All right, gang.  Today we’ll be discussing one of the most common and versatile training tools in a dog owner’s arsenal – the crate.

Also called a cage, or kennel, I find that the humble dog crate often doesn’t get the respect it deserves.  Some owners, especially if they’ve never used one, worry that confining their pup to a crate might be cruel or scary for them.  Others may take the crate for granted (“Dogs like dens, right?”), and simply pop the dog in without any particular prep work, shut the door, and hope for the best.

If you have strong feelings about using a crate as a training aid for your pup (or NOT using one, as the case may be), that’s okay.  I’m not necessarily out to change your mind.  There are often alternative options that can accomplish the same thing, with a little extra work and creativity.

But, for what it’s worth – I have found crates to be immensely helpful with my own pups over the years, and we frequently incorporate them in various ways as part of the treatment plan for my behavior patients.  So if you’re interested in learning more, read on!

Today’s post will outline some of the reasons you might want to consider using a crate, and give some practical tips on teaching your dog to stay in one comfortably.

Why crate train your dog?

So, the first obvious question.  Why bother teaching your pup to stay in a crate at all?  You want your dog to be part of the family – so he should be free to hang out wherever he wants to, not closed up in a cage whenever he’s in the way.  Right?

Well, yes and no.

To be clear – I do NOT advocate using crates as a place to put your dog whenever it’s inconvenient to have him around, or as a substitute for appropriate exercise and mental stimulation.  But, there are a number of very reasonable ways to use a crate that can make life easier and safer for everyone.

A few examples:

• Housetraining

For puppies who aren’t fully housetrained yet, crates can be incredibly helpful for preventing accidents in the house when you’re not able to supervise your pup.  If they’re confined to a small area, most puppies will instinctively “hold it” to avoid peeing or pooping where they would have to stand or lay in the mess.

• Safe confinement for youngsters

Chewing, digging, and exploring are normal activities for puppies and adolescent dogs – but they can lead to problems when your pup is left alone at home without supervision.  Ask any puppy owner who’s ever come home to a sofa in tatters, or the contents of a trash can strewn all over the living room!  The crate can be a safe, comfortable place for young dogs to stay during the day until they’re old enough to be trusted loose in the house.

• Travel

Having a dog who loves his crate can be incredibly handy for car trips and hotel stays.  When you’re on the road, the crate is your pup’s portable “safe space” – a comfy, familiar bed that smells like home, no matter where you are.

• Medical issues

Chances are, at some point in your dog’s life he’ll need medical care that involves more than just a quick stop at the vet’s office.  He may need to be hospitalized for a serious illness, or have surgery for a broken bone.  For many injuries, crate rest for several days (or even weeks!) is a mandatory part of the treatment plan.  If your pup is already comfortable staying in a crate when needed, these situations will be much less stressful for everyone involved.

What kind of crate to get?

If you’ve ever been shopping for a dog crate, you know that this isn’t as straightforward as it seems!  You can get plastic crates, wire crates, or metal maximum-security crates that look like they’re made to contain Hannibal Lecter.  Collapsible fabric crates, crates that are specially designed for the car, and even crates that look like fancy furniture for your living room.

For real.  The sheer array of choices can be intimidating.

In general, for your first purchase, I’d recommend getting a basic wire crate.  Like this:

They’re relatively sturdy, and provide great airflow so they don’t get hot or stuffy.  You can cover them with a sheet (or an attractive crate cover) if your dog is more comfortable this way, or remove the cover to let him see out.  Not overly bulky, so they don’t take up more space than they need to.  They’re also probably the easiest type of crate to find at most pet stores.

Wire crates are great for a “home base” crate in your living room or bedroom, where it can stay in the same place every day.  Many styles are collapsible for travel, but they’re relatively heavy and not fun to tote around, so probably best for occasional trips only.

Once your dog is reliably crate-trained, you may want to spring for a nice collapsible fabric crate – especially if you travel frequently, or want to be able to move the crate around the house without throwing out your back.  These come in lots of different styles and colors, but usually look something like this:

Fabric crates are my favorite choice for traveling, because they fold up easily for transport and are very lightweight.  For agility trial weekends with three dogs, one old car, and no extra hands to help carry stuff, these are highly desirable qualities.

Note that I do NOT recommend fabric crates for puppies, or dogs who aren’t reliably calm and relaxed in the crate.  They’re quite easy to break out of if your dog is upset or excited, and easy to chew holes in for a bored pup.  Start with the sturdy wire variety, and graduate to fabric when your dog is ready.

Plastic or fiberglass kennels, like this, are usually preferred for airline travel:

You could opt for a crate like this to use at home, but I don’t personally care for them because they’re bulky, heavy, and not collapsible – so a huge PIA to move around.  They also don’t provide as much airflow for the dog, so can get stuffy.  Use them for plane trips, and not much else.

What about size?

An excellent question!  In general, the crate should be big enough for your dog to stand comfortably without having to lower his head, turn around easily, and stretch out on his side to lay down.  You can go bigger if you want to (unless you’re housetraining a puppy!), but no smaller.

When in doubt, opt for the next size up.  No one enjoys being scrunched up in a too-small space, so do your pup a favor and make sure he has plenty of legroom.

The actual process of crate training – where to begin?

So, you have your new crate.  You’ve brought it home, unpacked it, and set it up.  Your dog is looking at it with skepticism.

Now what?

Before we delve into this section, let me first acknowledge that there are many ways to crate train a dog successfully.  So if you do things a little differently, that’s fine!  But as a general set of guidelines, here is how I normally approach it with my own pups.

First, make sure the crate is comfortable and inviting.  Put a soft bed or blanket inside for your pup to sleep on, and leave the door open for him to investigate at his own pace.  Toss a few treats inside to encourage him to go in.

Now, this is important – do NOT shut the door.  Closing your dog in right away is a great way to make him anxious and paranoid about entering the crate, so don’t do it!  Let him go in and eat the treats, and come right back out if he wants to.  Repeat this several times.

If he’s worried and doesn’t want to go in, that’s perfectly fine – drop several treats near the entrance to the crate, and a few just inside the door.  Once he’s comfortable with this, try tossing some further in.

Try to do a few quick sessions like this on the first day.  In between, leave the crate out with the door open so that your pup can go in and out anytime he wants to.  Drop a few treats in whenever you can, without letting him see you – this way, he learns that investigating the crate on his own is awesome, because there might be snacks inside!

Your goal at this point is simple – to build a positive association to the crate, before attempting any kind of actual training or confinement.  It’s well worth spending some time on this in the beginning, so don’t skip this step!  It makes everything else go much easier.  Trust me.

Most puppies (and adult dogs with no prior crate experience) are comfortable going in and out of the crate on their own within a day or so.  If you have an adult dog who already has some negative ideas about the crate, this step may take considerably longer.  That’s okay!  Go at your dog’s pace, and don’t rush.

Next, you’ll need to teach your pup to go into his crate on cue.  Say “crate up!” (or whatever command you prefer), and toss a treat into the crate.  Your dog should run in happily.  This time, close the door – and immediately feed him several treats through the bars, all the while telling him how wonderful and brilliant he is.  Then open the door and let him out.

Practice this several times throughout the day, until your dog is happily zooming into the crate as soon as you say the magic words.

Once this is going well, you’re ready to add some duration.  For this step, you’ll need a special long-lasting treat or chew item – like a pig’s ear, a bully stick, or a Kong stuffed with peanut butter.  Ask your dog to “crate up!”, give him his treat, and close the door.  He should lay down happily and get to work.  Sit somewhere nearby, read a book or watch TV, and open the door to let him out before he’s finished.

As long as he’s happy and relaxed with this step, you can progress to leaving him in the crate for longer periods.  You may want him to sleep in the crate at night, or stay in it during the day while you’re not home – so go ahead and give this a try.  Always leave him with a special treat that will take a while to finish, to encourage him to lay down and settle.

If he’s home alone, I highly recommend setting up a video camera to record him while you’re gone, at least the first few times.  This might seem like overkill, but believe me – if he’s anxious and upset at being crated after you leave, you want to know!  Ideally, he’ll work contentedly on his treat until it’s gone, then settle in for a nap.

What’s the long-term goal?

Once your dog is comfortably crate-trained, how you choose to use this skill is really up to you.

My own dogs are never crated at home (although they were as puppies!), but they do stay in their crates when they come to work with me.  I also bring their travel crates whenever we go out of town for a seminar or competition, so they have a comfy place to relax between runs.  In the hotel room, they often go into their crates on their own for a nap – it seems to make them happy to have someplace safe and familiar to sleep.

You can use your crate a lot, or a little – every day, or just for occasional travel and emergencies.  But regardless, in my opinion, it’s a life skill your dog should have.

So buckle down, grab some treats, and get to work 😊

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Note: If you have an older puppy or adult dog who is already fearful of the crate, or has some past negative experiences you’re trying to overcome, I highly recommend Susan Garrett’s Crate Games DVD.  It’s great for teaching lots of different skills (impulse control, recalls, start-line stays for agility dogs, etc.) but for our purposes here, working through the exercises she uses can be tremendously helpful in changing how an anxious dog feels about the crate.

You can find it on Amazon (affiliate link below), or through other online “dog stuff” retailers like Clean Run or Dogwise.

Susan Garrett’s Crate Games for Self-Control and Motivation