Crate training is one of the best possible things that you can do for your puppy. Not only will the puppy be easier to housetrain but overall you will have a happier, more secure dog that has his or her own place to sleep and stay both when you are home and when you are away. Crate training is also an asset when you plan to travel with your dog or puppy. Crate training keeps the animal calm on airplanes and also keeps you pet safe when driving. Crates can be attached to seats by seatbelts and harnesses similar to how children’s car seats are fastened into the car. Just like car seats they prevent injury to the dog in the case of a sudden stop or an accident.

Crate training does not happen overnight, and does require both work and attention by the owner. Crate training should never be used as a punishment for a mistake or a bad behavior, or the dog or puppy will see the crate as a bad place and this will defeat the whole purpose of the training. To start the crate training in the most positive way start very slowly and only progress at the rate the puppy is comfortable with.

Picking The Right Size Crate

Depending on how large your puppy will get it will usually make sense to buy the size that will fit the full sized dog rather than having to buy multiple crates as your puppy grows. It is important, however, if the puppy is small and the crate is larger that you limit the space in the crate for the small puppy or he or she will simply use one end for the bathroom and one end as the “den”. To make a large crate smaller a mesh screen or piece of wood can be used and then slide to give more room as the puppy matures. When necessary it can be completely removed to give the older dog full use of the crate area.

The idea size of crate, or crate area, is about the length of the dog when it is down, paws extended. Most crates come in standard widths that will allow small dogs to really stretch out but may require larger dogs to sleep in a coiled position. Dogs should be able to stand up comfortably in the crate without the top of the crate pressing on their head or shoulders.

Giant or very large breeds of dogs will generally outgrow most commercial crates before they completely mature. Some specially made crates for large breeds are available on the internet and through breed associations or even pet stores.

Getting Started

Getting started means just familiarizing the puppy with the crate. Make sure the crate is the correct size and that there is comfortable bedding in the crate. Start by sitting with the puppy in front of the open crate. Place a treat, with the puppy seeing the placement, into the very front of the crate. When the puppy reaches in to get the treat say “Crate” and the puppy’s name, just once. Allow the puppy to take the treat out of the crate, and do not close the door. Do not try to keep the puppy in the crate longer and make no comment when the puppy exits the crate. Next time repeat the process putting the treat in far enough the puppy must step in completely. Again, when approaching the crate say “Crate” and the puppy’s name, and then say “Good Dog” and the puppy’s name when they are in the crate. Allow them to exit when they want and ignore the exiting behavior.

Gradually feed a few treats through the side of the crate to encourage the puppy to stay. Always allow him or her to exit when they want, but only praise the going in behavior, never the coming out!

Within a few days the puppy will be comfortable in the crate for a few minutes. Try closing the door but only for a minute at a time, staying right beside the crate. With the puppy’s comfort level leave the crate door closed for longer periods and begin to move away for a few seconds, gradually lengthening the time.

Never return and open the crate when the puppy starts to whine or bark, as this will encourage this behavior. Wait until the puppy is quiet before taking him or her out of the crate. Never leave a puppy in the crate for more than 2 to 4 hours at a time, especially when they are small and are not yet housetrained.

If you need to stop dog from jumping, this is exactly the article you need. Let’s start with a little story…

There is nothing sweeter than coming home from a hard day’s work and have your dog greet you. With his tail wagging and his jumping up and down, his excitement is hard to resist. There’s so much love.

While it may be perfectly fine for you to have a happy and friendly dog, there may be others who are not quite as charmed by their exuberance; specifically visitors. A very happy dog and a crazy dog almost seem the same, and both can hurt people. Perhaps it’s time to discuss how to stop dog from jumping.

While a dog’s show of affection is a wonderful display of love, it may not be so wonderful if your dog is a larger breed. This can pose problems for your visitors, neighbors and friends as well. There can be real danger.

If you have a puppy, training to stop dog from jumping should begin from the outset. When the dog attempts to jump up on you, firmly but gently say “no,” and then gently grab his two front paws and set him down.

Follow this method with positive reinforcement in the form of either a gently stroking while praising him at the same time. While there are some professionals who advocate gently hitting a dog for bad behavior, this is not necessarily needed. If you are consistent in your command, the dog will eventually understand that jumping is not acceptable.

If your dog is of a larger breed; it is important to try these methods to stop dog from jumping. Try this. When you arrive home, and your dog is ready to greet you; do not become as excited to see the dog as he is to see you. This just enhances the dog’s desire to jump on you. Simply greet the dog; then turn around with your back to the dog.

What should happen next is the dog will most likely sit and wait for your response. Do this consistently and your dog will eventually get the idea. He will associate your turning away with his jumping; thus being ignored. Once the dog sits, you can then pet him as much as you like.

That’s your first important tip on getting your dog to stop jumping. Keeping reading!

Motivation affects every living creature. Humans wouldn’t go to work every day if they didn’t receive a paycheck. Ducks wouldn’t hang around cit parks if visitors didn’t throw bread crumbs to them. Raccoons wouldn’t hide under your house if it didn’t provide a safe place for their young. Whether the motivation is as simple as a basic need or as complex as pleasure, all dogs works the same way — they need to be motivated, such as with food or toys.

The following concepts are things you might consider at the start of your training regimen to prevent dog behavior problems in future.

What does your dog like?

A people-pleasing dog like a Golden Retriever might work for a tennis ball or a good petting, while an independent dog like a Redbone Hound Dog might work for you in order to get his way. All dogs are different, so each owner needs to make a list of what motivates their dog. Does your dog have foods that he likes better than others, or is any kind of food okay? Does he seem obsessed with a certain toy or with fetching in general? Does sitting with you seem painful to your dog if something more interesting is going by? What does your dog truly enjoy?

You are the person who knows your dog best. A trainer may provide you with some ideas of rewards but they often don’t live with the dog 24 hours a day or see the dog in its home environment. Therefore, it is up to the dog’s family to create a list of the dog’s favorite things in life, and to use those things as motivation when training.

Many people associate reward-based programs with dog treat training, but that is only looking at part of the picture. A reward to your dog is anything he wants. This can include food, treats, toys, games, attention, walks, car rides or simply the ability to move about freely. Most everyday day actions are rewarding to your dog but would never be considered a reward by most dog owners. For example, a reward for sitting could be to have a leash put on or to be let outside; a reward for a recall might be a car ride; and a reward for a great stay could be a release with a toy thrown. Learn to think like your dog, and you will be able to come up with a large list of rewards.

Build Training into Everyday Life

If your dog eats twice a day, you are given two opportunities to practice a sit-wait-release command series. If you throw a ball 20 times each night, you have the opportunity to teach your puppy how to sit or lay down. If your dog goes for a walk each day, you have ample opportunity to practice sitting at street corners, learn proper doggie manners, and teach your dog how to not pull his leash.

The most successful training programs are based on rewards in the dog’s everyday life instead of scheduled training sessions using treat rewards. When a dog is taught commands in special training sessions and those commands are never reinforced again, they are forgotten just as easily as they were learned. In contrast, when you make a command into a habit, it is a command learned for life. A great example is sitting for food. If your dog must sit and wait for every meal (and will not get the meal otherwise), your dog will learn to sit for food by default.

Verbal Rewards

Dogs, like human babies, are not born with a firm grasp on the English language. This is why you have to teach your dog each new word and what it means. You do this by using something the dog needs (such as food) to lure and reward the dog. Two examples are:

• Bridging: Many trainers use a technique called a bridge. This is basically a signal to the dog that the behavior just performed is correct and good things are on the way. This signal can be a click, some other type of noise, or a verbal signal such as “good dog”, “yes” or “thank you.” To teach your dog a bridge, you need to work with a simple command such as “sit.” Have the dog sit, give the dog the bridge (”good!”) and then immediately follow with a treat. Once you try this several times, the dog will begin to understand that “good!” means “that is the exact behavior I wanted and good things will come because you did it.” Over the course of training, you can begin to add additional time between the bridge and the reward or bridge several times without a direct reward and the bridge will still hold the same meaning for the dog.

• Luring: Luring means to use a reward (like a treat) to coax the dog into position. For example, to teach a sit, you might take a treat and bring it over the dog’s head while saying “sit.” When the dog’s rear hits the ground, you would then say “good” (using bridging as described above) and give the dog the treat. This helps the dog learn what the word “sit” means by using a basic need (food) to cause a specific behavior.

It is rare to find a dog that will learn a command without being taught, or obey every learned command for a pat on the head. If you are lucky enough to find one of these rare dogs, then great for you! But for the rest of us, finding ways to motivate our dogs to learn can be a constant challenge. By using knowledge of basic dog behavior, a few training basics and an arsenal of your dog’s favorite things, learning any command and obeying it in the long run should be a snap!