In our house, crates are just another bed but they are also a safe, gentle way to resolve common problem behaviours. Here are my top five reasons for crate training my dogs.

1. Safe place to relax – The rule in my house is “if you are in your crate, no one disturbs you”. That means, humans, other dogs or household pets. The crate is the one place a dog can go and completely relax without fear of being disturbed. Having a safe sanctuary is, in my opinion, essential for older dogs who don’t hear so well and can’t move quickly, anxious dogs, and dogs with mobility issues e.g. post – surgery or chronic conditions e.g. arthritis, obesity.

2. Out of mischief – For young dogs or those just learning your house rules, a crate is a great way of the dog being with the family but unable to make a mistake like toileting inside, chewing furniture, door dashing, begging at the table etc

3. Portable dogs – Dogs that love their crates are portable. You can take your dogs anywhere with you, set up their crate, and they are immediately happy and relaxed.

4. Puppy toilet training – Crates predict when a puppy will toilet, so no more puppy accidents. When a puppy comes out of their crate, they will need to toilet, so you can take them straight outside and reward them lavishly for going in the desired spot. You can also bring puppy back inside, knowing they are empty.

5. Travel, vets & groomers – Crate trained dogs are comfortable in a crate for travel (especially air travel), procedures at the vets or waiting at the groomers. These are all potentially stressful times where I want my dogs to be able to relax themselves because I am not there to support them.

Full Stride, through my partnership with Teamwork Dog Obedience is running an “Introduction to Crate Training” session at Carseldine on Saturday 30th July, 10 – 11am. For more information please contact me