Looking for a specific piece of info? This video's timecodes: 2:40 Is a Crate Right for You? 4:46 Crate Types 7:42 Crate Sizing 8:16 Habituation 11:10 Using Your Crate
PLAYERKILL - I see this is 6 mos old but having had a Pom who loved his: get a *small plastic crate!* He went into it all on his to sleep or whenever he felt nervous or overwhelmed, likely bc he felt secure in a confined, safe spot (away from giant humans & safe from lots of feet walking/shuffling around/ *accidentally* getting kicked) 😟🤕😢
Hi, can I ask, would you recommend a crate for a brand new Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy if the owners will always be around? (Disabled owner who doesn’t work) It’ll be four months old when it arrives. It won’t be left unsupervised so is it still necessary or beneficial?
Really need help on this! I have a puppy that's only about 2 months old and still isn't too properly potty/crate trained etc. This is the first puppy I've owned thus far so its been an experience trying to raise and train it properly. Thus far, she's been sleeping in a wire crate and pretty much stays in there for the most part when the family isn't around. However, watching this video sort of indicates to me that my puppy should definitely not be sleeping/staying in the wire crate for extended periods of time. Can I ask where should she be sleeping/ what is the best environment for her to be around? We are worried she might run around the house peeing/pooping or biting off anything she can find when we leave her alone in the middle of the night or worse still, run off and go missing.
My pup is now 5 1/2 months old now is is completely potty trained! Crate training worked wonderfully!!!! She even knows when it's time for bed at night and goes willingly. Very proud of my baby! : )
Advice: dogs do not like to pee or poop where they sleep. The dog may bark to be released from the crate initially but you can use this to your advantage. When they request to be let out, take them from the crate to the bathroom area in the yard. Encourage them to pee with whatever command you use. Don’t allow them to stop and play or do other non helpful things. Then reinforce the activity with high praise once they squat to go. This teaches them that barking in the crate means that I need to pee only! Hope this helps. There are other tips, but this is the least complicated I can give lol
LOL great on the crate training, but "whoops" on the grooming tools. I hadn't thought about it, but I might do a video on that. There's a handout on my website, but now that you mention it I think it might make a good video.
@@SimpawticoDogTraining I'd love a grooming video. Mine haaaates being brushed. And she shouts like I'm trying to kill her but I'm hardly touching her She's sooo fluffy too so needs brushing 🤦
I have been watching so many training videos since we brought our lil dude home. He is a border collie pup and your info had been hands down the most thorough. I love to understand why I am doing something, so I really appreciate your approach to these videos. Love the explanations & the bullet points. New favorite channel!!!! One question, do you have a video on how to get the family involved? I am currently the alpha lol and our pup is more attached to me than anyone which is bumming them out. I tried to tell them it is because I am the one doing it all 😂🤷🏼♀️ Thanks again for great videos!!!!
Simpawtico Dog Training good video. Please advise on the issue. I have 8 month old Yorkie whom I got since he was 8 weeks old. I failed to crate train him when he was a baby and it appears to me that he uses his cushion bed as his den. However, recently he started to do occasional minor acts of mischief such as scratching the baseboards when left alone. I would like to correct his behavior or crate train him so when I have to leave the house I won't worry about my property being destroyed. Is it too late for crate training? The dog hates the crate and cries, scratches and tries to bite it. I tried the treats and ignoring his behavior. He will go in and when I close the doors drama begins. I try to ignore his cries and scratching and simply be around doing my things. I disappear for few minutes and don't show up when he cries. I wait couple of minutes for him to stop and showup when he is quiet for few minutes. I praise him everytime i pass the crate. I didn't use the crate as punishment but also i don't want to reinforce the behavior of "i cry and scratch he will eventually come here and let me go." Please advise on the issue. Thank you.
K Roberts my puppy is 8 weeks now bully pit & he cry’s when I put him in there .. do I close the crate ? He cry’s so much how do I get him comfortable.. he goes in on his own sometimes but I think he’s getting used to sleeping with me on my bed
My old dog was adopted at age 6 and had been abused so we never crate trained him, he had his own corner in the house to go to to sleep but generally disliked being kept contained - he had fears of kennels and of closed spaces. But we’re starting to foster dogs now so it’s interesting to learn about how useful crate training can be!
I had a sheltie that LOVED finding a den to nap in. If she didn't have access to her crate, she was under furniture, exactly like you said. And we ALWAYS had to have her crate in the same room as her when we brought a new pet home and teach the new pet that her crate was off limits to them so she always had somewhere to go when she needed a break from them so she wouldn't end up nipping at them. It really helped her get along with new pets.
Great explanation of crate use and very thorough. I always look forward to your videos. Also, you get my vote for the best-dressed trainer on UA-cam ;D
I have just started watching your videos Ian, and I am very impressed. I always get a bit of an "ick" feeling when these training videos include advertising, and I appreciate that that is not your first priority (or priority at all). I am getting my first dog in a month, a puppy. So much to learn, and I feel so overwhelmed! Your straightforward, no nonsense approach as helped me already! Thank you for this awesome, free content. If you write a book, I WILL BUY IT!
This is a comment about crates for vehicles. Most dogs are treated like "toys" or "stuffed animals" in vehicles. They are allowed to ride on the driver's lap, feet on steering wheel, heads hanging out the window, running around in the vehicle, etc. Please consider these realities: (1) you would NEVER let your child loose in a vehicle - no matter how old - they are travelling at the speed of the vehicle and when it comes to a stop, so do they - at that speed - even if it requires flying thru the windshield first until something stops them - forever (2) eyewitness - a chihuauhua hanging out the driver's window at a toll booth who jumps out the window and is flattened by an oncoming tractor trailer - why? (3) eyewitness - a van full of show dogs - labs - uncrated - in an accident on the interstate - the van "breaks open" - the dogs are running all over the interstate (you can guess the result) and running off into the "wilds" on the side of the interstate - the owner's/driver are incapacitated and unable to protect or gather their dogs - WHY? PLEASE DOG LOVERS - LOVE your dog by CARING for your dog like you would for your own child: CRATE it in the vehicle - this will be calming, no distractions for you and the dog will be safe if you get into an accident OR Use "seat belt restraints" for dogs. Your dog doesn't need to hang out the window or have a "view" to ENJOY travelling with you. You are endangering your life and your dog's life everytime you get into a vehicle - no matter how safe a driver you are, no matter how "big" your vehicle is and not matter how "short" the trip. LOVE your dog. Restrain it safely. Those crates ARE airline approved because in an accident, while the vehicle may be "broken open", the crate will probably be rolled around inside and your loved furry friend merely bruised or maybe a broken bone - but contained and transferrable to medical care. I had to make an agreement with the breeder of my last dog that I would always only keep her in an airline approved crate (belted in) whenever I put her in the car. This "disappointed" me at first - all those dreams of riding with a "pet" in the vehicle. But after three years - I would NEVER EVER EVER consider putting a dog in my vehicle unrestrained - either by belt if an immense dog in a small vehicle - or in a crate for every other dog. THINK ABOUT IT. You are responsible for protecting your dog as you would your child. Thank you for reading this. Your Pet's life depends on your decisions.
Thank you for sharing this information. I knew of a road traffic accident several years ago in which the car was rolled and one of the doors opened neither of the two dogs were restrained and both were hit by on coming traffic in the opposite carriageway when they ran across the road.
I love this guy.his information has been so helpful for me especially dealing with a troubled Staffordshire bull/American bull cross puppy. Definitly will be watching more videos ! And reccomending them !
I absolutely love your videos! Your way of explaining dog training concepts is very easy to understand and the production quality of your videos is a cut above the rest. I would be interested in a video regarding how to introduce a puppy/new dog to existing pets including cats and small rodents. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Really helpful video! We have just adopted a three year old Kokoni cross. She is sweet and gentle; completely toilet trained, and will happily go in her crate when we are around. She sleeps at night in her bed on the landing outside our bedroom. The problem comes when we need to leave the house; then she will wail, bark, drool excesively and has gnawed at the cage so much she made her mouth bleed! We have tried pretending to leave for short periods; using the kong; leaving an item of clothing with our smell; background music, aromatherapy; ignoring the noise and rewarding calm moments (if they ever happen!) Someone advised to muzzle her in the crate, but I am not happy about this. Have not been able to leave the house for more than 1-2 hours at most since we got her. Urgently in need of advice
His father was a viking and his mother was a wolf! This guy knows dogs. Thanks for the tips, this is been the best presented youtube dog training video I have found so far!
Generally that's a good place to start unless your pooch isn't comfortable in a crate. You can graduate to other sleeping places out of the crate later if you want but controlling the space (especially when you can't supervise) is always a good idea in the early days.
i'm on 2 day with my new puppy. the first night with the crate was......i slept two hours. last night i slept 5 hours. not all at once but its getting better. i love the crate
I think crates are good for dogs, it gives them their own little space. My dog uses her crate as a way to have alone time, if I'm cleaning or talking on the phone or doing something too loud while she's trying to sleep she goes and curls up in there. She'll also bring chew toys in there and just hang out whenever, as I was watching this video she got in her crate and went to sleep.
Very good material, especially the part explaining why the crate is not cruelty. We have an almost year old puppy, mixed breed. He always stayed alone in our living room, just with a gate, limiting his "den" to this room, quite big one. But we lately saw that he likes sometimes to hide under our bed or under by chair as I work at the computer. It's combined with some noise phobia. We immediately decided to buy a crate and train him so that he had his sweet, comfy and safe place. It's here only 2 days long but he already is able to walk freely into the crate and lay for a few minutes. All in all, I think that I could remove the door as it's intended to be his safe place only, not to close him in there. Huge plus that cat loves the crate too and sleeps on it, plays with the dog on it, so it is becoming more and more accepted place. We need to make some kind of cover over it too. Again, thanks for the really good video :)
Update after a month: the crate is accepted totally. We decided not to remove the door. They just stay taped to the sides and to the wall. Maybe one day we would need to lock him there for a few minutes (like when when our cat accidentally threw off a glass and it broke into pieces, at least we knew that he did not step on the glass and his paws were safe). Sometimes we send him to his place to calm down and he knows alreadt that this is the place to cool off and get his emotions in control. Sometimes he sleeps there, when he needs peace but of course the couch is the favourite spot :) On the other hand, it's the favourite place to sleep for our cat, on the crate. He even got a pillow. The best part was when during a strom, he heard a thunder (we now fight against a severe loud sounds anxiety) and just walked into his crate and laid down. Then after a few thunders, he walked out and laid down next to us, with no signs of fear. I do not need to tell that this was a huge relief for us... and an ecouragement to work more. It's hard to take the crate for walks, though :) Thanks, man. Your video assured us that the crate was a good choice and we worked on accepting it even harder.
I think youre wrong about the if you can only afford one part. Buy a wire crate and put a good cover on it. Then its as simple as taking a cover off to have inclusion time
One of my dogs just loved his crate. He always went there for naps and chew toy/lil snack time. Since I needed that one to train his sister, I brought him a plastic one [tarp material] and he was OK too... till he learn how to unzip it from inside in the night [sleep time] and parade in front of her "trapped" sister. I fix the zipper with a string, but it throws his sister training back a couple of weeks because "WHY IS HE OUTSIDE PLAYING IN THE NIGHT AND I AM TRAPPED?! IS NOT FAIR!!"
My dog tendsto den up wherever he can watch me. At my grnadma's we have a blanket he knows is his and put it on a certain sofa and he knows that's his spot. One day we walked over and the blanket was being washed the boy wasn't sure what to do but he stayed off the sofa. Sometimes I'll jsut lay down my coat and he'll gravitate to that
Just got a standard poodle puppy yesterday. I wish I had come upon your videos earlier. LOVE THEM!!! I have watched many different training videos to date and I find you just explain things super well. Keep up the awesome work!!!!
I open the door all the way and clip it to a carabiner I keep on the corner of the crate. Leave it on the top corner and hook the door open or closed whenever. Keeps the door securely open.
I use wire crates. For my last dog I wrapped a bedsheet around it to reduce her anxiety. Since I lived with others, she stayed in my room primarily, but we were able to get her out of the crate altogether once she felt like the house was hers. After that, she’d willingly go in to nap, relax and sleep. High praise for positive behaviors and consistency are key. Happy training!
Hi from Greece.. thanks for great solutions. I have a 7 month old greek sheppard. I don't have neither wire crate nor plastic crate. But I'm going to buy the plastic one. A question: should I close the crate door from the beginning or I leave it opened until the dog is trained to it? Thanks in advance 😊😊
You are a genius. I have a 8wk old Shorkie. This is my first puppy experience. So far so good but I’ve learned soooo much from you. I’m definitely subscribing and watching everyday LOL. Thank you!
I'm not sure if you've covered this in a video, but what do you do if your puppy cries in the crate at night? It's hard to tell if he's crying because he needs to pee or because he wants attention. I don't want to give him attention if he's crying because I don't want him to learn that crying is a successful attention-getting strategy, lol, but I don't want to ignore him if he needs to go.
My dog is 8 & 1/2 and she just had surgery. It required crate rest. She has never been in one in her life. She has still been a bit loopy so we set it up and just let her get comfortable with it being there. We waited and she went in herself multiple times. I’m voting to keep it after her time is up. She feels safe. My only issue is locking her in it. I don’t like doing it. I know it’s for the best but I have so much anxiety about it
How long should we crate train our dogs for? When can I leave the crate door open? We crate trained a rescue & we've had him a year now. He's such a good boy, should I leave his door open so he can snuggle on the sofa? (Your videos are basically my bible.)
There's not really a standardized time frame. Every dog and every household will be unique. If you feel that your dog can be left unsupervised without recreational destruction, then there's probably no reason not to. The crate would really only be to keep the dog safe or your house safe. If your dog will just chew on a bone and nap on the couch, no worries.
I used a crate to make a den. I just left the door open and covered it in blankets. My dog loved that and it helped easy her anxiety. She later had designated "safe zones." She hated crates being closed, but loved being in a den. Her anxieties flared badly when the door was closed.
How do you handle crate training around a full time job? I'm looking at adopting soon, and hopefully I can start training on a weekend, but I feel like this is super important to have down before having to leave for work for 7-9 hours a day..
There is zero evidence dogs are denning animals. Would you leave your baby in a minimal cage in which they can barely move? Would you leave your baby in there without a diaper and expect them to hold their bladder for 4 hours? Dogs are higly social and curious animals. They constantly need a lot of space to move around. Crates are just convenience items for people who don't have any desire to understand animals. The worst thing is that your dog will still love you unconditionally even if you are cruel to them. It breaks my heart when I think about all the abused crate-trained dogs. Why would you give a hamster a big cage while a dog only gets a ridiculously small prison cell? I already know I'm going to get a whole bunch of hate comments from people who still think crate training is somehow acceptable. In my country crate training is even illegal. Dogs are NOT denning animals! And even if they were, the den shouldn't be a locked cage with holes in it.
Hi Ruma. Thanks for your comment. True, dogs are not "denning" like bears or other wild animals do, BUT the proclivity to find areas of security is well documented (hence dogs that hide under beds, for example). And like those areas, we just use the crate as a safe and protected place. Your comments about babies are correct, too. However, we DO NOT expect a dog who can't hold their bladder to stay in there longer than they can. You're making comparisons this video specifically said NOT to do. But, you WOULD put a baby in a crib, right? So a crate is more akin to a crib. Abusive crate-trained breaks my heart, too. However to claim that crate training automatically equals abuse is over-dramatizing and misinformed. Even in countries where it's supposedly illegal, there are times in a dog's life they may have to go into confinement-at a vet's office over night, at a shelter or rescue, if something bad happens to you and they're taken into humane custody…it's much more inhumane to not give them coping skills. You're focusing on ONLY the denning part and paying almost zero attention to anything else in the video. We agree the crate shouldn't be done the way you're saying. We said that many times. There is a humane, ethical way to use crating that IMPROVES an animal's well-being, and it need not even be a lifelong solution. In most cases it's temporary. That fact that it's illegal in your country only means nobody was educated enough to use it humanly, so the authorities had to step up. As with marijuana, legality is not the same as morality or being just. Most of the same countries that have outlawed crates also legalize marijuana, which is still illegal in most of the U.S. Same with guns, gays, and even religion in parts of the world. Being legal or not is just not a good litmus test. The discussion is deeper than that. I respect your opinion and you're right to express it, but please do so without the drama.
Hi Ian, I love your videos! They are based on science, filled with empathy and a great attitude, very professional with great graphics and a wonderful sense of humor (AND lovely band shirts ;)). There are many topics about which I would like to hear your opinion. For example it would be great to watch a video about introducing a new dog to the dogs that are already at home. Keep the spirit up! You're doing a great job!
Christina Köhler Ditto! Love the production value of these videos - a definite cut above the rest - and I need information on training and integrating a new puppy into a 3 dog household. So many questions about feeding, training etc. Thx
We recently adopted a 2 yr. old rescue, who is a total love bucket. He has no behavior issues--house trained, not destructive. We were told recently by a professional trainer that we should crate train him, but I have a feeling his prior owner(s) used the crate for punishment, and I have reason to believe he was left in it for hours, possibly days, on end, which the trainer does not know. I'm wondering if it is even possible to crate train him?
Hi Patty. If that is your suspicion you will definitely have to approach it sensitively. It may take a good deal of time to change his emotional response to it. It may be easier to try a pen, or even a larger crate if potty training in the new home is going well.
I'll have to try the time feeding once training has progressed. Trying to give him his own space and putting his food, my blanket and some pillows in the crate has him going in there willing. Great tips!
Thank you very much - your videos are so clear, engaging, and full of both theory and practice! I volunteer with my local shelter to foster stressed out dogs. I would love to know more about how to work with dogs to focus on me when they are excited (dog-on-dog reactivity, excitement about children, in an energised play-bitey mood, etc).
I have a question! You said that dogs can grow out of them and potentially be home alone outside of them. How come you keep your experienced dogs in crates when you leave the house?
Most of that was setup for this video. They really don't at all at our house. The only times we use crates now is when service men have to come repair something (like the furnace), in the car, or when there's not really anywhere else for them and we need them safely out of the way. We'll sometimes use them when we travel to family's house and we'll use them there.
I just got a 12 week old healer pit mix and he absolutely despises the crate. When I come home whatever was in there is utterly destroyed and hes covered in poop and pee. Im lost here guys please help
I’ve had dogs all my life (almost 40 years) and have never used crates, probably I’m old school. I have a new puppy and I’m thinking of trying a crate.
I thought just like you.. NEVER used crates , I thought they were inhuman and would side eye people who did... I just got a new puppy and started watching some videos because he’s SO small, no way he could roam the house ... let me tell u.. BEST THING EVER! My pup loves it!! Give it a shot.. I’ll be honest .. the first 2/3 nights are hard! U HAVE to commit BUT totally worth it
@@SM-br5os thanks! I’ll give it a shot because he like to be all around the house and on the garden and playing with his older brother. Although that makes him have little accidents.
I wouldn't, actually. Once they leave the litter they should ideally develop more and more independence. It's easy in these cases for them to hyper-socialize with each other which will hinder your socialization work as they get older. Plus, as they get bigger, sleeping in the same crate will be more and more impractical in most cases, so don't try to change things later, just do it now when it's super easy. Hope that helps!
I'm a newly owner of it 6 week old Rottweiler puppy started crate training 2 days ago. How long throughout the day should I have the puppy in his crate?, He cries for about 10-15min then stops and goes to sleep I take them out to feed him also every hour or two to go potty... I'm just not sure on how long is proper to keep him in the crate please advise..
😆Our shepadoodle puts herself in timeout in her crate when we come home to a mess on the kitchen floor🤦🏻♀️. She has always been fine for it as timeout punishment as well as a safe place, but I guess that’s not the norm🤷🏻♀️. She’s also a self-feeder and its worked great with just a morning bowl fill. (Course we only have one dog so no food stealing issues.) She ‘dens’ on the living room chairs with us in the evening, or under desk/kit table chairs, or on top of covers on bed at night-wherever we are is where she is... Great info, tks!
Not necessarily. Only if you cannot supervise them in the 10 minute interim. Otherwise, just keep them on-leash with you. It's 3 minutes out, 10 minutes in, 3 minutes out again.
Picking up an 8 week old Jack Russell soon,don’t fancy a crate and keeping puppy in overnight or letting her loose either.looking to get a pen so she has room to move about and enough room for water bowl,bed and some absorbent toilet pads
If our brand new puppy is asleep should I just wait for her to wake up on her own to go the bathroom therefore breaking our semi-pattern or do I wake her up to keep the pattern going?
Hey there folks! My wife an I just adopted our first dog ever! She’s a 12 week old Shepard mix and I’ve been using this video to get her into the Kong and crate combo! My question is: When feeding with the Kong she can’t seem to finish (or get to it all) without working at it for a while and going back to it repeatedly. After a specific amount of time should I be taking it away? I don’t want it to seem like we are free feeding. Thank you! Really enjoying your videos.
Hi Reuben. So, free feeding is where the food is available 24/7 and/or left in a bowl for an extended period. A bowl is especially a very passive experience. However, when a dog is actively engaged in a Work-to-Eat activity, that can actually (and should) be a prolonged experience. It's very emotionally satisfying for them. So, if your dog is settling down with a Kong for an extended period, AWESOME. That's very mentally enriching. If she's leaving it and coming back, I suppose it depends on how long that period is in between. If she gets up, gets a drink or checks in with you, and then comes right back to it I'd see let her go to it. If she's leaving it and doing other things for a while and THEN coming back, I would pick it up. That's a separate session, really. That tells me, though, that she's invested in that kind of thing, so make sure there good chew toys available that she can also settle down with. Those should be available all of the time for her. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for these helpful videos!! Where do you keep the puppy when she's not literally being trained to be in the crate? I know this takes several sessions so would you recommend an xpen between crate training rounds? I've tried keeping the crate inside the xpen but she's using it as a litterbox :(
Our Aussie loved his crate and willingly went in where he received a treat. Around 13 months he became crate aggressive. He still willingly good in but he growls and barks and snarls when we are closing the door. After he settles right down. Is this crate guarding? How do we address it? Thanks. We love your video as.
Thank you, this video came at the perfect time, our crate came yesterday and today will be the first time Ash will be introduced to it. I am happy to have watched this before I made any training mistakes.
I'm really liking this video series! Great info and professionally produced. We have a problem and are desperate for a little advice. We got a 9 month old rescue Shiba Inu from China 8 days ago and are at our wits end. He had a urinary tract infection and giardia upon arrival which we just finished giving the meds for yesterday. We have been crate training him, but don't know what to do at night. A trainer told us to let him "bark it out" which we did 2 nights ago. He barked for 2 hours, slept for 4 hours, then started barking at 3:30am. I took him out thinking he had to go, but he just wanted to play. After 10 minutes outside, I put him back in the crate and he barked a bit, then slept until 6:30am. Not too bad. So last night, we crated him and he only barked for a few minutes, but again at 3:30am, started barking and slamming against his crate. I came down and took him out, but after 15 minutes of waiting, he didn't go. I put him in his crate and went back to bed. He barked for another 2-3 hours. When I came down around 6:15am, he had peed and pooped in his crate and also ate most of the poop, which he really seems to dig unfortunately. So what to do tonight? I really have to get some sleep! BTW, he has peed in his crate like 6 times since we got him, even like 30 minutes after he had peed. I'm getting tired of cleaning that thing out!
Hows it going now? I feel your struggle, my adopted Pomeranian doesn’t pee when i take her out, but she always pee on my carpets😭. I’ve only had her for 3 days now, but i don’t know how to potty train her again (she’s 4yrs old) since she’s terrified of the leash and freezes when she’s in the outside… I’m goinf to do some desensitisation with her in out garden, just to get her used to the environment, but idk what to do about her toilet habits, since she’s bot food motivated at all!
@@diadiaa892 This was like 3 years ago, but as I recall, we hung in there and moved the crate to our bedroom. That solved the problem. We don't crate him anymore and he is a great dog! :-)
Is it ever too late to crate train? My shih tzu is 4 years old and has separation anxiety. He will chew the front door frame of our house and has recently been having accidents. I really would love to have him crate trained.
EverythingMommy I think you can! We adopted a 2 year old dog from a shelter and we started slow. We set the crate up and let her get used to seeing/sniffing it. We would throw little pieces of duck jerky for dogs into the crate and she would go in and eat them. Then we got her a big raw knuckle bone and put that in. She went in and started chewing it. We daily repeated and after a couple of days we locked the door and let her chew for about 15 minutes, gradually expanding the time. She is now up to 45 minutes. So far, so good! Sometimes she just goes in without treats and lays down for a few minutes. Good luck!
I am learning a lot from your videos! To answer your question, the way my dog would den up is to hide under my chair when I took him to the vet, or he would lie between my legs on the recliner at home. He died in February. I miss him. He was a good boy!
Now, crates are really not common in my country and my first reaction towards them was "wtf?", but I guess I can see how crates can be useful. However, I don't think I'll ever understand why you would leave your dog in there for several hours when you are away. I'm not saying it's cruel, I get that if done correctly, it's a safe place for your dog. I would get a crate too, but I don't think I would ever actually close it. It just seems like such a cheap excuse for many to leave your dog at home for several hours without having to worry about anything bad happening. For me, a dog lives at my place and ought to live there while I am not at home too. If my dog has a bad habit, like chewing stuff while I am gone, I would work on getting that fixed. Really, being in a flat alone already seems boring, but being in a crate seems even more boring, even if you enjoy being in there...
Thank you SO much for this channel and all of these videos! You have a loyal subscriber in me. We are expecting our 8 week Pitbull puppy in the next few weeks and are preparing as much as possible to be the best owner for her. :)
I was able to crate train my dog.It was easy. I put him in the crate every time it’s bed time at 9:30 pm every night. He goes in on his own and he knows the exact time.
I recently adopted a 1-2 year old dog from the shelter and he is just wonderful dog. He does tear up some stuff while we are gone, so we decided to get a crate for him and its coming in the mail today. We will only use it for when we are gone, possibly when people come over, and never for night time since he sleeps with us. Thank you for this!
Ive found the most success using it throughout the day randomly. You dont want him to only associate it with you leaving or not being allowed to meet people. It could be seen as a punishment even though its not what your intending. Leave the door open at first You can feed meals in it, put a pen around it and let him just be near it but not being forced to go in, even play games with it. Our wire crate has 2 door so i can go in one side with a treat and have him jump into the other to get it lol. You not only get the positive crate associations but can work on other training commands simultaneously such as cone, place, stay, break etc. most important thing: You have to make it fun and a place the dog loves. When you do leave the house, give a "special" treat toy thats just for the crate. When you cone home toy comes out. Youre dog will not only be fine while youre out but actually look forward to it and hope you stay out so they get more special toy time! Good luck!
Thank you for great videos! Just subscribed and have watched a few of your videos. We just got our first dog 5 days ago. She is an almost 9 weeks old Aussie. The breeder told us that she would not need to go out to pee during the night and let her sleep in her crate in our bedroom, at least for the first nights. It has worked without any problems or accidents so far, goes to sleep between 10-11 pm and sleeps until 6:30ish without any whining or peeing. She does whine for a few sec-minutes when put in the crate but settles down quickly. She is also doing super well on potty training, we take her out every time she wakes up from day-naps (which she usually takes on the mat/rug in front of the garden-door, which is obviously her favorite resting place ;) We had thought to train her to be in a play den area, that we made in a corner of the living room, for her to be in when we need to leave her at home alone, not in the crate itself (thus far she´s only in the crate during night time). She gets her food and water in the play den area and we have done "crate training games" with the den, she goes in and out without problems. We have closed the door to the play den area a few times, first only for a few sec-min and the last two times she settled down after praises when she stopped whining and she lay down and fell asleep and when she woke up she whined and wanted out - and we let her out (when she stopped whining ;) ) So, ok, now to my question ;) In three days we need to leave her alone for 2 hours for the first time (we can absolutely use the next 3 days to first leave her alone for shorter periods first).... should we stick to the plan and leave her in the play den area (no crate inside) when she´s home alone? Or should we train her rather to stay in her crate? We just thought about it now, that maybe it is dangerous/bad for her if we leave her alone in the play den area and she tries to jump/get out of it :/
We have a German shepherd that is 11 weeks. We’re currently trying to potty train him ( Beckett wreck-It Ralph). I was told he shouldn’t have free roam of our house. If we’re not playing with him then he needs to go up in the crate, but just seems to much. Is that correct? He’ll chew anything and everything including us and doesn’t know his bite down limit just yet. We have tried the kone and he doesn’t like it. Any advice?
You don't need to crate him any time he's not with you. It's just confinement of some kind: a gated room, a play pen, something like that where there isn't free access to the entire house. There also need to be things to do in those confinement areas to mitigate boredom (which is the birthing ground for most household behavior problems). So keep at it with the Kong (or any work-to-eat activity) to condition alone time. If that's the only way meals are served, he's going to get into it because mother nature won't let him go hungry. Then, you're not only getting some good mental stimulation in your confinement space, but also some good work teaching them to enjoy time alone, and develop their chewtoy habit.
We have been working on crate training for 2 weeks and our puppy still cries when we put him in there. He settles down and stops ~15 minutes after we put him in. Is that normal?
Thanks Ian!! This wil come in handy. My high energy dog will need to undergo knee surgery somewhere this year and won't be allowed to run around. I must say I wasn't looking forward to crate training. I feel better now that I know that you cover this in some vids! Will definitely check them out! ;)
How do you feel about bed training at night IF the dog will sleep in the bed? I have been doing this as a Vet Tech for years. I find I STILL USE the crate during the day or when I am not home so I am not disregarding the crate, just giving another night time method for LIGHT SLEEPERS who want puppy to sleep in the bed. I take the pup out every few hours when I first get them at 8 weeks. By 10 weeks they are generally waking and wiggly at about hour 3-4 and go potty outside quickly. They learn quickly that the bed is for sleep only. I bring NO toys to the bed and generally have them understanding bed is sleep time in less than a week, many times within 3 days. Obviously this will not work for heavy sleepers or for those who will not want there dog in their bed. I find that most of the pups I have potty trained are 100% or near that overnights within 3 weeks. (If accidents it usually at the door we are going out! LOL) During the day at play takes a bit longer depending on the breed and how much time a person has to potty train. I currently have a 10 week old doberman pup who had NEVER been outside so she was afraid to potty on the grass. Her fist experiences of going potty outside were on overnights. She is finally pooping outside during the day too. (she was pooping in the crate) So, we also have to consider what the puppy experienced before he/she came to our homes.
Hey if it's working for you and your puppies are happy and healthy, go for it. I personally don't have any issues with a dog in bed (ours sleep with us). I think your good consistency and rules are what make it successful for you and I really like seeing that. As pet professional you know, I'm sure, most recommendations for pets are for the "low hanging fruit." We can usually get away with a lot of things the average owner will muff up. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing your procedure!
Hi Ian-I love your channel so much! I have a 3 year old Basenji/Pitbull mix. Background: her first two years were spent on the streets & with a mean owner and the next 10 were in a shelter before my ex adopted her. Due to an issue, he couldn't take care of her after two months, so she came to live with me. I've now had her for two months. She's a honey and loves to cuddle, but also goes off on her own to chew or curl up. She doesn't like to sleep anywhere but with me. (That was my bad--I didn't realize.) Problem/Question: I live in an apt and am trying (after giving doggy daycare up) to leave her at home while I'm at work. I'm on Day 3 and so far, she's peed &/or pooped 2 out of 3 days. She's not destructive and she can hold it, but I think she's reacting to me being gone. Should I try to crate train her or should I focus more on Kong training to alleviate the isolation distress. Thank you!
Simpawtico Dog Training Thank you! Your videos have been an absolute life saver. I’ve been using your techniques to crate train her since her crate came four days ago. She’s been in it now for over an hour. I opened the door about fifteen minutes ago and she’s still laying in there ... this is huge for her! She’s so clingy. I can’t thank you enough!
No matter what I do, she whines when in the crate, even for a minute. And she doesn’t chew on the kong stuffed with food either. And her attention to toys only lasts a few seconds and then she whines and simply never stops, even long enough for me to let her out when she calms down
And it’s a bummer too because I can’t leave the house without her throwing a fit and the whining will go on and on until I’m back. I’ve videoed this. So what did I do to train her that this is ok, and how do I fix it? I have to be able to leave my house and have her be ok, whether it’s in a crate or the bathroom with closed door... or SOMETHING G
Looking for a specific piece of info? This video's timecodes:
2:40 Is a Crate Right for You?
4:46 Crate Types
7:42 Crate Sizing
8:16 Habituation
11:10 Using Your Crate
Should i get a plastic crate or wire crate for my Pomerian hes 18 months old and never been in a crate. Very energetic too
PLAYERKILL - I see this is 6 mos old but having had a Pom who loved his: get a *small plastic crate!* He went into it all on his to sleep or whenever he felt nervous or overwhelmed, likely bc he felt secure in a confined, safe spot (away from giant humans & safe from lots of feet walking/shuffling around/ *accidentally* getting kicked) 😟🤕😢
Hi, can I ask, would you recommend a crate for a brand new Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy if the owners will always be around? (Disabled owner who doesn’t work) It’ll be four months old when it arrives. It won’t be left unsupervised so is it still necessary or beneficial?
Really need help on this!
I have a puppy that's only about 2 months old and still isn't too properly potty/crate trained etc. This is the first puppy I've owned thus far so its been an experience trying to raise and train it properly. Thus far, she's been sleeping in a wire crate and pretty much stays in there for the most part when the family isn't around. However, watching this video sort of indicates to me that my puppy should definitely not be sleeping/staying in the wire crate for extended periods of time. Can I ask where should she be sleeping/ what is the best environment for her to be around? We are worried she might run around the house peeing/pooping or biting off anything she can find when we leave her alone in the middle of the night or worse still, run off and go missing.
Totally agree. Terrific explanation & great animated graphics too. Thank you. 💞
My pup is now 5 1/2 months old now is is completely potty trained! Crate training worked wonderfully!!!! She even knows when it's time for bed at night and goes willingly. Very proud of my baby! : )
Can you please give advice
How did you go about it? Just got a 9 month old lab from a friend. Anything is usedul
Advice: dogs do not like to pee or poop where they sleep. The dog may bark to be released from the crate initially but you can use this to your advantage. When they request to be let out, take them from the crate to the bathroom area in the yard. Encourage them to pee with whatever command you use. Don’t allow them to stop and play or do other non helpful things. Then reinforce the activity with high praise once they squat to go. This teaches them that barking in the crate means that I need to pee only!
Hope this helps. There are other tips, but this is the least complicated I can give lol
Apparently my dog is too well crate trained and will run in there as soon as he sees a brush! Can you do a video on grooming and bathing?
LOL great on the crate training, but "whoops" on the grooming tools. I hadn't thought about it, but I might do a video on that. There's a handout on my website, but now that you mention it I think it might make a good video.
😂😂😂😂😘💕
@@SimpawticoDogTraining I'd love a grooming video. Mine haaaates being brushed. And she shouts like I'm trying to kill her but I'm hardly touching her
She's sooo fluffy too so needs brushing 🤦
Dani Your are my favorite UA-cam or can you please make another record for me.
I have been watching so many training videos since we brought our lil dude home. He is a border collie pup and your info had been hands down the most thorough. I love to understand why I am doing something, so I really appreciate your approach to these videos. Love the explanations & the bullet points. New favorite channel!!!! One question, do you have a video on how to get the family involved? I am currently the alpha lol and our pup is more attached to me than anyone which is bumming them out. I tried to tell them it is because I am the one doing it all 😂🤷🏼♀️ Thanks again for great videos!!!!
Key is "intelligent use of the crate". Thank you!
True story. And you're welcome!
My 11 week old puppy goes in her crate by herself all the time. I think she thinks of it like het bedroom.
Perfect!
21 Savage
Simpawtico Dog Training good video. Please advise on the issue. I have 8 month old Yorkie whom I got since he was 8 weeks old. I failed to crate train him when he was a baby and it appears to me that he uses his cushion bed as his den. However, recently he started to do occasional minor acts of mischief such as scratching the baseboards when left alone. I would like to correct his behavior or crate train him so when I have to leave the house I won't worry about my property being destroyed. Is it too late for crate training? The dog hates the crate and cries, scratches and tries to bite it. I tried the treats and ignoring his behavior. He will go in and when I close the doors drama begins. I try to ignore his cries and scratching and simply be around doing my things. I disappear for few minutes and don't show up when he cries. I wait couple of minutes for him to stop and showup when he is quiet for few minutes. I praise him everytime i pass the crate. I didn't use the crate as punishment but also i don't want to reinforce the behavior of "i cry and scratch he will eventually come here and let me go." Please advise on the issue. Thank you.
Miko Lanks maybe try Kongs and/or put the dog bed in. Also, make sure to give treats :3
K Roberts my puppy is 8 weeks now bully pit & he cry’s when I put him in there .. do I close the crate ? He cry’s so much how do I get him comfortable.. he goes in on his own sometimes but I think he’s getting used to sleeping with me on my bed
My old dog was adopted at age 6 and had been abused so we never crate trained him, he had his own corner in the house to go to to sleep but generally disliked being kept contained - he had fears of kennels and of closed spaces. But we’re starting to foster dogs now so it’s interesting to learn about how useful crate training can be!
I had a sheltie that LOVED finding a den to nap in. If she didn't have access to her crate, she was under furniture, exactly like you said. And we ALWAYS had to have her crate in the same room as her when we brought a new pet home and teach the new pet that her crate was off limits to them so she always had somewhere to go when she needed a break from them so she wouldn't end up nipping at them. It really helped her get along with new pets.
Great explanation of crate use and very thorough. I always look forward to your videos. Also, you get my vote for the best-dressed trainer on UA-cam ;D
Thanks!
Terry T I disagree with your opinion
@@kenrob83 🤫
My dog loves her crate and will den up under end tables when we go to other peoples houses for an afternoon without the crate.
The instructions for the earplugs were unclear my dog ate the earplugs and pulled a gun on me
That made me laugh way too hard
LOL!!! Thanks for the much needed laugh for this exhausted, overwhelmed puppy mama!
I have just started watching your videos Ian, and I am very impressed. I always get a bit of an "ick" feeling when these training videos include advertising, and I appreciate that that is not your first priority (or priority at all). I am getting my first dog in a month, a puppy. So much to learn, and I feel so overwhelmed! Your straightforward, no nonsense approach as helped me already! Thank you for this awesome, free content. If you write a book, I WILL BUY IT!
This is a comment about crates for vehicles.
Most dogs are treated like "toys" or "stuffed animals" in vehicles.
They are allowed to ride on the driver's lap, feet on steering wheel, heads hanging out the window, running around in the vehicle, etc.
Please consider these realities:
(1) you would NEVER let your child loose in a vehicle - no matter how old - they are travelling at the speed of the vehicle and when it comes to a stop, so do they - at that speed - even if it requires flying thru the windshield first until something stops them - forever
(2) eyewitness - a chihuauhua hanging out the driver's window at a toll booth who jumps out the window and is flattened by an oncoming tractor trailer - why?
(3) eyewitness - a van full of show dogs - labs - uncrated - in an accident on the interstate - the van "breaks open" - the dogs are running all over the interstate (you can guess the result) and running off into the "wilds" on the side of the interstate - the owner's/driver are incapacitated and unable to protect or gather their dogs - WHY?
PLEASE DOG LOVERS - LOVE your dog by CARING for your dog like you would for your own child:
CRATE it in the vehicle - this will be calming, no distractions for you and the dog will be safe if you get into an accident
OR
Use "seat belt restraints" for dogs.
Your dog doesn't need to hang out the window or have a "view" to ENJOY travelling with you.
You are endangering your life and your dog's life everytime you get into a vehicle - no matter how safe a driver you are, no matter how "big" your vehicle is and not matter how "short" the trip.
LOVE your dog. Restrain it safely.
Those crates ARE airline approved because in an accident, while the vehicle may be "broken open", the crate will probably be rolled around inside and your loved furry friend merely bruised or maybe a broken bone - but contained and transferrable to medical care.
I had to make an agreement with the breeder of my last dog that I would always only keep her in an airline approved crate (belted in) whenever I put her in the car. This "disappointed" me at first - all those dreams of riding with a "pet" in the vehicle.
But after three years - I would NEVER EVER EVER consider putting a dog in my vehicle unrestrained - either by belt if an immense dog in a small vehicle - or in a crate for every other dog.
THINK ABOUT IT.
You are responsible for protecting your dog as you would your child.
Thank you for reading this.
Your Pet's life depends on your decisions.
where are you living when all that shit is happening in front of you xD
Yea that sounds like 🧢 to me
Nonsense. Your pets life (just like your childs life) depends on proper training and something else lacking in todays world... Common sense.
I was raised unrestrained in my vehicle 😂 and the back of the pickup truck in the summer. Not saying it’s right… just sayin 🙃
Thank you for sharing this information. I knew of a road traffic accident several years ago in which the car was rolled and one of the doors opened neither of the two dogs were restrained and both were hit by on coming traffic in the opposite carriageway when they ran across the road.
Crate training just makes my dog more independent and less needy. She likes her own space to this day still
Personally, I like having my own, private space. As does every other creature ive ever encountered, no matter how social or free spirited.
I hated crates, until this last dog.
I love crates! The energy does change in the house when crated, even more calm than just on mat
I love this guy.his information has been so helpful for me especially dealing with a troubled Staffordshire bull/American bull cross puppy. Definitly will be watching more videos ! And reccomending them !
I absolutely love your videos! Your way of explaining dog training concepts is very easy to understand and the production quality of your videos is a cut above the rest. I would be interested in a video regarding how to introduce a puppy/new dog to existing pets including cats and small rodents. Thank you and keep up the great work!
I agree! I just liked, commented, and SUBSCRIBED. Every significant factor was explained thoroughly!
I'm getting a sheltie puppy in two days so it's time to binge watch all the videos again 😂
Congratulations on your new puppy!
I literally watch his whole channel all the time in preparation! LOL
Me too 🤣🤣🤣
My profile picture is the dog I’m adopting this week
rgb-frxsh sick dog g
Really helpful video! We have just adopted a three year old Kokoni cross. She is sweet and gentle; completely toilet trained, and will happily go in her crate when we are around. She sleeps at night in her bed on the landing outside our bedroom. The problem comes when we need to leave the house; then she will wail, bark, drool excesively and has gnawed at the cage so much she made her mouth bleed!
We have tried pretending to leave for short periods; using the kong; leaving an item of clothing with our smell; background music, aromatherapy; ignoring the noise and rewarding calm moments (if they ever happen!) Someone advised to muzzle her in the crate, but I am not happy about this. Have not been able to leave the house for more than 1-2 hours at most since we got her.
Urgently in need of advice
Paul Cunningham same!! Did you get any help?
His father was a viking and his mother was a wolf! This guy knows dogs. Thanks for the tips, this is been the best presented youtube dog training video I have found so far!
You just accused his father of bestiality and called him a wolf fucker 🤣🤣🤣
@@scottryker4888 More like his mother was a wolf goddess in human form? Sounds a little more romantic that way... XD
love this channel, really good at what you do! the safety of a crate keeps my anxiety down!
Omg! Talk about anxiety with a pup. Totally agree! The crate is fantastic!
This is an awesome video all around! I love the energy and all the extra stuff, especially the boom with a question mark in it, lol!
My puppy loves the crate when opened but when closed he freaks out.
Mine too
I just got a dog and was wondering if creat training for sleeping would be a good option.
Generally that's a good place to start unless your pooch isn't comfortable in a crate. You can graduate to other sleeping places out of the crate later if you want but controlling the space (especially when you can't supervise) is always a good idea in the early days.
i'm on 2 day with my new puppy. the first night with the crate was......i slept two hours. last night i slept 5 hours. not all at once but its getting better. i love the crate
The entire life history of dog crates in this video...
I think crates are good for dogs, it gives them their own little space. My dog uses her crate as a way to have alone time, if I'm cleaning or talking on the phone or doing something too loud while she's trying to sleep she goes and curls up in there. She'll also bring chew toys in there and just hang out whenever, as I was watching this video she got in her crate and went to sleep.
Awesome. Perfect use of it. ;)
Excellent video as always. Packed full of super awesome tips!
Very good material, especially the part explaining why the crate is not cruelty.
We have an almost year old puppy, mixed breed. He always stayed alone in our living room, just with a gate, limiting his "den" to this room, quite big one.
But we lately saw that he likes sometimes to hide under our bed or under by chair as I work at the computer. It's combined with some noise phobia. We immediately decided to buy a crate and train him so that he had his sweet, comfy and safe place. It's here only 2 days long but he already is able to walk freely into the crate and lay for a few minutes.
All in all, I think that I could remove the door as it's intended to be his safe place only, not to close him in there. Huge plus that cat loves the crate too and sleeps on it, plays with the dog on it, so it is becoming more and more accepted place. We need to make some kind of cover over it too.
Again, thanks for the really good video :)
Thanks for the encouragement! And yes, you totally could take the door off. Perfect use the way you described everything!
Update after a month: the crate is accepted totally. We decided not to remove the door. They just stay taped to the sides and to the wall. Maybe one day we would need to lock him there for a few minutes (like when when our cat accidentally threw off a glass and it broke into pieces, at least we knew that he did not step on the glass and his paws were safe). Sometimes we send him to his place to calm down and he knows alreadt that this is the place to cool off and get his emotions in control. Sometimes he sleeps there, when he needs peace but of course the couch is the favourite spot :) On the other hand, it's the favourite place to sleep for our cat, on the crate. He even got a pillow.
The best part was when during a strom, he heard a thunder (we now fight against a severe loud sounds anxiety) and just walked into his crate and laid down. Then after a few thunders, he walked out and laid down next to us, with no signs of fear. I do not need to tell that this was a huge relief for us... and an ecouragement to work more. It's hard to take the crate for walks, though :)
Thanks, man. Your video assured us that the crate was a good choice and we worked on accepting it even harder.
Can you make a video of how to stop your puppy from whining at night
kick it, till it shuts up
The salty comment about the neighbors leaf blower is me with my neighbor. Lol
I think youre wrong about the if you can only afford one part. Buy a wire crate and put a good cover on it. Then its as simple as taking a cover off to have inclusion time
One of my dogs just loved his crate. He always went there for naps and chew toy/lil snack time. Since I needed that one to train his sister, I brought him a plastic one [tarp material] and he was OK too... till he learn how to unzip it from inside in the night [sleep time] and parade in front of her "trapped" sister. I fix the zipper with a string, but it throws his sister training back a couple of weeks because "WHY IS HE OUTSIDE PLAYING IN THE NIGHT AND I AM TRAPPED?! IS NOT FAIR!!"
My dog tendsto den up wherever he can watch me. At my grnadma's we have a blanket he knows is his and put it on a certain sofa and he knows that's his spot. One day we walked over and the blanket was being washed the boy wasn't sure what to do but he stayed off the sofa. Sometimes I'll jsut lay down my coat and he'll gravitate to that
Sometimes their little creature comforts are funny!
1:24 That's some serious conditioner 😂😂😂
Dani Your are my favorite UA-cam or can you please make another record for me
Just got a standard poodle puppy yesterday. I wish I had come upon your videos earlier. LOVE THEM!!! I have watched many different training videos to date and I find you just explain things super well. Keep up the awesome work!!!!
I open the door all the way and clip it to a carabiner I keep on the corner of the crate. Leave it on the top corner and hook the door open or closed whenever. Keeps the door securely open.
Perfect! Another great use for a carabiner.
Dont mind me...just binging all of your videos in preparation for my standard poodle coming home in the next year or so! 😍
Also check out the downloadables on the website and maybe the facebbok page for more info
I use wire crates. For my last dog I wrapped a bedsheet around it to reduce her anxiety. Since I lived with others, she stayed in my room primarily, but we were able to get her out of the crate altogether once she felt like the house was hers. After that, she’d willingly go in to nap, relax and sleep. High praise for positive behaviors and consistency are key. Happy training!
Hi from Greece.. thanks for great solutions. I have a 7 month old greek sheppard. I don't have neither wire crate nor plastic crate. But I'm going to buy the plastic one. A question: should I close the crate door from the beginning or I leave it opened until the dog is trained to it? Thanks in advance 😊😊
You are a genius. I have a 8wk old Shorkie. This is my first puppy experience. So far so good but I’ve learned soooo much from you. I’m definitely subscribing and watching everyday LOL. Thank you!
Great point about feeding and watering in the crate, I’ll make that adjustment!!
"You gotta film a video on crates, Ian." Ian: "Then, I'm rocking the leather, dude."
Accurate, LOL
I'm not sure if you've covered this in a video, but what do you do if your puppy cries in the crate at night? It's hard to tell if he's crying because he needs to pee or because he wants attention. I don't want to give him attention if he's crying because I don't want him to learn that crying is a successful attention-getting strategy, lol, but I don't want to ignore him if he needs to go.
My dog is 8 & 1/2 and she just had surgery. It required crate rest. She has never been in one in her life. She has still been a bit loopy so we set it up and just let her get comfortable with it being there. We waited and she went in herself multiple times. I’m voting to keep it after her time is up. She feels safe. My only issue is locking her in it. I don’t like doing it. I know it’s for the best but I have so much anxiety about it
Love this channel and you deserve over a million subs unlike that other channel that has it
How long should we crate train our dogs for? When can I leave the crate door open?
We crate trained a rescue & we've had him a year now. He's such a good boy, should I leave his door open so he can snuggle on the sofa?
(Your videos are basically my bible.)
There's not really a standardized time frame. Every dog and every household will be unique. If you feel that your dog can be left unsupervised without recreational destruction, then there's probably no reason not to. The crate would really only be to keep the dog safe or your house safe. If your dog will just chew on a bone and nap on the couch, no worries.
I used a crate to make a den. I just left the door open and covered it in blankets. My dog loved that and it helped easy her anxiety. She later had designated "safe zones." She hated crates being closed, but loved being in a den. Her anxieties flared badly when the door was closed.
How do you handle crate training around a full time job? I'm looking at adopting soon, and hopefully I can start training on a weekend, but I feel like this is super important to have down before having to leave for work for 7-9 hours a day..
Do you crate your dog for 7 to 9 hours a day? Indefinitely? Or just for training in the beginning?
There is zero evidence dogs are denning animals. Would you leave your baby in a minimal cage in which they can barely move? Would you leave your baby in there without a diaper and expect them to hold their bladder for 4 hours? Dogs are higly social and curious animals. They constantly need a lot of space to move around. Crates are just convenience items for people who don't have any desire to understand animals. The worst thing is that your dog will still love you unconditionally even if you are cruel to them. It breaks my heart when I think about all the abused crate-trained dogs. Why would you give a hamster a big cage while a dog only gets a ridiculously small prison cell? I already know I'm going to get a whole bunch of hate comments from people who still think crate training is somehow acceptable. In my country crate training is even illegal.
Dogs are NOT denning animals! And even if they were, the den shouldn't be a locked cage with holes in it.
Hi Ruma. Thanks for your comment. True, dogs are not "denning" like bears or other wild animals do, BUT the proclivity to find areas of security is well documented (hence dogs that hide under beds, for example). And like those areas, we just use the crate as a safe and protected place.
Your comments about babies are correct, too. However, we DO NOT expect a dog who can't hold their bladder to stay in there longer than they can. You're making comparisons this video specifically said NOT to do. But, you WOULD put a baby in a crib, right? So a crate is more akin to a crib.
Abusive crate-trained breaks my heart, too. However to claim that crate training automatically equals abuse is over-dramatizing and misinformed. Even in countries where it's supposedly illegal, there are times in a dog's life they may have to go into confinement-at a vet's office over night, at a shelter or rescue, if something bad happens to you and they're taken into humane custody…it's much more inhumane to not give them coping skills. You're focusing on ONLY the denning part and paying almost zero attention to anything else in the video.
We agree the crate shouldn't be done the way you're saying. We said that many times. There is a humane, ethical way to use crating that IMPROVES an animal's well-being, and it need not even be a lifelong solution. In most cases it's temporary. That fact that it's illegal in your country only means nobody was educated enough to use it humanly, so the authorities had to step up. As with marijuana, legality is not the same as morality or being just. Most of the same countries that have outlawed crates also legalize marijuana, which is still illegal in most of the U.S. Same with guns, gays, and even religion in parts of the world. Being legal or not is just not a good litmus test. The discussion is deeper than that.
I respect your opinion and you're right to express it, but please do so without the drama.
Hi Ian, I love your videos! They are based on science, filled with empathy and a great attitude, very professional with great graphics and a wonderful sense of humor (AND lovely band shirts ;)).
There are many topics about which I would like to hear your opinion. For example it would be great to watch a video about introducing a new dog to the dogs that are already at home.
Keep the spirit up! You're doing a great job!
Christina Köhler Ditto! Love the production value of these videos - a definite cut above the rest - and I need information on training and integrating a new puppy into a 3 dog household. So many questions about feeding, training etc. Thx
We recently adopted a 2 yr. old rescue, who is a total love bucket. He has no behavior issues--house trained, not destructive. We were told recently by a professional trainer that we should crate train him, but I have a feeling his prior owner(s) used the crate for punishment, and I have reason to believe he was left in it for hours, possibly days, on end, which the trainer does not know. I'm wondering if it is even possible to crate train him?
Hi Patty. If that is your suspicion you will definitely have to approach it sensitively. It may take a good deal of time to change his emotional response to it. It may be easier to try a pen, or even a larger crate if potty training in the new home is going well.
Great Video On Dog Crate Training - We Will Be Sharing Your Stuff To Our Facebook Page and Blog Website Site - Good Job!
Our new dog did submissive urination when we walked in the room with her in the open wire crate, so we did better with the plastic crate.
I'll have to try the time feeding once training has progressed. Trying to give him his own space and putting his food, my blanket and some pillows in the crate has him going in there willing. Great tips!
Wow! this video helped me out alot. I had so many question about the type of crate I needed for my puppy and this video was a life saver.😁👍
Thank you very much - your videos are so clear, engaging, and full of both theory and practice! I volunteer with my local shelter to foster stressed out dogs. I would love to know more about how to work with dogs to focus on me when they are excited (dog-on-dog reactivity, excitement about children, in an energised play-bitey mood, etc).
Thanks for the feedback, Angela!
P.S. Really liked the Project Cloverfield reactivity study!
Best intelligent answer to the 'crate haters'... 🎈❣ Thank you for your expertise and integrity!!!
I have a question! You said that dogs can grow out of them and potentially be home alone outside of them. How come you keep your experienced dogs in crates when you leave the house?
Most of that was setup for this video. They really don't at all at our house. The only times we use crates now is when service men have to come repair something (like the furnace), in the car, or when there's not really anywhere else for them and we need them safely out of the way. We'll sometimes use them when we travel to family's house and we'll use them there.
I am gone for 7 hours a day and I can’t just leave it in a tiny crate with no moving space. What if I have a closed up play pen? Is that a good idea?
Sweetheart Gaming yes that how we have are dog
Elite_ Badllam Oh! Is it better off in the play pen?
Yes
You should buy enriching toys if youre gone for that long. If not , i reccomend buting a dog nanny of the sorts. A playpen sounds nice aswell.
Yes puppy apartment
Should you start with crate training the first night? Should you put your pup in the crate the whole night minus the popty breaks at night
Furry Friend that’s what I do and it works well. I recommend feeding them in the crate to create a positive association!
I just got a 12 week old healer pit mix and he absolutely despises the crate. When I come home whatever was in there is utterly destroyed and hes covered in poop and pee. Im lost here guys please help
Same here my elk hound wants poop and pee in it and he's only in it 5 hrs at night in a 24 hour period it's insaine
Simpawtico, I am getting a dog and you are so helpful
Happy to help!
I work from home. What would a crate regimen be like with me being there all day?
I’ve had dogs all my life (almost 40 years) and have never used crates, probably I’m old school. I have a new puppy and I’m thinking of trying a crate.
I thought just like you.. NEVER used crates , I thought they were inhuman and would side eye people who did... I just got a new puppy and started watching some videos because he’s SO small, no way he could roam the house ... let me tell u.. BEST THING EVER! My pup loves it!! Give it a shot.. I’ll be honest .. the first 2/3 nights are hard! U HAVE to commit BUT totally worth it
@@SM-br5os thanks! I’ll give it a shot because he like to be all around the house and on the garden and playing with his older brother. Although that makes him have little accidents.
Ian, great video! Would you recommend two puppies sleeping overnight in the same crate? Thanks
I wouldn't, actually. Once they leave the litter they should ideally develop more and more independence. It's easy in these cases for them to hyper-socialize with each other which will hinder your socialization work as they get older. Plus, as they get bigger, sleeping in the same crate will be more and more impractical in most cases, so don't try to change things later, just do it now when it's super easy. Hope that helps!
I'm a newly owner of it 6 week old Rottweiler puppy started crate training 2 days ago. How long throughout the day should I have the puppy in his crate?, He cries for about 10-15min then stops and goes to sleep I take them out to feed him also every hour or two to go potty... I'm just not sure on how long is proper to keep him in the crate please advise..
😆Our shepadoodle puts herself in timeout in her crate when we come home to a mess on the kitchen floor🤦🏻♀️. She has always been fine for it as timeout punishment as well as a safe place, but I guess that’s not the norm🤷🏻♀️. She’s also a self-feeder and its worked great with just a morning bowl fill. (Course we only have one dog so no food stealing issues.) She ‘dens’ on the living room chairs with us in the evening, or under desk/kit table chairs, or on top of covers on bed at night-wherever we are is where she is... Great info, tks!
When using a crate to aid potty training do I need to return the dog to the crate if they don't potty?
Not necessarily. Only if you cannot supervise them in the 10 minute interim. Otherwise, just keep them on-leash with you. It's 3 minutes out, 10 minutes in, 3 minutes out again.
Answered my internal questions about crates, thanks
Picking up an 8 week old Jack Russell soon,don’t fancy a crate and keeping puppy in overnight or letting her loose either.looking to get a pen so she has room to move about and enough room for water bowl,bed and some absorbent toilet pads
If our brand new puppy is asleep should I just wait for her to wake up on her own to go the bathroom therefore breaking our semi-pattern or do I wake her up to keep the pattern going?
Hey there folks! My wife an I just adopted our first dog ever! She’s a 12 week old Shepard mix and I’ve been using this video to get her into the Kong and crate combo! My question is: When feeding with the Kong she can’t seem to finish (or get to it all) without working at it for a while and going back to it repeatedly. After a specific amount of time should I be taking it away? I don’t want it to seem like we are free feeding. Thank you! Really enjoying your videos.
Hi Reuben. So, free feeding is where the food is available 24/7 and/or left in a bowl for an extended period. A bowl is especially a very passive experience. However, when a dog is actively engaged in a Work-to-Eat activity, that can actually (and should) be a prolonged experience. It's very emotionally satisfying for them. So, if your dog is settling down with a Kong for an extended period, AWESOME. That's very mentally enriching. If she's leaving it and coming back, I suppose it depends on how long that period is in between. If she gets up, gets a drink or checks in with you, and then comes right back to it I'd see let her go to it. If she's leaving it and doing other things for a while and THEN coming back, I would pick it up. That's a separate session, really. That tells me, though, that she's invested in that kind of thing, so make sure there good chew toys available that she can also settle down with. Those should be available all of the time for her. Hope that helps!
Awesome! Huge help! Thanks for the great response!
Thanks so much for these helpful videos!! Where do you keep the puppy when she's not literally being trained to be in the crate? I know this takes several sessions so would you recommend an xpen between crate training rounds? I've tried keeping the crate inside the xpen but she's using it as a litterbox :(
Our Aussie loved his crate and willingly went in where he received a treat. Around 13 months he became crate aggressive. He still willingly good in but he growls and barks and snarls when we are closing the door. After he settles right down. Is this crate guarding? How do we address it? Thanks. We love your video as.
Thank you for this! I love your videos.
I`m still learning. I get my new friend in 4 weeks!!!
Thank you, this video came at the perfect time, our crate came yesterday and today will be the first time Ash will be introduced to it. I am happy to have watched this before I made any training mistakes.
I'm really liking this video series! Great info and professionally produced. We have a problem and are desperate for a little advice. We got a 9 month old rescue Shiba Inu from China 8 days ago and are at our wits end. He had a urinary tract infection and giardia upon arrival which we just finished giving the meds for yesterday. We have been crate training him, but don't know what to do at night. A trainer told us to let him "bark it out" which we did 2 nights ago. He barked for 2 hours, slept for 4 hours, then started barking at 3:30am. I took him out thinking he had to go, but he just wanted to play. After 10 minutes outside, I put him back in the crate and he barked a bit, then slept until 6:30am. Not too bad. So last night, we crated him and he only barked for a few minutes, but again at 3:30am, started barking and slamming against his crate. I came down and took him out, but after 15 minutes of waiting, he didn't go. I put him in his crate and went back to bed. He barked for another 2-3 hours. When I came down around 6:15am, he had peed and pooped in his crate and also ate most of the poop, which he really seems to dig unfortunately. So what to do tonight? I really have to get some sleep! BTW, he has peed in his crate like 6 times since we got him, even like 30 minutes after he had peed. I'm getting tired of cleaning that thing out!
Hows it going now? I feel your struggle, my adopted Pomeranian doesn’t pee when i take her out, but she always pee on my carpets😭. I’ve only had her for 3 days now, but i don’t know how to potty train her again (she’s 4yrs old) since she’s terrified of the leash and freezes when she’s in the outside…
I’m goinf to do some desensitisation with her in out garden, just to get her used to the environment, but idk what to do about her toilet habits, since she’s bot food motivated at all!
@@diadiaa892 This was like 3 years ago, but as I recall, we hung in there and moved the crate to our bedroom. That solved the problem. We don't crate him anymore and he is a great dog! :-)
my dog literally leaves my bed at night to go into his crate
Is it ever too late to crate train? My shih tzu is 4 years old and has separation anxiety. He will chew the front door frame of our house and has recently been having accidents. I really would love to have him crate trained.
EverythingMommy I think you can! We adopted a 2 year old dog from a shelter and we started slow. We set the crate up and let her get used to seeing/sniffing it. We would throw little pieces of duck jerky for dogs into the crate and she would go in and eat them. Then we got her a big raw knuckle bone and put that in. She went in and started chewing it. We daily repeated and after a couple of days we locked the door and let her chew for about 15 minutes, gradually expanding the time. She is now up to 45 minutes. So far, so good! Sometimes she just goes in without treats and lays down for a few minutes. Good luck!
I am learning a lot from your videos! To answer your question, the way my dog would den up is to hide under my chair when I took him to the vet, or he would lie between my legs on the recliner at home. He died in February. I miss him. He was a good boy!
Now, crates are really not common in my country and my first reaction towards them was "wtf?", but I guess I can see how crates can be useful. However, I don't think I'll ever understand why you would leave your dog in there for several hours when you are away. I'm not saying it's cruel, I get that if done correctly, it's a safe place for your dog. I would get a crate too, but I don't think I would ever actually close it. It just seems like such a cheap excuse for many to leave your dog at home for several hours without having to worry about anything bad happening. For me, a dog lives at my place and ought to live there while I am not at home too. If my dog has a bad habit, like chewing stuff while I am gone, I would work on getting that fixed. Really, being in a flat alone already seems boring, but being in a crate seems even more boring, even if you enjoy being in there...
It makes it easier to prevent, or fix the bad habits. But in general, especially with puppies, you shouldnt leave them isolated for 8 hours a day.
Thank you SO much for this channel and all of these videos! You have a loyal subscriber in me. We are expecting our 8 week Pitbull puppy in the next few weeks and are preparing as much as possible to be the best owner for her. :)
What should I do when my puppy ( 13 week old French bulldog) pees in his crate and bed?
I was able to crate train my dog.It was easy. I put him in the crate every time it’s bed time at 9:30 pm every night. He goes in on his own and he knows the exact time.
My dogs love their cages.Anytime they have fear or don't feel well they go into them themselves.
I recently adopted a 1-2 year old dog from the shelter and he is just wonderful dog. He does tear up some stuff while we are gone, so we decided to get a crate for him and its coming in the mail today. We will only use it for when we are gone, possibly when people come over, and never for night time since he sleeps with us. Thank you for this!
get him use to it first...meaning while your at home
Ive found the most success using it throughout the day randomly. You dont want him to only associate it with you leaving or not being allowed to meet people. It could be seen as a punishment even though its not what your intending. Leave the door open at first You can feed meals in it, put a pen around it and let him just be near it but not being forced to go in, even play games with it. Our wire crate has 2 door so i can go in one side with a treat and have him jump into the other to get it lol. You not only get the positive crate associations but can work on other training commands simultaneously such as cone, place, stay, break etc. most important thing: You have to make it fun and a place the dog loves. When you do leave the house, give a "special" treat toy thats just for the crate. When you cone home toy comes out. Youre dog will not only be fine while youre out but actually look forward to it and hope you stay out so they get more special toy time! Good luck!
Thank you for great videos! Just subscribed and have watched a few of your videos.
We just got our first dog 5 days ago. She is an almost 9 weeks old Aussie. The breeder told us that she would not need to go out to pee during the night and let her sleep in her crate in our bedroom, at least for the first nights.
It has worked without any problems or accidents so far, goes to sleep between 10-11 pm and sleeps until 6:30ish without any whining or peeing.
She does whine for a few sec-minutes when put in the crate but settles down quickly.
She is also doing super well on potty training, we take her out every time she wakes up from day-naps (which she usually takes on the mat/rug in front of the garden-door, which is obviously her favorite resting place ;)
We had thought to train her to be in a play den area, that we made in a corner of the living room, for her to be in when we need to leave her at home alone, not in the crate itself (thus far she´s only in the crate during night time).
She gets her food and water in the play den area and we have done "crate training games" with the den, she goes in and out without problems. We have closed the door to the play den area a few times, first only for a few sec-min and the last two times she settled down after praises when she stopped whining and she lay down and fell asleep and when she woke up she whined and wanted out - and we let her out (when she stopped whining ;) )
So, ok, now to my question ;)
In three days we need to leave her alone for 2 hours for the first time (we can absolutely use the next 3 days to first leave her alone for shorter periods first).... should we stick to the plan and leave her in the play den area (no crate inside) when she´s home alone? Or should we train her rather to stay in her crate?
We just thought about it now, that maybe it is dangerous/bad for her if we leave her alone in the play den area and she tries to jump/get out of it :/
We have a German shepherd that is 11 weeks. We’re currently trying to potty train him ( Beckett wreck-It Ralph). I was told he shouldn’t have free roam of our house. If we’re not playing with him then he needs to go up in the crate, but just seems to much. Is that correct? He’ll chew anything and everything including us and doesn’t know his bite down limit just yet. We have tried the kone and he doesn’t like it. Any advice?
You don't need to crate him any time he's not with you. It's just confinement of some kind: a gated room, a play pen, something like that where there isn't free access to the entire house. There also need to be things to do in those confinement areas to mitigate boredom (which is the birthing ground for most household behavior problems). So keep at it with the Kong (or any work-to-eat activity) to condition alone time. If that's the only way meals are served, he's going to get into it because mother nature won't let him go hungry. Then, you're not only getting some good mental stimulation in your confinement space, but also some good work teaching them to enjoy time alone, and develop their chewtoy habit.
We have been working on crate training for 2 weeks and our puppy still cries when we put him in there. He settles down and stops ~15 minutes after we put him in. Is that normal?
Hi Savannah. Yes, it's pretty normal.
Thanks Ian!! This wil come in handy. My high energy dog will need to undergo knee surgery somewhere this year and won't be allowed to run around. I must say I wasn't looking forward to crate training. I feel better now that I know that you cover this in some vids! Will definitely check them out! ;)
How do you feel about bed training at night IF the dog will sleep in the bed? I have been doing this as a Vet Tech for years. I find I STILL USE the crate during the day or when I am not home so I am not disregarding the crate, just giving another night time method for LIGHT SLEEPERS who want puppy to sleep in the bed. I take the pup out every few hours when I first get them at 8 weeks. By 10 weeks they are generally waking and wiggly at about hour 3-4 and go potty outside quickly. They learn quickly that the bed is for sleep only. I bring NO toys to the bed and generally have them understanding bed is sleep time in less than a week, many times within 3 days.
Obviously this will not work for heavy sleepers or for those who will not want there dog in their bed. I find that most of the pups I have potty trained are 100% or near that overnights within 3 weeks. (If accidents it usually at the door we are going out! LOL) During the day at play takes a bit longer depending on the breed and how much time a person has to potty train. I currently have a 10 week old doberman pup who had NEVER been outside so she was afraid to potty on the grass. Her fist experiences of going potty outside were on overnights. She is finally pooping outside during the day too. (she was pooping in the crate) So, we also have to consider what the puppy experienced before he/she came to our homes.
Hey if it's working for you and your puppies are happy and healthy, go for it. I personally don't have any issues with a dog in bed (ours sleep with us). I think your good consistency and rules are what make it successful for you and I really like seeing that. As pet professional you know, I'm sure, most recommendations for pets are for the "low hanging fruit." We can usually get away with a lot of things the average owner will muff up. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing your procedure!
Again thank you sooo much for this video about crate training
Such good advice for a new dog owner
My dog loves his crate, when I say ‘bed’ off he goes to his crate.
Hi Ian-I love your channel so much! I have a 3 year old Basenji/Pitbull mix.
Background: her first two years were spent on the streets & with a mean owner and the next 10 were in a shelter before my ex adopted her. Due to an issue, he couldn't take care of her after two months, so she came to live with me. I've now had her for two months. She's a honey and loves to cuddle, but also goes off on her own to chew or curl up. She doesn't like to sleep anywhere but with me. (That was my bad--I didn't realize.)
Problem/Question: I live in an apt and am trying (after giving doggy daycare up) to leave her at home while I'm at work. I'm on Day 3 and so far, she's peed &/or pooped 2 out of 3 days. She's not destructive and she can hold it, but I think she's reacting to me being gone. Should I try to crate train her or should I focus more on Kong training to alleviate the isolation distress. Thank you!
Hi Abbie. Both, actually. Both of those strategies should be deployed in tandem.
Simpawtico Dog Training Thank you! Your videos have been an absolute life saver. I’ve been using your techniques to crate train her since her crate came four days ago. She’s been in it now for over an hour. I opened the door about fifteen minutes ago and she’s still laying in there ... this is huge for her! She’s so clingy. I can’t thank you enough!
Getting a rescued havanese puppy on December to save all the videos 😂
Dani Your are my favorite UA-cam or can you please make another record for me
No matter what I do, she whines when in the crate, even for a minute. And she doesn’t chew on the kong stuffed with food either. And her attention to toys only lasts a few seconds and then she whines and simply never stops, even long enough for me to let her out when she calms down
And it’s a bummer too because I can’t leave the house without her throwing a fit and the whining will go on and on until I’m back. I’ve videoed this.
So what did I do to train her that this is ok, and how do I fix it? I have to be able to leave my house and have her be ok, whether it’s in a crate or the bathroom with closed door... or SOMETHING G
My dogs are fed in their crates to prevent food aggression issues
👍Totally agree. Terrific explanation & great animated graphics too. Thank you. 💞
I'm a crater hater. That's why I'm here. Starting to understand I think dogs think like humans, but they dont. Soooooo yeahhhhhh, teach me :)
That's a great attitude! I hope this video helped you!