How to Train Your Dog to Stay in Dog Cages?

Keeping a dog as a pet is not an easy task. And the hardest part is to train it. But, luckily, it is also the most rewarding part. One of the most important types of training is to teach your dog to stay in dog crates. Although it is possible to force it, using that method will only harm it and the relationship between you two. By forcing it to stay in dog cages, your pet will be scared and anxious. And it will not get better with time. 

So, the best alternative is to train it. The process is not very complicated. But you need to have enough patience and spend a lot of time on it. The first step is to make your pet to enter the crate by itself. And to do that, you can use food. Place it in the crate, and your dog will enter to eat. Next, you can close the door and stay near together with it. This will prevent your pet from getting anxious and scared. You should also place a pad in there where it can take care of its needs. 

The second step is to repeat the process and prolong the period in which he stays in the cage. After a certain period, you can start leaving the room for short periods to make him get used to staying alone. The third and the last step is to make him sleep in the crate during the night and when you leave the house for longer periods. But you must keep in mind that you should never leave it alone in the crate for more than 10 hours at a time. 

When and Why Does Your Pet Need Training for Dog Cages?

But why do you need to train your dog to stay in  dog cages ? Well, there are serval situations in which you may need to keep your pet closed. It is not a problem to do so as long as you do not use this method as punishment. If you do that, then you should stop right now because it will harm the mental health of your pet. The three common situations when you need to keep your dog in a crate are: 

• Alone in the house. Many people need to go to work, and no one can stay with their pets. And leaving your dog alone in the house can be quite risky. Not only he can damage your furniture or break some items in the house. But he can even harm itself in the process. And to prevent that, it is a better alternative to train it to stay in dog crates while you are left for work. 
• Inside the car. If you need to take your dog somewhere with the car, then you can use a cage to ensure that he stays safe. Especially if this is its first time in a car. Or if there is no one to keep an eye on it while you drive. So, it is for its safety that you make him stay in the cage on the way to your destination. 
• Nighttime. Similar problems to those that can happen while you are at work can also happen during the night. So, you can also keep your dog in the crate in that period. There will be no problem if you follow the steps of the training mentioned above. It will sleep peacefully in the crate, and even if it wakes up, there will be no accidents that can happen. 

What Sizes Does the Dog Crates Should Have?

The first thing that you need to know is the distinction between cages and  dog crates . A crate is much bigger, and your dog has enough space to move around in it. On the other hand, a cage is much smaller and should only be used for transportation and for short periods. You should never let your dog in a cage for long periods. Why? Because that may cause him mental harm. 

So, how big should a crate be? As big as possible. The more space you can use for it, the better. But it should be at least big enough for your pet to move around. And for you to place the food, water, and the pads. And these items should not become a problem for your pet.