Why is Crate Training So Important?

Tugboat the Newfie puppy has been doing one on one classes with us and is going to start our Home School Program this month. We are very excited to be part of his puppy education!

Before we even met Tug, his humans set him up for success by crate training him. Like most puppies, Tug threw some tantrums about being in the crate, but overall it has been a really productive tool to help with the following:

➡️Decreases the chance of Tug developing unwanted habits. If Tugs’ humans can’t prevent him from doing something inappropriate or dangerous he goes in the crate. This keeps Tug safe, decreases conflict between Tug and his humans, and decreases stress for Tug later on in training. If developing bad habits is avoided from the start then training is a lot more fun!

➡️Helps better regulate his emotions. Like most puppies, Tug is not great at knowing when he needs to be put down for a nap. He will get overstimulated and start nipping, jumping, vocalizing etc. The crate is a great way to diffuse those situations and help him successfully decompress. This leads to better emotional regulation skills as an adult.

➡️Helps build healthy boundaries. Daily time on his own, away from his humans, and in his own space decreases the chance that Tug will develop separation anxiety later on.

The crate isn’t a punishment, it’s a versatile tool that is an important part of your puppy’s education. We see a lot of puppy owners give up on crate training the first time the puppy throws a tantrum in the crate and then develop a variety of behavioral issues that could have been avoided with crate training.

We also understand that crate training is not the solution for every dog’s behavioral issues. We have some clients that needed to remove or reduce their dog’s time in the crate to better address specific behavioral issues. However, for the average puppy it can be a HUGE benefit despite the occasional tantrum.