How to train your dog

Maybe you rescued a pet that was never trained to go to the bathroom outside the house; or you have to move to the other side of the country and you need to put your dogs in a cage for the trip; or maybe your dog is acting destructively while you are out of the house. There are many reasons why you may need to train your adult dog to sit calmly and quietly in a cage or crate.

Unfortunately, this is something that can cause harm to your dog if you do not do it the right way. I don't want your dog to have a panic attack in the cage and hurt himself. So, what do you need to do to properly train your pet for the cage?

Prepare it
Before starting the cage training, always exercise your dog with a long walk to drain its excessive energy. Also, take him outside to the bathroom, so he does not have to interrupt his training to relieve himself.

Be patient
Unlike puppies, which do not have habits that they have been forming throughout their lives, adult dogs may have spent years without ever entering a cage. This means that you are probably going to be much more resistant to the idea and may object to staying inside. Your job is to insist with them and keep trying with calm and assertiveness. With time and proper training, most adult dogs not only accept the cage as they spend their time there.

Use goodies
Your goal is to make your pet associate the cage with positive feelings, so put treats and even your food inside the cage to encourage her to enter. Eventually, she will see the cage as the place where good things happen and she will no longer be afraid.

Leave it at ease
Dogs love to find a nice and comfortable place to sit or lie down, so one of the best things you can do is treat your dog's cage as if it were just another resting place. Place your favorite blanket inside-or buy a new one-and leave the door open, so you can enter and exit whenever you want.

Close the door, briefly!
Obviously, the ultimate goal of training for the cage is to be able to close the door and that your dog is still calm there. Once you get to the point where your dog seems comfortable spending time in the open cage, offer some kind of distraction-it can be a toy or a treat-and close the door while he is distracted.

Start at intervals of five minutes or less and make sure you are close and visible. Slowly, keep the cage closed for longer periods and leave the room so your dog can come to understand that he is still safe-and eventually he will leave the cage-if you are not there to his forehead.

Following these methods most adult dogs will eventually accept the cage willingly. The cage can even become your dog's new favorite place to sleep.

Are you trying to train your pet for the cage? What kind of problems have you encountered?