Providing your dog with an indoor crate can be advantageous to your pet in more ways than one. But what’s more, it could benefit you too as its owner. For starters, crate training your pet is also part of housebreaking your pet. It’s just like shooting two birds with one stone. Dogs don’t want their sleeping place soiled and smelly. As such, they would attempt to go out of the house whenever nature calls.

To crate train your pet easily and effectively, follow this 10 simple tips:

1. Start early.

As the old adage says, you can’t teach old dog new tricks. So if you really want to teach your dog to use its crate as its special place inside the house, do it as early as possible. Don’t postpone the training as doing so may cause an inconvenience to you and your pet.

2. Be patient.

No matter how intelligent your dog is, it would really take some time and lots of patience for your dog to get used to the situation. Be very consistent with your training methods. It is important that your dog gets the right message at all times.

3. Choose a crate of the right size.

Don’t make everything hard on your pet by giving it a crate that’s way too small for its frame. Big dogs need big crates. There are a lot of considerations when buying crates for every breed of dog. Try to talk to the salesman at the pet center to help you out in choosing the right crate for your pet.

4. Put the crate in your bedroom or near it.

Your dog needs to feel secure inside the crate. It would help a lot if you put in a place where your dog can smell you and feel you. Try to put it as close to your bedroom as possible. This way, your pet knows that you’re not abandoning it or imprisoning it. Count on your dog’s trust and never break it. Never attempt to lock the crate’s door until your dog is comfortable with the idea.

5. Invite your dog to the crate by using treats.

Dogs may feel repulsed with crates at first. But you can make it feel at home to his new place by tossing treats inside. Leave the door open on the first few days. This will give your pet freedom to go in and out of the crate. You can restrict or lock it later after your pet has gotten used to it.

6. Give your dog meals inside the crate.

The moment you see that your pet is not anymore reluctant to go inside the crate, start giving its meals inside. This way, you’re training him to stay inside his abode longer and feel completely comfortable inside. Let your dog eat undisturbed inside the crate and continue to do so without locking the door during the first few weeks.

7. Lock the door with discretion.

You can try locking the door while your dog is inside the crate eating. This way, he won’t notice that you’ll be keeping him inside for a long time. During the first instance that you do this, your dog may cry and whine inside. Don’t let that bother you. Instead, give commands to your dog that he can understand. Tell him to sit or keep quiet. Once your pet obeyed your order, let it loose. Do this until he get used to being locked up for a short period of time. However, don’t leave your dog locked inside the crate for more than several minutes during the training period. If you do, your dog may not enter the crate anymore even if that means skipping meals.

8. Lock your dog inside the crate a little longer every time.

Just like before, you try to lock the crate’s door as your dog is inside eating a meal. Let it finish its food quietly. See how it would react to a closed crate. If it doesn’t whine, give your pet a few more minutes inside. Then let it out. Do this until your pet learns how to wait patiently inside the crate until you let it out. Lengthen the time gradually until you reach the desired time you intend to keep him in.

9. Never lock the door on your dog until its ready.

Locking your dog inside the crate for a prolonged period of time before it has gotten used to the idea may leave your pet traumatized. As such, it would never again step its foot inside the cage. Be very careful and patient with your pet. Understand that it needs time to adjust.

10. Don’t leave your dog locked in for a long period of time during the day.

Ideally, you only want to use the crate during the night. During the day, restrict your dog’s confinement to several minutes or so. Keep your dog inside the crate if and only if you really need to. It is better to leave your dog locked in the bedroom or in a small area of your house if you have to go outside or leave it unattended for a certain period of time. This is important so your dog won’t see the crate as its prison cell.