How to Get Your Dog to Sleep In Its Crate

Sh... they're sleeping.

When you're first raising your puppy or dog and want to teach it to sleep in its crate, it cane be frustrating to try to "force" the dog in. Instead, we'd like to know how exactly we can get a dog to sleep in a crate without putting up so much resistance - and once they're in, we don't want them to make a big stink. So how exactly do you get your dog to sleep in its crate? In this article you'll find some solid answers.

First, make sure that you have a crate "plan." What's a crate plan? It's simply your plan for getting your dog to sleep in its crate. In your plan you should have a predictable pattern for putting the dog in its crate - this means giving it a regular sleep schedule and putting it in the crate at about the same point every night. This consistency will help build up the crate habit in the dog's mind. Don't worry about how the dog will resist for now, simply get started by formulating a plan.

Second, as part of your plan, include regular exercise for the dog. Really tire it out during the day - by the time night rolls around, it should be ready for rest and even happy to see the warm blankets on the bottom of the crate. You want to make the crate seem inviting, and one way to do this is to make a dog's daily life physically exhausting. This will also solve many of your dog's anxiety problems, as exercising is good for taking away stress.

Third, you'll want to monitor your own behaviors when the dog is around. Are you behaving like a pack? If so, who is the pack leader? Are you the leader of your household or is the dog? A dog that knows its role as the dog will have no problems sleeping in the crate - it won't even feel that it has an opportunity to question your routines. In order to remain the pack leader, refuse to try to "coerce" your dog's mood by giving it rewards when it is aggressive. Instead, reserve your affection for when a dog is calm and relaxed. Rewarding this behavior will help your dog to react to many situations in which you are around in a calm and relaxed manner.

Fourth, reward your dog initially when it exhibits good crate behavior. This doesn't mean you'll try to bribe it into entering the crate. Instead, if a dog has been calm in its crate all night, give it a treat immediately upon opening the crate up. This will help the dog to associate a calm night inside the crate with a positive reward.

Photo Credits: Niko Herlin

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