Most people are willing to crate their puppies to accomplish potty training, but then after that they feel guilty about crating their dog, especially if they are home. I recently had a client tell me, they put off doing certain things around the house because they needed to watch the dog constantly and they felt guilty about crating their pup when they were home. The dog is learning Place with duration, but not quite to the point that you can leave the room for long periods of time without him getting up, and if he starts roaming, he gets into things. (He has already had one surgery to remove a sock from his stomach)
Last weekend I was boarding him, and when she picked him up, she asked, “Was he a handful?” I said, “No, not at all.” I wasn’t trying to be, “I’m better than you”, I just explained to her that we have a set routine. We walk, we train, we go to Place, we potty and then we take a nap in the crate and it works beautifully! I get all kinds of things done. Just be matter of fact, put him in the crate, and walk away. If he protests, ignore it or correct it. He will stop. Don’t feel guilty about it!
Just like toddlers, young dogs need naps. Just like toddlers, they usually don’t volunteer to take one. And just like toddlers, if they are overdue for one, they can get out of sorts.
I ran into my client later that day. (She lives in the neighborhood) She said the most wonderful thing happened! She went home and put her pup in the crate, he slept several hours, and she got all kinds of things done. Ha! Another secret revealed…