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Posts Tagged ‘ dog crate ’
Indoor dog kennels are a necessity to any family that adopts or purchases a new dog. It is always a good idea to keep new dogs in a kennel because new owners cannot be sure how the dog will behave when they are not supervised. Dogs have a tendency of getting anxious when left alone, leaving them to chew up anything in the house including the owner’s belongings, furniture, and items that could be poisonous to the dog. Kennels are also very helpful in house training a dog because dogs tend not to want to urinate in a closed and contained area.
There are a few different types of indoor dog kennels. Most indoor kennels are made out of plastic with metal wire openings in the sides with a plastic or metal wire door. These are great for indoor use because they can be moved and cleaned easily. There are also metal wire cage style dog kennels. These are also light and easy to clean, and bedding can be changed easily. Some owners prefer these because the dog is able to see out of the kennel from any direction.
Indoor dog kennels can easily be found at any large chain store, and they are also available at pet supply shops. There is a wide variety available at online retail stores.
When purchasing a dog kennel an owner must take the size of the dog into consideration. For indoor kennels the size does not have to be too large, but the dog should be able to move around comfortably. The kennel should also be large enough to fit light bedding and a couple of chew toys to ease the dog’s discomfort and loneliness.
An indoor dog kennel is very often overlooked when new pet owners adopt a dog, but it is a very good way to ensure the comfort of the dog and the comfort of the new owner. It helps to build a trusting relationship with the new pet, and it also helps to protect the home and belongings of the new owner.
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Because most dogs harbor a psychological tendency known as a “den” instinct, it is important to use knowledge of this impulse in order to know how to crate train a dog. The den instinct is simply a preference by animals of small, safe spaces. It has been seen most often among animals in the wild who like to prepare small caves and dugouts for themselves or for new offspring. Scientists believe the den instinct springs from a desire to be protected from the elements and predators.
House breaking a puppy begins with knowing more about this den instinct and using what you know about this animal habit to help a crate puppy grow accustomed to his kennel or dog crate.
One of the first lessons that will have to be instilled in a puppy is how to stay in the crate area. Small puppies do not yet know the rules of the house and will have to be contained until they grow accustomed to you. Those who know how to train a puppy know that the initial lesson will start with feeding the puppy inside his crate. The natural hunger impulse is to follow the food, but if that food is not in the crate from the very beginning, the dog will not stay in the crate to eat.
Most trainers recommend leaving the food in the crate with the dog for 15 to 20 minutes. When the dog is done eating, remove the food and make sure you let the dog out of the crate. If the dog associates eating with being inside of the crate, then the crate becomes a happy place for him.
Leaving a bed in the crate for the puppy is not a good idea. Dogs like to urinate on surfaces that absorb their urine. It is almost certain a new puppy who learns to urinate on his bed will develop this as a habit. It will make it even more difficult to ensure the dog is house broken. Blankets and other toys left in the crate may present choking hazards.
In order to know how to train a dog gradually to have a tolerance for his crate, you must watch the individual personality of the dog and slowly build the number of hours he is left in the crate. For example, it is never a good thing to leave the dog in the crate for extended hours.
Animal experts recommend leaving the dog in the crate for one hour per number of months old, plus one. A three-month-old dog can be left for four hours, though dogs (of any age) should never be crated for more than five or six hours at a time. Crating should also not be done for puppies that are less than nine weeks old. They are too young to control their body functions and will have more accidents inside the crate. This will frustrate the owner and might sabotage house breaking.
There has been some debate among pet owners about whether crating dogs is the best way to train them. Some believe that a kennel complete with dog crate pads is a cruel way to teach a dog discipline, since it requires the dog to be caged.
According to most pet owners, however, this caging method is indeed how to crate train a dog. It is the best thing for both the pet and the owner. Not only does it teach the dog to enjoy his own space (and give the pet owner his own space and time to relax), but it also prepares the dog to get accustomed to the crate for traveling or in the unfortunate event of pet injury or surgeries.
The crate also reduces separation anxiety and ensures the dog gets used to the owner being out of the room. Separation anxiety has been known to lead to other destructive behaviors in the dog and sometimes owners may see their belongings destroyed because of it. The crate should also never be a place the dog gets banished to for punishment. He will begin to associate the crate with fear if he is sent there for bad behavior.
Even when you know how to crate train a dog, it is important to pay attention to special conditions that might call for exceptions to the rules rather than honoring the general rules for crating. Crating can be an extremely useful training mechanism, but it must honor the needs of the dog in order to be successful for the owner.
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