CRATE TRAINING

It might sound cruel. You adopt a dog that has been through so much hardship, only to put him behind bars again, right? Wrong! A crate is not jail – it’s a place that gives your furry friend safety, time and space to start his new life with you. Have a look at our three reasons why:

1) Your new dog is overwhelmed

Think a minute like your dog: you are thrown into a new environment, in most cases your life before you got rescued was not ideal, and now they are surrounded by new people, noises, colours, smells…

You are overwhelmed, might want to run or hide, and, most of all, need more than a minute to adjust.

If you give your dog the opportunity to feel safe in a crate with his favourite toy and a cuddly blanket, he will be able to breath and assess. Safely.

2) You don't know your new dog's personality

Yes, rescues do assess every dog before rehoming.

But every dog is different. Every environment is different. They might react differently to different people, like we humans do.

They might be afraid of your coffee grinder. They might have bad memories involving a broomstick.

No rescue can know everything. So, better be safe than sorry and give them, and you, the gift of a crate.

3) You need to establish a routine

Dogs are creatures of habit as well as opportunity.

If you establish a routine early on, they will know whats what. If there are no strict rules, they will make their own.

But if you put their basket in their crate from the beginning, they know that they sleep in it and not on the couch. If they need to go in the crate while barking at the postman, they know that this is not acceptable rather than establish a barking routine. The crate is a safe place AND a time out zone.

A shopping list for successful crating:

• A crate that has four inches in height and length on your dog – put it in a quiet corner but near enough to activities so that they get to know the family life

• A basket with fluffy blankets and/or soft cushions

• A toy for engaging them – Kong with frozen dog food in it seems to work quite well

• A water bowl

Here at KLAWS we cannot advocate more for crate training.

However, we should stress that crate training needs to be done in a positive manner. The dog should not see it as punishment or a place to fear. It should be their haven and sanctuary.

Another thing to remember: unless it is overnight, dogs should not be left in their crates for more than a couple of hours at a time.