TROUBLE SHOOT KENNEL TRAINING

To start your dog off right from the start, kennel training is a must. Dogs are place-oriented, and a kennel should represent a safe space, a place where they can go when they are overwhelmed and helps prevent separation anxiety. Here are a few obstacles we face in kennel training and some tips to help!

DOES YOUR DOG REFUSE TO GO INTO THEIR CRATE?

This is pretty common and can be frustrating, which can leave a lot of dog owners puzzled. If you give up, your dog could potty in the house, become destructive, and you can lose all control. A good way to improve this is through positive reinforcement. Take the following steps to fix the behavior:

1. Put your dog on a leash. This will help you to guide them into the crate.

2. With your dog in front of their crate, take high value treats or a toy, whatever they are more motivated by, and throw them in the crate. If your dog goes in to get the treats, praise them, and let them walk out right away. Do not shut the door!! This teaches them that the crate is not a punishment. It is where they get rewarded. Practice this about 15 minutes a day for a week, and your dog will be excited to go in their crate because now it is associated with positive things.

3. Throw treats in the crate. After your dog goes in, shut the door slowly, give them a treat while they are inside, and go ahead and go about your day!

IS THE DOG BARKING AND/OR GROWLING IN THE CRATE?

This is known as barrier reactivity, kennel stress, and barrier reactivity. This is so common, especially with rescue dogs. It is similar to when a dog barks at triggers through the fence. More likely than not, when that dog no longer has a barrier, this behavior goes away. To correct this behavior, take the following steps:

1. Make sure your dog is completely calm before entering the crate. When a dog goes into this space with heightened energy, that will lead to this type of reactivity. Wait at the crate door until they lay down or offer a sit, give them a treat in their crate, and walk away.

2. While near the crate, wait for a reaction from your dog, say your marker word for NO, move your body to block their fixation on whatever they are reactive too, wait for calmness, and then give the dog a treat. This will teach them that it is more advantageous to be quiet in their crate because positive things happen when they are not reactive.

3. Repeat, repeat, repeat! This behavior didn't happen overnight, and it will not get fixed overnight. Be consistent, celebrate little wins, and see the changes!

IS YOUR DOG DESTROYING OR ESCAPING THE CRATE?

This is separation anxiety at its best. In this case, most dogs have learned that the crate means your absence. Instead of it being a safe space, it is now a jail cell. To fix this, we have to change what the crate means to the dog. To fix this issue:

1. Practice getting your dog in and out of the crate using treats first.

2. After that, start leaving your dog in the crate for 10 minutes at a time, while you are home and then letting them out. Make sure to give the dog a treat before they get out of the crate.

3. Practice calm in and calm out. That means the dog is calm before going in and calm before being let out. When a dog goes into the crate with high energy, they are more likely to feel trapped and will try to escape.

REMEMBER

Calmness before entering and before exiting crate. Before you let the dog out of the crate, open the door a few inches. If they try to run out, close it again. Repeat this until your dog sits in the crate with the door wide open and leaves the crate when you invite them out.

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