3. Crate

3. CRATE

LEVEL TWO

Dog enters crate with no more than two cues (vocal, body language, or hand signals), remains in crate while handler closes/opens door, no vocalizing or pawing.

DISCUSSION: Here we begin one of the most important things a competition dog will ever learn – and it ain't chopped liver for a pet, either. A dog that is comfortable in a crate is safe in a car. Safe with the grandchildren around. Calm and relaxed at the vet's recovering from surgery. Not running around the house getting into trouble. And fresh and ready to go when it's her turn at a trial.

EASY BEGINNINGS: The first thing we're going to teach the dog about the crate is how to go in it. Once she''s got that down pat, we'll move on to STAYING in it. This is a perfect behaviour for shaping. Put the crate somewhere where you can both get at it easily – like in the living room. Take the door off if you can, or prop it open. Click the dog for looking at the crate, walking toward it, putting her nose in it, putting one paw in it, two paws, three, etc. Once she's that far in, you can toss the treats into the crate for her to get instead of outside as you were doing before she got three paws in. And once she's in that far, you can start feeding her meals in the crate and giving her a cookie in the crate several times a day.

PROBLEM SOLVING

SHE WON'T GO IN IT! Do NOT try to lure the dog into the crate! Tossing a cookie in and waiting gives her the opportunity to go in the scary place and get a cookie or stay out of the scary place and have a life. Hmmm, tough choice! If you're having trouble shaping her to go in the crate, take the crate apart so you only have the bottom half to work with. Take the door off. If your crate doesn't come apart, use a big cardboard box or an open suitcase to start with.

SHE SCREAMS WHEN I CLOSE THE DOOR! Don't close the door. And don't push her that extra half-step to get ALL of her into the crate. When she's entering the crate willingly and eating her meals in it, you can start opening and closing the door while she's eating. Don't lock it shut yet, just open and close it repeatedly. When she's comfortable with that, put her filled dish inside with her (by the way, she enters the crate FIRST, the food dish arrives SECOND), then shut the door and hold it shut with your foot while she's eating. Just before she's finished eating, open the door again. Then shut the door and latch it, opening it just before she finishes eating.

When she can handle that, try putting the dish in with her, then shutting the door, latching it, walking to the other side of the room and returning to open the door just before she finishes.

Then walk a little slower, returning just AFTER she finishes eating.

Then start having her go in the crate for a cookie during TV commercials. Let her out when the commercial is over if she's quiet. If she's not quiet, you left her too long.

ADDING A CUE: As usual, add your cue after you have the behaviour. I use the same "crate" cue for getting in the car and entering any small spaces where she should snuggle down and wait.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Move the crate to different areas of your house. Put it in your car. Try feeding the dog in the crate and then leaving the room while she's eating. Get a really good toy to give her ONLY when she's in the crate. Put the crate beside your bed and have the dog sleep in it all night.

LEVEL THREE

Dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quietly for one minute with the door closed.

DISCUSSION: Now she's well and truly confined. From here on, the crate behaviour is a simple continuation of the initial behaviour of just going into the crate. This step, though, from just walking into the crate to having to stay quietly in the crate, is a big one. Don't underestimate it, and don't accept ANY noise or other fussing in your testing.

EASY BEGINNINGS: In Level Two, I described a good way to get her used to having the door closed while she's eating a meal (Problem Solving: She Screams When I Close The Door). Do different things while she's eating – walk around the room, vacuum, wash a dish. If she sleeps on a blanket or small dog bed, put it in the crate.

What happens next, you already know, because in Level 2, you started teaching her Go To Mat. The crate is no different than the mat, except the door will eventually be closed. This is, in the long run, as different as doing Watch with the leash off and then doing it with the leash on. In other words, not that much different. Dogs will naturally be upset about being confined away from their families. It's a different story if the dog first confines herself.

When she can go into her crate and stay in it for two minutes with the door open, cut your time down to 10 seconds and close the door. In the beginning, hold the door closed with your foot, and treat her exactly as you would if the door was still open. Toss a treat in occasionally, and when you open the door, keep working her as if she were still doing Go To Mat. Whether the door is open or closed should make no difference to her behaviour (or yours). This means that she won't be jamming out of the crate the instant the door opens, but waiting until you click or otherwise invite her to come out.

Build your time up to one minute with the door closed, and there's your behaviour.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

SHE CLAWS AND BITES AT THE DOOR! You went too fast. Go back to the Go To Mat idea and go slower. Don't close the door on her until she's comfortable and understanding that staying in the crate is the behaviour you're paying for today. When you work on any behaviour long enough, that behaviour will become this week's default – which means she should get to the point where she's volunteering to go in the crate at every opportunity.

ADDING A CUE: The cue you use is to get in the crate. From there on, behaving correctly in the crate should be just what she does when she's in the crate.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Work up to the one-minute duration with you in and out of the room. If she's doing really well, sit down, read a book, and have your lunch!

LEVEL FOUR

Dog enters the crate on one cue and remains quiet for 2 minutes with the door closed.

DISCUSSION: Two minutes is about the amount of time it takes to make a cup of coffee. Or use the time to take out the garbage or clean out your junk drawer. Practise three or four times a day for best results.

EASY BEGINNINGS: All you're doing is extending the duration of the behaviour. This is a perfect 300-Peck behaviour: She's already up to one minute, so start at maybe 50 seconds and go up in 5-second increments. Work for a few days with her volunteering to go in the crate and you not closing the door. That makes this a Go To Mat behaviour, only you're using the crate instead of a mat.

Remember your criteria. It isn't enough that the dog is in the crate. She must be relaxed in the crate, thinking about getting her reward rather than how soon she can get out.

Say you get up to 90 seconds in the first few days. Then cut back to 50 seconds again, and start closing the door while she's in there. Work up to 90 seconds again.

Start from 90 seconds and work to 2 minutes with the door open, then start back at 90 again and work up to 2 minutes with it closed.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

SHE CLAWS/BITES/WHINES/BARKS/HOWLS AT THE DOOR! You went too fast. Go back to the Go To Mat idea and go slower. You canNOT ask for a longer time until you have the behaviour you WANT. Little errors you made in the previous level are coming now to haunt you. Go back to the beginning and concentrate on your exact criteria – calm, reasonable, quiet, relaxed acceptance of being in the crate.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Put the crate in different locations – car, front yard, training building, friend's house. Do different things while she's in the crate – do the dishes, sweep the floor, read a book, watch TV, ride your exercise bike, do jumping jacks, pet/play with another dog, bounce a ball.

LEVEL FIVE

Dog enters the crate on one cue, remains quietly for 5 minutes with the door closed.

DISCUSSION: Now you'll see whether or not your initial criteria was specific enough. Does she really know that she needs to relax in the crate? You should be finding her asleep when you go to let her out.

LEVEL SIX

Dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quiet with the door closed for 15 minutes.

DISCUSSION: At this point you should be able to take going and staying in the crate for granted. When you need the dog in the crate, you can put her in without fuss, and expect her to stay there without you thinking about her, and know she'll come out refreshed and ready to work or play.

LEVEL SEVEN

Dog enters a crate on one cue only and remains quietly with the door closed for 30 minutes.