Crates have literally saved the lives of countless dogs, and they’ve helped countless others to deal with life in a human world with less stress and fear. To get the most effective start possible you first want to prepare the crate have a location and a crate training plan all ready before you even bring your foster pet home. LAadopt will provide a proper size crate for your foster dog. The crate must be large enough for your dog to stand, turn around freely and stretch out laying down comfortably. Leaving a a chew toy with your dog to keep them occupied
How To Use a Dog Crate
Don’t Just Crate When You’re Leaving Them Alone
It’s extremely important that you crate your foster pet for short periods at regular intervals throughout the day when you’re home, not only when you’re about to leave the house. This prevents foster pet from learning that going to the crate always means they will be left alone which can result in them becoming reluctant to enter and use it.
The Crate is Your Dogs Den
The crate is your foster pet special place of their own and it must remain just that their own. So if you have children, be very stern about the fact they must NEVER bother the dog and especially never tease them when they’re in the crate. And never let them go inside, or play on or around it. It’s your foster pet own special place and they must learn that they can go there for peace and quiet and will not be disturbed. But having said that, you should make sure your foster pet allows human contact and entry to the crate and doesn’t learn to resource guard it because you’ll need to place items in there, remove items from there and sometimes touch your dog when they’re inside.
Take Them To Toilet And Exercise Them Before Crate Any Length of Time
You should always make sure your foster pet has recently been to toilet and had some exercise and interaction with their human family before you crate them for any length of time. If they haven’t been to toilet, it could get very uncomfortable having to hold it and they may even eventually be forced to go in the crate. If they haven’t been exercised and enjoyed some interaction, they may have pent-up energy and feel isolated, ignored and alone which can lead to anxiety.
Always Leave The Crate Open For Your Dog to Use Voluntarily
First and foremost, the crate should be left open and accessible for your dog to use voluntarily when they wish. It provides your dog with his own little place to go for peace and quiet where they’ll not be disturbed, which is particularly important in a house with children. Also, if you have to leave your foster pet alone for short periods, being in the crate will make them feel safer and more secure than being free to roam around a big room or the whole house alone. Its helps to cover the crate with blanket to calm the foster pet
When to Crate For a Timeout
When your foster pet becomes way over-excited, begins to get a jumpy or possibly nippy and they won’t calm down, (and this happens often with younger dogs ) you can place them in the crate until they’re relaxed and have regained control. Never do this to punish your dog, always stay calm and speak positively throughout. You don’t want them to have any negative feelings about the crate. Just calmly take them to the crate with a toy to relax for a couple of minutes.
Crate Time Period
you should avoid crating your dog for more than 5 hours at a time, and the frequency of this should be kept to an absolute minimum. When a dog’s crated for long periods, they get no exercise, no interaction or socialization and this can lead to depression and anxiety. They need companionship from their human family. Please try to avoid this. The time will vary depending on the age of your dog, but an adult dog can be crated for as long as five hours on occasion, Be sure that foster received exercise before a long stay in the crate. Never use a dog crate for punishment! If you do, you aren’t using it in the dogs best interests or as a management tool, you’re using it as a prison.Please don’t punish your dog for your own failings! If you do confine them as a punishment, they’ll start to dislike their crate and will then lose the benefit of a place of safety and security all of their own. And you’ll no longer be able to use it for time-outs and management as they’ll start to fear the crate and feel anxious.Your dog should only ever have pleasant experiences while crated, to promote a happy association with it and to keep its power and benefits for both you and your dog.
Keep Your Foster Safe When You Cannot Supervise Them
If you’re busy around the house and cannot supervise your foster pet properly, placing them in a crate for a short while will remove the potential for them to get into trouble such as chewing or swallowing harmful, toxic or inedible objects in your home. Protect Your Belongings When You Cannot Supervise The. You should never leave a foster dog alone with small children. . So if you cannot supervise them, do not leave a very young child and your dog alone together. Place your foster pet in a crate for a short while until they can have your supervision.
When NOT to Crate Your Dog
There are times when you shouldn’t crate your dog. Sometimes for medical reasons, sometimes for psychological reasons and sometimes because it may set back your dogs development and your training efforts so far. Although a crate is very useful, recommended and will even be sought out by your dog when they’re ill or convalescing, some conditions require that a dog be able to move about freely to prevent their health from worsening. An old dog with arthritis or a younger dog with inflamed joints may become stiff and sore if they’re confined with little movement.
These are the times and reasons that you should not crate your dog:
Look out for high or cold temperatures
Dogs Who Suffer With Separation Anxiety
A dog that already suffers with separation anxiety should never be confined in a crate as this will only make things worse. If your dog shows any of the following signs of separation anxiety when left alone you need to discuss this with LAadopt: Destructive chewing, soiling the house, excessive drooling, scratching at doors and windows trying to escape or non-stop barking and whining. Although nearly all dogs come to see their crate as their special place that makes them feel safe and secure, this isn’t the case with those that suffer separation anxiety and crating them could in fact make their feelings worse. You’ll know if your dog fears the crate because they’ll look incredibly scared: Ears flat, tail down, trembling and in extreme cases may even vomit or defecate. Never force a dog into a crate, they must be willing to go inside and should feel happy and comfortable there.
The main aims of a crate are safety, security, protection of belongings, to help house training and management of behavior problems. So if you have a dog who behaves wonderfully when left alone in the home, is very well house trained, has no destructive tendencies your dog’s reached the stage where they can be trusted. Crating only deprives them of the freedom to move around that they’ve earned by working hard with you in training, to learn and abide by the rules you want them to live by. Use the crate less at this point. This is their reward. The ability to spend several hours a day roaming freely about the house rather than spending time in a crate will benefit your foster in many ways. A dog loose in the house, interacting with a family enjoys a far greater level of mental stimulation and a better quality of life. To train your dog to be trusted and reliably free in your house, have them out of the crate and with you whenever you can to supervise and more importantly, train and teach them. For those dogs that truly fear a crate, you should never force them. The more you understand the benefits a crate can provide, and when you should and shouldn’t use a crate, the better you’ll be able to use it for the incredible tool it is to manage your dog for the benefit of their safety and happiness.