We understand that many of you don’t want to keep your dogs in a crate for the long term and thus may not find value in teaching it to him as a puppy. However I assure you crate training regardless of long term use is a great skill to teach your puppy. Not only is traveling with a crate trained dog by far the safest mode of transportation but many aspects of teaching the crate can be used to make other behaviors more solid or easier to train later on. For example stay, sit, place, and come are all way easier if you follow this crate training method.
The biggest benefit of crate training is the solidness it gives to teaching boundaries and place/stay (So don’t bolt out of the front door or car). ALSO ANY training you do with your dog only increases the bond and strengthens your relationship thus making every other thing you teach him easier.
We heavily recommend the video Crate Games by Susan Garrett but for those of you that are not interested in buying the video (which goes into greater depth and does some problem solving) I have made this page so that you can have some benefits and give it a try.
STEP I - PREPARATION & EQUIPMENT
- Make sure your dog has gone potty as the first lesson will take the longest (up to an hour)
- Gather some very high value rewards (best treats you can think of, typically liver, steak, or chicken)
1. Use the hand that the crate door hinges on to open the crate with (ie. Door opens to the right use the right hand to open it with)
2. At no time can any part of the dogs body break the plane of the door. (This will make more sense in a bit) but basically only reward the dog for being entirely (whole body) inside the crate.
3. When you touch the door - that is the Cue for the dog to sit, not before as you don’t want a dog that is anxious and pops into s sit whenever you walk by nor do you want a dog that is in a down or stand as he could more easily fail the game (this is gone though more in-depth in the video)
4. All of your actions should be quick and intentional. Not so fast that you are panicked but fast enough to that your dog is to busy with what just happened to think about what you are doing next.
STEP 2 LET THE GAMES BEGIN (ADDING VALUE TO THE CRATE)
Have your treats in a bowl (we find on top of the crate to be the easiest).
Take just one piece (about the size of the top of a pencil - eraser). With your body blocking the entrance open the door to the crate and reach to the back upper corner, give the treat. Now while the puppy is still busy chewing stand back up and close the door.
Pause for a second and then repeat.
Each time you should latch the door and let go of the crate completely.
Giving the treat in the back upper corner is awkward and hard but this teaches the dog to sit. The sit keeps the dog from easily moving forward breaking the plane (entrance of the door) in future steps. It also gives you a moment to react and close the door if your dog does try to leave.
If your dog starts to get excited and bounce, patter his feet, etc. when you go for the door then just stand there. You can pretend to reach for the latch then back off if need be until the dog learns that he must be still in order to “get you to touch the door” thus progressing the game to the reward stage.
STEP 3 PROOFING
If at any time your dog comes out or tries to: Close the crate door without a treat and wait (typically 3-10 seconds) before trying again.
If your dog breaks the sit you might have progressed too quickly and need to reinforce step I more.
With empty hands open the crate and clip the leash to the buckle collar. Then grab a treat from your bowl on top of the crate and treat (in back upper corner), close the crate door, release crate door, stand, repeat. (Note: your leash will be trailing out on the ground to the outside of the crate, this is fine the door won’t hurt it)
Now repeat but instead of putting the leash on take it off. Close the crate door, release the crate door, stand, repeat.
If your dog breaks the sit go back a step (or two) and do more proofing and crate value.
If at any time your dog comes out or tries to: Close the crate door without a treat and you wait (typically 3-10 seconds) before trying again.
End this section with the leash on.
STEP 5 COMING OUT/RELEASE
With the leash on and the crate door closed stand on the hand loop side of the leash. Be a bit to the side and open the door giving your puppy the command to exit the crate. (We use “Ok” as a release for every stay and thus we use it here as well) When the puppy exits - say and do nothing! It is not the exit that we want to reward but rather the re-entrance to the crate. When the puppy goes back in let it rain praise and rewards (in the back and upper side).
If you have a wire crate you can now give the reward from the outside (through the crate) instead of having to reach into the crate. Doing it prior to now will delete a distraction of you being in his space so it is best up until now to reach in.
When the dog comes out of the crate it may take some time for him to go back in. This is why a calm quiet time without distractions is preferred. Be patient and just stand there. Some puppies may go right back in, some may take a minute (or five). But when he does go back in treat and praise him heavily.
Once he has gone back in you are done for the day! Do not repeat Step 5!
If your puppy/dog doesn’t go back in after 5-10 mins or if he lays down outside of the crate:
Puppy: take him by his rib cage and face him towards the crate opening and wait till he wants to go in, then praise and reward.
Dog: grab his collar and face him towards the crate opening until he wants to go in when he does praise and reward.
It is important that he wants to go in on his own and that you are not forcing him to. This needs to be his choice! If this has happened take it back to step one and add some more value to the crate.
Make sure you have spent a few weeks (or more) going though steps 1-5 before you ever attempt Step 6 and beyond.
STEP 6 NAME THAT GAME
Now that he understands what he is supposed to do and does it perfectly you can name it. You don’t want to name it to soon because if he is doing the game incorrectly or incompletely then you have just taught him that the incorrect/incomplete behavior is the one you want when you say that command.
So now when he enters the crate give it a command. Many people just say crate or kennel but you can be as creative as you like “go to jail”, “cave” , “prison time”, etc.
STEP 7 COLLAR GRAB GAME
Many dogs don’t like their collars grabbed but this (like holding still) is an important life skill. It is at this point where Manding (from the recommended Puppy Culture video will come in really handy)
Have high and low value treats ready, as well as a hungry puppy. Typically we use kibble as low value and hot dog/ liver/ steak or chicken as high value.
Put a buckle collar on him and have him start this training session in his crate. Now without the leash release him having him come to you, (you shouldn’t be more than a few feet away at first) now grab his collar and give him the low value reward. Now face him towards the crate and antagonize him forward towards it by putting just a slight bit of pressure away from the crate on the collar you are holding. Dogs oppose pressure so putting pressure onto the collar in the opposite direction as the crate will likely encourage him to lean into it. Also if you have done your homework adding lots of value over the last few weeks to the crate he will know that entering that crate will bring great reward! You can also hissy or say ready-ready-ready in a fun voice etc. Whatever gets your dog keyed up.
Repeat this moving to different spots around the training area.
STEP 8 CHANGED MY MIND
Have a toy ready to play with your dog. I usually stuff it in my back pocket so I can rip it out fast when the time comes.
Building on game seven send your dog back to the crate but when he gets there instantly release him, when he gets to you reward him with a game of play tug or ball whatever he likes. Tug works best as you can then ask him to out and send him back to the crate again quickly.
To proof: Do this sling shot 2-3x then don’t ask him out. If he comes out, then the crate door closes and the game is over for a bit (typically a minute) then try again.
Remember: If at any time your dog comes out or tries to without being asked: Close the crate door without a treat and you wait before trying again.
STEP 9 ADDING DISTANCE
Now that you have in and out, a little bit of distance (usually a few feet) and a second reward you can increase the distance. Step back to 5 feet, then back in to 3ft, then out to 10 ft, then to 20ft, then back in to 8ft. Basically vary the distance in and out, side to side to help add interest and keep it fun. Pretty soon you could be doing football field sized send aways!
Good Luck and Happy Training!
The biggest benefit of crate training is the solidness it gives to teaching boundaries and place/stay (So don’t bolt out of the front door or car). ALSO ANY training you do with your dog only increases the bond and strengthens your relationship thus making every other thing you teach him easier.
We heavily recommend the video Crate Games by Susan Garrett but for those of you that are not interested in buying the video (which goes into greater depth and does some problem solving) I have made this page so that you can have some benefits and give it a try.
STEP I - PREPARATION & EQUIPMENT
- Make sure your dog has gone potty as the first lesson will take the longest (up to an hour)
- Gather some very high value rewards (best treats you can think of, typically liver, steak, or chicken)
- Make sure your dog is hungry (skip a meal or two if necessary, hungry is very key)
- Put a buckle collar on your dog
- Have a leash near, we prefer 4ft with puppies or 6ft with adults
- Wire crate preferred but a plastic crate will do as well. No cloth crates and no bedding inside the crate.
- For your first few sessions make sure you choose a calm, quiet time of day, a common area of the home that the puppy is used to, and that there is nothing going on for the next hour or so.
1. Use the hand that the crate door hinges on to open the crate with (ie. Door opens to the right use the right hand to open it with)
2. At no time can any part of the dogs body break the plane of the door. (This will make more sense in a bit) but basically only reward the dog for being entirely (whole body) inside the crate.
3. When you touch the door - that is the Cue for the dog to sit, not before as you don’t want a dog that is anxious and pops into s sit whenever you walk by nor do you want a dog that is in a down or stand as he could more easily fail the game (this is gone though more in-depth in the video)
4. All of your actions should be quick and intentional. Not so fast that you are panicked but fast enough to that your dog is to busy with what just happened to think about what you are doing next.
STEP 2 LET THE GAMES BEGIN (ADDING VALUE TO THE CRATE)
Have your treats in a bowl (we find on top of the crate to be the easiest).
Take just one piece (about the size of the top of a pencil - eraser). With your body blocking the entrance open the door to the crate and reach to the back upper corner, give the treat. Now while the puppy is still busy chewing stand back up and close the door.
Pause for a second and then repeat.
Each time you should latch the door and let go of the crate completely.
Giving the treat in the back upper corner is awkward and hard but this teaches the dog to sit. The sit keeps the dog from easily moving forward breaking the plane (entrance of the door) in future steps. It also gives you a moment to react and close the door if your dog does try to leave.
If your dog starts to get excited and bounce, patter his feet, etc. when you go for the door then just stand there. You can pretend to reach for the latch then back off if need be until the dog learns that he must be still in order to “get you to touch the door” thus progressing the game to the reward stage.
STEP 3 PROOFING
If at any time your dog comes out or tries to: Close the crate door without a treat and wait (typically 3-10 seconds) before trying again.
If your dog breaks the sit you might have progressed too quickly and need to reinforce step I more.
- When you open the crate pause for a second, then treat, close the door, let go of the crate door, stand, repeat - increasing time to 5-10 seconds. Repeat until dog has it down and stays solid inside his crate.
- Open the crate, pause for a second wavering your weight back and forth from one foot to the other, then treat, close door, release the crate door, stand. Repeat until dog has it down and stays solid inside his crate.
- Open crate step back one step, step forward, treat. Close the door, release the crate door, stand, repeat.
With empty hands open the crate and clip the leash to the buckle collar. Then grab a treat from your bowl on top of the crate and treat (in back upper corner), close the crate door, release crate door, stand, repeat. (Note: your leash will be trailing out on the ground to the outside of the crate, this is fine the door won’t hurt it)
Now repeat but instead of putting the leash on take it off. Close the crate door, release the crate door, stand, repeat.
If your dog breaks the sit go back a step (or two) and do more proofing and crate value.
If at any time your dog comes out or tries to: Close the crate door without a treat and you wait (typically 3-10 seconds) before trying again.
End this section with the leash on.
STEP 5 COMING OUT/RELEASE
With the leash on and the crate door closed stand on the hand loop side of the leash. Be a bit to the side and open the door giving your puppy the command to exit the crate. (We use “Ok” as a release for every stay and thus we use it here as well) When the puppy exits - say and do nothing! It is not the exit that we want to reward but rather the re-entrance to the crate. When the puppy goes back in let it rain praise and rewards (in the back and upper side).
If you have a wire crate you can now give the reward from the outside (through the crate) instead of having to reach into the crate. Doing it prior to now will delete a distraction of you being in his space so it is best up until now to reach in.
When the dog comes out of the crate it may take some time for him to go back in. This is why a calm quiet time without distractions is preferred. Be patient and just stand there. Some puppies may go right back in, some may take a minute (or five). But when he does go back in treat and praise him heavily.
Once he has gone back in you are done for the day! Do not repeat Step 5!
If your puppy/dog doesn’t go back in after 5-10 mins or if he lays down outside of the crate:
Puppy: take him by his rib cage and face him towards the crate opening and wait till he wants to go in, then praise and reward.
Dog: grab his collar and face him towards the crate opening until he wants to go in when he does praise and reward.
It is important that he wants to go in on his own and that you are not forcing him to. This needs to be his choice! If this has happened take it back to step one and add some more value to the crate.
Make sure you have spent a few weeks (or more) going though steps 1-5 before you ever attempt Step 6 and beyond.
STEP 6 NAME THAT GAME
Now that he understands what he is supposed to do and does it perfectly you can name it. You don’t want to name it to soon because if he is doing the game incorrectly or incompletely then you have just taught him that the incorrect/incomplete behavior is the one you want when you say that command.
So now when he enters the crate give it a command. Many people just say crate or kennel but you can be as creative as you like “go to jail”, “cave” , “prison time”, etc.
STEP 7 COLLAR GRAB GAME
Many dogs don’t like their collars grabbed but this (like holding still) is an important life skill. It is at this point where Manding (from the recommended Puppy Culture video will come in really handy)
Have high and low value treats ready, as well as a hungry puppy. Typically we use kibble as low value and hot dog/ liver/ steak or chicken as high value.
Put a buckle collar on him and have him start this training session in his crate. Now without the leash release him having him come to you, (you shouldn’t be more than a few feet away at first) now grab his collar and give him the low value reward. Now face him towards the crate and antagonize him forward towards it by putting just a slight bit of pressure away from the crate on the collar you are holding. Dogs oppose pressure so putting pressure onto the collar in the opposite direction as the crate will likely encourage him to lean into it. Also if you have done your homework adding lots of value over the last few weeks to the crate he will know that entering that crate will bring great reward! You can also hissy or say ready-ready-ready in a fun voice etc. Whatever gets your dog keyed up.
Repeat this moving to different spots around the training area.
STEP 8 CHANGED MY MIND
Have a toy ready to play with your dog. I usually stuff it in my back pocket so I can rip it out fast when the time comes.
Building on game seven send your dog back to the crate but when he gets there instantly release him, when he gets to you reward him with a game of play tug or ball whatever he likes. Tug works best as you can then ask him to out and send him back to the crate again quickly.
To proof: Do this sling shot 2-3x then don’t ask him out. If he comes out, then the crate door closes and the game is over for a bit (typically a minute) then try again.
Remember: If at any time your dog comes out or tries to without being asked: Close the crate door without a treat and you wait before trying again.
STEP 9 ADDING DISTANCE
Now that you have in and out, a little bit of distance (usually a few feet) and a second reward you can increase the distance. Step back to 5 feet, then back in to 3ft, then out to 10 ft, then to 20ft, then back in to 8ft. Basically vary the distance in and out, side to side to help add interest and keep it fun. Pretty soon you could be doing football field sized send aways!
Good Luck and Happy Training!