[Dailydrool] soft crates

[saraberry at aol.com]

I have always had to teach my dogs to first crate in a hard plastic or wire crate so that they learn not to claw or chew out.? It won't get them anywhere and then they stop trying. Though there are dogs that will gnaw through hard plastic and?need wire crates to learn, but if that is the case, you have to really watch to make sure they are not chewing the wire and wearing down teeth. 

If a young dog learns to love the crate, it will carry with them for the rest of their life and help in times of catastrophe, groomer and vet visits.? It?also makes it easier for?me to take?my dog on trips, to hotel rooms?and to family and friend's homes.

A good example is that I recently had to help with the rehoming of a blind basset and her brother.? For the blind dog, thank God she was crate trained because it was a familiar environment to her when everything else was different.? As I moved them, I did put him in with her quite a bit until I felt that she knew he was there with us?in the crate next to her when not with her.? If something happens to me and my dogs have to go somewhere else, I know their liking an being used to crates will really help in the adjusting to a new situation.

With puppies and dogs that like other dogs, I can often put them into crates with each other.? With an older dog that has never been crated, I start by making sure the crate has a comfy blanket, taking the door off and throwing treats into the crate.??Make sure the door isn't somewhere where it could fall and scare them.? Very, very bad.?

Once they first head in,?I can usually then stick the treats through holes in the back to keep them in for a bit.? If?I give them a beloved toy, Kong or chewer in the crate it can also help them to get comfortably and lie down.? I also will feed them in their crates while I am getting them to like it.? (Though most of my dogs eat in crates now as a rule so I can control their portions and any supplements,etc.)

When I add the door, I usually duct tape it open for about a week before I ever start to close it, depending on how comfortably the dog is laying down and what their reaction is to the door.? I have put squeeze cheese on a crate door to get a dog to like it.? When I start to close it, it is closed for like? 1/4 close, 1/2 close, 3/4 close, "quick close and open" until that is ok and ignored, then closed for 3 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds.? At around 15 seconds, I start a variable interval, so closed for 15 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 20 seconds, then 10 seconds, etc., so they never know how long it will be closed for.? When you get up to 10 - 15 minutes with no problems, you are usually pretty good to go for longer as needed, but during the day, I would not crate for much longer than 2 hours.? Night is different once they are used to it because dogs generally sleep in the dark.? But I have found I have to get them to like the crate first before I can expect that they will stay in and not throw a fit during the night.? I have learned over time to tell the difference between "fit" and really needing to go eliminate, but both can bring up the ghost of "ooo, I made a sound and got out" so sometimes I have had to go back to earlier steps to get rid of whining and barking.

The hardest rule with crates and doors is once they go in and a door is closed, if they throw any kind of fit, it is not good to let them out while the fit is being thrown.? It basically teaches them that the longer and louder they go, the quicker they will get out, and you really don't want that!? So at night when everyone needs to sleep is not the time to practice this.? 10:00 am on a weekday or a time like that when if you need to wait something like that out, you can.? They will eventually stop to gasp for air if nothing else, so if you can count to three for silence, you can then let them out, but needless to say, the goal is not to have this occur at all by adding the door closing slowly over time.

It is also important to be aware of elimination and how much water they consume before entering a crate.? Stuffed Kongs and chewers?are great crate buddies!

When I start with soft crates, I do so where I am around and can make sure they don't try to chew or claw out, but generally, if mine like the regular crate by then, they end up loving the soft crate pretty quickly because it means they get to go places they want to go.? I use it like at a park by first letting them play and then when they get tired, they can come lie down and get?a Kong in the soft crate.? Then I can read or do stuff without worrying about them~? At the same time, if a squirrel was to run right in front of my soft crate, well, I probably should go to the crate and calm my dog, so there is always some proactiveness needed when using a soft crate.? The finer mesh soft crates also seem less resistant to tearing as opposed to the thicker plasticy mesh soft crate.? But certainly the goal is for them?even make that attempt. ?Another cool thing about the soft crate is that the tops usually open which can make it easy to put leashes on or even have someone pet my dog.

Sara Watson
Bluefence Bassets
SFSPCA Behavior and Training Intern
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