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5 Big Reasons to Crate Train your Dog
Are you frustrated with your dog?
Does he chew everything in sight? Does he leave puddles and
piles everywhere? Is a car ride with your dog synonym of a
nightmare?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have a simple
solution for you: crate training.
Here are 5 big reasons why you should start crate training your
dog:
Reason #1: A Crate Stops Destructive Behaviors
Most dogs are destructive because they don't have anything more
interesting to do than chew on everything they can sink their
teeth in.
You have to remember that chewing is a natural dog behavior and
an excellent way for your dog to burn his excess of energy.
Consequently, your job is not to stop your dog from chewing, but
to prevent him from chewing on the wrong things, like chair
legs, shoes, socks, etc.
By providing safe chew toys to your dog in his crate, you
accomplish two things: you make the crate a wonderful place to
be in and you teach him what are the acceptable chew toys in the
house.
By the way, my favorite chew toys are the ones I can fill with
cream cheese or peanut butter. They keep my dogs busy for a
while and my dogs just go crazy for them.
Reason #2: A Crate Makes Housebreaking Easier
A crate will help your dog to control his sphincters. In other
words, your dog will learn to "hold it" instead of eliminating
whenever he needs to.
Dogs are den animals. What I mean by that is that they like to
have their own quiet place and they'll do everything they can to
keep it clean.
That's why crate training a puppy drastically speeds up the
housebreaking process. Your dog won't want to soil his crate and
thus will gain control over his sphincters.
However, this doesn't mean that you can leave your dog in a
crate for 10 hours in a row! Puppies need to go out frequently
to eliminate.
If you leave your dog in his crate for too long and he ends up
eliminating in the crate, you will lose the best tool at your
disposal to housebreak him properly.
Reason #3: A Crate Makes Car Rides Safer
My heart stops every time I see a dog with his head out of a
window or in the back of a truck.
This is a very dangerous practice since a rock, a bee, a
cigarette butt, etc. can hit your dog.
Another behavior that I see very often is the dog that
constantly jumps back and forth from one seat to the next or
sits on the driver's lap.
Driving requires all our attention and your dog shouldn't be an
additional distraction.
A crate-trained dog will rest in his crate during a car drive
and make the trip for you and him safer.
Reason #4: A Crate Keeps Your Dog Safe from Household Hazards
If you let your dog roams freely in the house unsupervised, you
are really asking for trouble and you unnecessarily put your dog
in danger.
A house contains hundreds of potentially lethal objects for your
dog. Let me give you some examples:
Do you know that chocolate and onions can make your dog very
sick and if ingested in great quantity can kill your dog?
Garbage is also dangerous to your dog since he can choke on
chicken bones, cut himself on broken glass, etc.
Also, lots of houseplants are poisonous for your dog, like
Poinsettia, Aloe, and Peace Lily to name a few.
As you can see, crate training your dog will bring you peace of
mind since your dog will be out of danger when you're not around
to supervise him.
Reason #5: A Crate Speeds Up Your Dog's Recovery
If you have to leave your dog at the vet for a couple of nights,
your dog will recover much faster because he will be used to
sleeping in a crate.
Consequently, if your dog has never been in a crate before and
you add that stress to the one of being in a new place, being
manipulated by strangers and hearing other unfamiliar dogs and
cats around, the whole experience will be unduly stressful for
your dog.
By simply crate training your dog, you give him the tools to
cope with any situation.
Do yourself and your dog a favor and start crate training him
today!
About the author:
Nathalie Lafleur is a dog passionate who wants to educate as
many dog owners as she can on how to care and raise a
well-behaved dog. She's the author of two books and many
articles on dog training. To learn how a crate can make your
life with your dog much more peaceful, visit:
www.crate-training.com
Written by: Nathalie Lafleur
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