Successful crate training for your puppy can be easy and very rewarding for you and your puppy once you understand a few basic ideas and follow through on them. Puppies, like children, thrive on structure, routine, love, and proper limits and boundaries. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that crate training is beyond your skill set or that it won't work with your dog.
Many different training methods exist, and people swear by what they learned. However, at The Leash Team, we believe wholeheartedly in the efficacy and the positivity of force-free dog training methods. Dogs respond best when taught with positive reinforcement and given goals they are happy to work toward, much like people. Consider your own work: Are you happier when your supervisors compliment your work and give you proper credit, and you find that the rewards meet the effort? Would you rather have your supervisors talk to you about what you did wrong and how to improve it? Or do you think that being yelled at and generally unhappy makes your work better?
Your feelings are similar to those of your dog: you probably don’t want to be yelled at. Neither does your dog, and doubly so with puppies. They are fun and cute, and loving, but they also need guidance, just like any of us. Finding the best training methods is important because you want to start early teaching your dog: socialization, behavioral expectations, and more.
Crate training is more than putting your dog inside a box or cage to keep them out of trouble while you’re outside the house. It’s a way to create a safe space that your dog recognizes and appreciates, with the added benefit of making things easier on you in case you have to leave the home or have guests over and need your dog not to be freely wandering around the house. Some experts believe that crates mimic the dens that dogs and their lupine ancestors often used, so they are considered to be part of a beneficial experience for your dog.
Crate training a puppy can be quite an exhausting and even frustrating experience, however! This is why it’s important, as it is with so many other things, to start early and practice proper training techniques. A puppy crate training schedule is a great way to start because dogs respond well to schedules.
Force-free dog training is the superior method for training your puppy, and in the article below, we’ll show you how to do so.
Use the Force-Free Method
What does “force-free dog training” mean? This is a training method fueled by the latest science and the most humane training techniques to create a more effective method. The benefits of this style of training are immense, helping you to build a bond with your dog, as well as being more effective than the traditional stricter and more forceful training methods.
One of the most common requests our team receives for training is, “Can you help me with crate training my puppy?” We absolutely can, and what’s more, we’ll show you how the force-free method is a better way for you to teach your dog. Ultimately, that’s what behavioral training is all about–teaching your dog not just to obey commands but to learn new ways of reacting and behaving. Take a look at some of the major benefits of force-free dog training.
Paws-itive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is exceptionally effective with dogs because they enjoy doing things that make them happy, and they also like to make their human friends happy. Teaching a puppy that certain behavior is desirable essentially tells that puppy that this is something to be enjoyed. They will associate the behavior with positive feelings, which is great because then your dog will perform the desired behavior out of a desire to do so rather than just following commands.
Bond With Your Dog
Force-free training helps you build bonds with your dog. The entire point of the method is to help you two establish communication and understanding so that certain behaviors are encouraged. The training process, using positive reinforcement and encouragement, helps you and your dog strengthen your bond through repetition and association with rewards.
Dog ownership is known to have many therapeutic benefits for humans, as well as dogs, so taking the time to crate train properly and care for your dog will improve both of your lives.
Avoid Pain and Frustration
We understand that training puppies can be frustrating. They’re not always ready to listen, they chew things, they’re noisy and full of energy, there’s the chewing, they have a habit of getting into the exact places that you don’t want them to, and did we mention the chewing?
Frustration and physical discipline will not help your dog learn nor help you improve undesirable behaviors. Over time, they will only build resentment and teach your dog to associate negative feelings with the stimulus, making them fearful, angry, or sneaky.
Mutual Peace of Mind
When your dog whines all night in the crate, it can mean a poor night of sleep for you both! The best thing that you can do is create and maintain puppy crate training schedules effectively so that both of you get a better night’s sleep. You’ll also rest easier knowing that your dog is feeling better and that you have taught your sweet pooch through purely positive methods.
When you have successfully crate-trained your dog, you will be able to put him or her into your crate without worrying about incessant whining or discomfort.
Crate Training Done Right
From dog walking to answering the “someone, please help crate train my puppy!” call, our services are for the dog lovers out there who want a better way to train their dogs. We can help you establish a puppy crate training schedule that will last long after our program ends, as well as teach you the most effective methods for your dog’s personality.
What we want to do is help you and your dog find an understanding and build a bond through the positive techniques of force-free training.