If your dog panics, demand barks, or paces the second that crate door closes, you’re doing crate training wrong. And from even my own personal experience as both an owner and a trainer, I can tell you exactly where it went sideways (seriously, I have seen crates go sideways.)
Most people treat closing the door as step one. They get a (massive) crate ➡ put their dog inside ➡ close the door ➡ and hope enough time and treats gets them to love it. For some dogs that can work fine. For a puppy, dog with anxiety, little impulse control, or really any behavioral issues– this way of “crate training” usually convinces dog owners that their dog hates the crate.
Get this— so many of the dogs I work with who have these behavioral issues won’t even take the treat their owner keeps waving over them, their anxiety far outweighs the want for even a piece of bacon. Trust me, I’ve witnessed this countless times play out which is why even more reason to help them. Instead of running from challenges with your dog what if we looked at them as a way to build their confidence?
Here’s what closing the door too soon actually teaches an anxious dog: the crate isn’t a safe place. One second they’re free to move, the next the door swings shut, and they don’t have the coping skills often times to move through that.
That’s the mistake I see constantly. We assume putting our dogs in and shutting the door means they don’t like it. They aren’t happy— but it shouldn’t be a death sentence (RIP crate) 💔
We don’t want our dogs to just tolerate the crate. It’s getting them to choose it and love it as their safe zone or den. Afterall, dogs are denning animals. We want to teach them that going in there feels nice and laying down is so much more fun than standing up. We want to teach them that calm is the name of the game to get out. That’s the actual win, long before the door ever shuts.
What crate training should actually look like 👀
There’s an exact way I get there with dogs. Nearly every dog I work with it’s as easy as this. It’s not complicated and it’s not rocket science, but the order matters more than people think— so don’t skip these steps or it’s exactly how you’ll end up back to square one.
Here’s the exact crate pattern I do every👏🏼single👏🏼 time 👏🏼 (join my online dog training membership & download my guide below to follow these easy steps)
This training guide gives you a step by step guide into what REAL crate training actually is and I am so stoked for you to apply it with your dog whether they have separation anxiety or not.
Check out this episode from Think Like A Dog podcast on crate training as well. Having these two resources together will make a big impact on your outcome.