5 Big Reasons to Crate Train your Dog
By Nathalie Lafleur
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 makes it easy for dog owners to crate train their dog quickly and easily. Get more crate training tips by visiting www.crate-training.com.
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