Find it - in a crate

Often dogs are less than excited about crate time and Neah is one of those dogs who doesn't like volunteering to go into her crate.  She is a teenager pup and I always visualize her rolling her eyes at me and saying "Bo-ring" when I need her to have some crate time. However, I've got a little trick to get her in the crate without having to force her in against her will. Like all teenager, sometimes you have to approach an issue from another angle to get them to do what you want them to do and still keep the peace.

Neah, sniffing around for kibble in her crate

There's a game called "find it" that has lots of different uses in working with dogs but in this case the dog is going to find the treasure in their crate.  I take a small amount of kibble - for Neah and Langley it only takes about 5 pieces - and once I manage to get the dog close to the crate I scatter the kibble pieces inside the crate and say "find it".  For most dogs this works like a charm. If your dog isn't as food motivated as Neah and Langley are, you can use a super special treat that only gets used when crating.  Anyhow, the idea is the dog scoots inside and starts searching for the kibble and then I close the door behind them.  Typically they are too busy finding kibble in their blankets/bed that they don't even mind. 

Then I follow this up by giving them something to keep them busy for awhile so they associate the crate with yummy fun things.  Have a favorite toy that is only used during crate time, or save bully sticks or stuffed frozen kongs for crate time. When Frodo was a puppy all I had to say was "chicken" and he'd tear into his crate because he knew he was about to get some chicken jerky - a special crate treat.

The end result is a dog who actually starts to love crate time. For ideas about how to get your dog to find crate time more enjoyable, check out the DVD by Susan Garrett, Crate Games.  The video not only teaches how to get your dog to love their crate, but other self control lessons that can be taught using a crate.