Crating Your Dog – Free Info!

Crating your dog is one of the biggest topics out there and something I get asked often on a continual basis. There are thousands of dog books that talk about this and even more online articles that cover it.

For the most part, they all try and cover this topic in great length that involve a lot of exhaustive and unnecessary steps. Like letting your puppy see the new crate for the first time and then moving away from the crate so the puppy doesn’t get scared of it. Waiting a little while and starting that process all over again. I got tired just writing that.

Before we start to look at the process on how to go about crating your new puppy, let’s go over some mental housekeeping items.

Crating is the same concept as placing your puppy in a small room or area that many people often do when they bring home a new puppy. Crating just has better advantages that help a puppy adjust for a happier family pack at home. So stop feeling bad about crating. Your helping your pup cope faster when you do.

When you start the crating the process, there is a high probability that your new puppy will cry the first few nights. Similar to placing your new puppy in a small room or area. Most dog books and articles don’t cover that because they want to make their process seem perfect and pain free. Really, they’re trying to sell books or for you to follow their blog presence. So again, the probability of your new puppy crying the first few nights is likely. How much and for how long will depend on your preparation before hand.

The best time to begin crating is immediately. The earlier in the day, the better. That gives you more time to prep before it reaches that time to go to bed. I’m not going to write an article like everyone else and tell you to play with your new puppy and gradually get closer and closer to the crate until your new puppy feels comfortable enough to get in.

No, i’m not doing that crap.

What I am going to say is make sure you have a few cheap t-shirts purchased before bringing home your new puppy for optimal planning or if your like me, have a few cheap t-shirts you know you can easily replace. Every new human wants to bathe, feed, and play with their new puppy. This works out perfect for my crate preparation and I’m not doing any additional steps at least for right now.

So back to those cheap t-shirts. If you’re on your way to pick up your new puppy, you’d better be wearing one of those cheap t-shirts or have one in your laundry basket. The longer you’ve worn it before washing, the better. Hopefully you have a couple ready to go.

Most people want to get home and bathe their new puppy. That’s a great idea. You are washing off a lot of the previous scents they were carrying making it harder for them to smell and remember the old ones. Giving your puppy a chance to build and grow new scent memories. After you’ve dried your puppy thoroughly, wrap your pup in one of your worn cheap t-shirts. For all those clean freaks out there like myself, you’re pulling your hair out and your mind is blown.

Yes, wrap your clean pup in your dirty worn t-shirt. Try and hold them a bit. This should be pretty easy. Most pups will let you after a bath if they’re not passed out already.

Your new puppy is going to sleep a lot. They’re growing! So you’re going to have a lot of opportunities during your first day to wrap your new pup in one of your stinky old t-shirts. Each time you do, make the best pleasant memory you can come up with while doing this. It can be as simple as talking nice to your new pup. Try and use at least 2 different t-shirts by the time mid-afternoon has arrived and make sure to keep those shirts. Do not throw them in the laundry wash!

Let’s get started with our crate preparation. By now, you’ve figured out more of your dog during play time. Did your dog like the rope, the chew toy, the ball, or something else? Whatever your pup liked, grab it. And grab those t-shirts we’ve been using too.

If your puppy is sleeping, grab one of the other worn t-shirts and line the crate with it. One of those t-shirts should be wrapped around the the little guy or gal. Then while they are sleeping, place your little one in the crate and let them sleep.

If they are not sleeping, line the crate with one of those t-shirts we’ve been using and place your pups toy that they have gravitated towards the most in their crate also. Then wrap them up in the other used t-shirt and place them in the crate. They will probably smell around before exiting. If they stay in there, that’s even better. If they run out, pick them up, wrap them up, and keep following that process. Work on using that toy they like and play with your pup. Focus on keeping your pup inside the crate while playing. Build your play time around getting your pup to play inside of their kennel.

Yeah those other books sure don’t cover my process.

If you continue this process, you’ll find that you’ll experience less crying/whimpering time at night when you do crate your pup. And it’s an easier transition so they aren’t forced into figuring things out when you crate them when leaving the house.

Crating provides a sense of comfort for your dog. So find a crate that is tall enough for your puppy to stand up in. Turn around in and nothing more. If the crate is too large, you’ve created a space that allows your puppy to use the bathroom in. And now your potty training process is going to take longer. Dogs are not humans. They don’t need more space than is needed for their sleeping arrangements.

A crate is their den. It gives them a sense of comfort. It helps create a routine later when it’s time to sleep because they will know where to go and the approximate time when to start looking for it. Crating also makes meal times easier to manage and easier to clean up. Feed your puppy in the crate, at least for the first few months. Crating is extremely beneficial when working through the potty training process. You can transition meal times outside of the crate after they are potty trained.

Just keep following this process the first few days. At night, leave their favorite toy along with your old gently used smelly t-shirts that helped in our day 1 transition. You are creating a smell bank your pup can lean towards until the morning comes.

We all know by now, I work with dogs. I never share this with owners, but every dog I work with, I treat them all like my own. They all go through my adjusted crating process since most are not puppies. I work to ensure they all are made to feel safe and understand very quickly that the crate they are in is their den while they are with me. The happier the dog, the easier the transition.

If you prefer other methods, there are a ton of books you can buy online or at the book store. Crating your pup makes it easier for them. So find the way that works best for you to help them fit into your family pack.