House-training your dog and setting up a crate

House Training

I cannot tell you how many times people have adopted dogs from the local animal shelter, only to return them the next day for wrecking the kitchen or chewing up an entire couch!  This is not the dog’s fault!  The adopters harbored unreasonable expectations and lacked preparation and supervision.  The loss of furnishings could have been easily been prevented with the use of a crate.  The crate should be sized big enough that the dog can stand up on all fours comfortably, turn around, and lie down stretched out at full length.  For house-training purposes, it should be no larger.  If you have a puppy, you can buy a crate that will fit the dog when full grown.  Some brands of crates come with dividers that you can use to resize the crate to fit the puppy as it grows.  If you don’t have one of these brands, you might have to improvise by stuffing a cardboard box into the crate to take up the extra space; you can adjust the size of the box as the puppy grows.  Dogs are naturally clean and do not like to soil where they eat or sleep, so the proper sizing of the crate helps Fido learn to relieve himself outside.  Too small a crate, and the dog will be uncomfortable.  Too large a crate, and he will be perfectly comfortable soiling one corner and living in the other, so plan accordingly.

Setting Up the Crate

The crate should be a safe place, a comfortable den for the dog, if you will.  It should not generally be used for punishment.  You might want to put a towel, blanket, or dog-bed in the crate for your dog’s comfort, or some old clothes with your scent on it.  Don’t put anything in there that the dog can’t have or that the dog can easily tear up and/or choke on.  For a puppy or dog that is not yet housetrained, you may want to supply newspaper for bedding instead (for bedding, not potty, purposes!)  I supply the crated dog with water by providing a flat-sided, stainless steel pail hooked to the side or door of the crate with a carabiner-style clip.  This provides the crated dog with fresh drinking water while minimizing the possibility of spills.  The crate is also a good place for you to put the dog’s chew-toys, provided you are there to supervise. Further details are in the next post.

How to crate-train a dog or puppy

Crate Training

Your dog or puppy may already come crate-trained, but if not, the training is fairly easy to do.  Set up the crate out of Fido’s sight.  Put the crate in a corner of a room where you and your family spends a lot of time, like the den. Put one or two tasty treats in the front of the crate and some more in the back without Fido seeing.  Leave the door of the crate open.  Make sure any urgent needs on Fido’s part, such as a potty-break, have been met.  Finally, bring Fido into the room and supervise as he wanders around.  Do not force him into the crate.  If he shows interest in the crate, pet him and praise him in a happy voice!  Curiosity will usually cause him to explore the crate.  He will quickly find his chew-toys and the treats, and will already begin to think of the crate as a happy place.  Do not shut Fido into the crate at this time!  Just allow him to get used to it.  If he leaves the crate, fine; he can go in and out as he pleases.  You may end this training session at any time at this point and move on to some other place or activity; just make sure you end it on a happy note.

It is a good idea, even after Fido is quite used to the crate, to continue to make it a happy place for the dog.  If he continues to find surprises (new toys, hidden treats) in the crate, it will remain one of his favorite places to visit.  He needn’t find the reward every time; once in a while is fine once he is used to the crate.  The reason to surprise him is to avoid bribing him.  He should get into the crate willingly whether you have goodies for him or not!  You can also have a treat that you can give Fido after he gets into the crate, but make sure you are not constantly luring him into the crate with treats every time. Some owners feed the dogs in their crates to help make it one of their favorite spots in the house.

Once Fido has become used to the crate, you can begin getting him used to being shut in it.  When he has entered the crate on his own, shut the door very briefly (a few seconds) and praise him.  Drop a treat to him, and let him out.  Repeat a few times.  Once he is comfortable with this game, gradually lengthen the time you leave him in the crate.  At first, stay in the room (watch television, read the paper, etc.)  You might want to give him something to do, such as chew on a stuffed Kong or other chew toy, while he waits. When he is comfortable spending 20 minutes or more in this arrangement, practice leaving the room, first for very brief periods of time (a few seconds) and then for longer and longer amounts of time.  Come back to him when he is waiting quietly.  If he is whining, barking, or scratching at the door, ignore him and stay away.  This is one reason why it is important to give him a potty-break before you start!  If you reappear or open the crate while he is acting out, it will only encourage the behavior.  If you reappear and open up the crate while he is being “good,” you will encourage calm behavior.

By this point or as soon as possible, begin to crate Fido during naptime and overnight.  In the evening you can move the crate from the den to the room where he will spend the night.  Many owners keep the crate on the floor of the bedroom so the dog has company, but the location depends on personal preferences.  If you have a dog despite having allergies to them, it is best to keep the dog out of the bedroom at all times, especially while you sleep.

There is another step once Fido is sleeping in the crate and comfortably spending 30 minutes or more during the day while you are out of sight.  You need to make sure that the dog is comfortable in the crate whenever you leave the house.  Crate him and leave the house for a very brief period of time, perhaps five minutes.  Return and praise/treat Fido and let him out if he is waiting quietly.  Repeat, lengthening the time that you are gone.  Remember to make sure he has regular opportunities to relieve himself as explained under “Puppy or Dog?” in Section I of this book.  If you must work and cannot return home, enlist the help of a trusted friend or neighbor or even a paid dog-walker until you are sure the dog can reliably wait until you get home.

When to give a crate-trained dog more freedom

Reducing the Use of a Crate

Some owners are perfectly comfortable crating their adult dogs all day while they are at work and all night while they sleep, for the entire life of the dog.  In my eyes this is unfortunate and probably unnecessary for most dogs.  Other owners prefer to give their dogs more freedom.  The latter is fine, provided that the dog has gradually earned your trust.  How long it takes the dog to no longer need a crate depends on the dog and the breed.  Some retrievers and working breeds, such as Australian Shepherds, don’t really start to mellow out until two-and-a-half to three years of age.  Puppies that are still teething are definitely best crated unless supervised.  Teething usually starts at about four months and is over (or at least the worst of it is) by the end of six months of age.  

The general idea is to provide constant supervision whenever the dog is not crated, and then to gradually allow more freedom as the dog has gained your trust and follows the household rules.  Once you are sure the dog prefers his chew-toys and will not destroy your furniture, even when you are out of sight, and once he is eliminating outside without accidents, you might want to try giving him his freedom at night or while he is napping, as long as you are at home.  Presumably he will be on his best behavior while he is sleeping!  Gradually lengthen the other times he is allowed alone outside the crate, until he is rarely using it at all.  If there is a problem, blame yourself for trusting him too soon, and increase the level of crating/supervision until the dog is more reliable.  Even after your dog has grown up, you may still want to hang onto the crate to use when you are traveling or for the first few days after you move into a new home.

Training a dog to eliminate inside the house

Alternatives to the Great Outdoors

Not every dog is trained to do its business outside.  Owners of tiny dogs, dwellers of city apartments, and people with limited mobility sometimes train the dog to go potty in a spot indoors.  Just remember, it is best if this arrangement is considered long-term or permanent.  Once the dog gets used to regularly relieving himself indoors, it is much harder for him to learn to go outside to do so!  There are puppy-pads sold commercially for this purpose.  Dogs can even be trained to use a litter-box, and there are some commercial litters beginning to be sold specifically for dogs.  A litter-box is best used by small dogs, unless you are comfortable having a box up to the size of a child’s wading-pool in your house for the large ones.  Training is similar to training the dog to go outside, except that you bring the dog to its indoor potty-spot to do its business.  Putting some of the dog’s urine or feces in the spot can help give him an idea of where you expect him to go.  Remember to praise and reward him for doing the right thing!

Useful behaviors: A dog's name and attention

His name and attention: 

Dogs learn their names quickly, but it is still something you must train.  Reward Fido for responding to his name to help him learn it well. 

If you cannot get the dog’s attention, you cannot really begin to train.  Some breeds (herders, particularly) offer attention much more naturally than others.  This is different than responding to his name; you want Fido to “check in with you” willingly, of his own accord, without prompting by you, and often. Begin in a low-distraction environment.  Whenever Fido looks in your direction, click and treat.  Move to slightly more distracting environments and do the same.  If Fido has trouble paying attention to you, put him on his leash.  Give him a very short bit of leash to move around on, perhaps by standing on it.  Eventually Fido will get bored of the environment and look at you with a “What now?” look.  Click, reward, repeat.  Keep the sessions short.