breeders can help train young who already hates the crate, do
learns to enjoy calmly chewing away dogs to view the crate as a your retraining slowly by working
at a treat when shut inside the crate, sanctuary—especially useful for at your dog’s pace. With the correct
and to exit calmly when you open those show prospects who may training, you can make crating a
the door, you can begin leaving him end up doing a lot of traveling. pleasant experience for any dog.
inside for short periods after he’s Introduce puppies to the crate
eaten. Be prepared to feed the dog by confining all of them together
his meals in the crate for several in one crate. Once the pups feel
months, gradually extending the secure, divide the litter by putting Peggy Swager consults on dog-
time he spends confined. Another half in one crate and half in another. behavior issues and is the author of
way to get a dog used to staying for Slowly reduce the number of Training the Hard to Train Dog.
longer periods in a crate is to make puppies in each crate until only one
it a place he prefers to be. To do remains—making that crate his This article first appeared in the mAY
this, confine the dog to an area in own. If the puppies are eliminating 2009 issue of the AKC GAZETTE and is
the house with a hard floor surface, inside the crate, put the bedding reprinted with permission.
such as the kitchen. Take off the on one end and puppy litter on
crate door so the dog can come the other to accommodate clean
and go freely, and put some very sleeping quarters. Once the puppy
comfortable bedding inside. Most is older, he can be changed to
dogs will choose to lie inside the a smaller crate that allows only
comfy crate, and some eventually sleeping. The best way to teach a
prefer it to lying on a rug elsewhere dog to enjoy his crate is to give him
in the house. good reasons to stay in it. Keep the
experience positive for puppies by

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