Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by We Are THAT Family.
Once upon a time, we lived in a castle in Texas. It had a big back yard for Henry to run and play in. When I had to leave the castle, Henry stayed in the back yard.
Then, Prince Charming said we were moving to New Jersey. It was not the magical land of Texas. Henry no longer had a back yard. When I had to leave the apartment, I tried leaving Henry in the bathroom. This was not a good solution. Henry was in distress every time we left him in the bathroom, and eventually, one dark night, he ripped up the carpet strip trying to get out.
Prince Charming bought a child gate. The walls of the apartment are uneven, so it only worked sometimes. And then one evil day, Henry chewed and yanked on the child gate. The child gate was broken.
Where had our wonderful dog gone? Would I ever be able to leave the house again?
My fairy godmother (My mother, actually.) had the solution.
When Henry was a puppy we bought a kennel, but he didn’t like it, and we really didn’t need it, so we gave it to one of my brothers for his dog. I was afraid Henry would hate the kennel, and maybe even chew it up, but so far he’s done great. Henry used to hide under the bushes in our backyard. The kennel is kind of like his cave.
Here are some tips that worked for me when we started kennel training Henry. Special thanks to our wonderful vet and Maegan for their excellent advice!
* Never use the kennel as punishment.
You don’t want your dog to be afraid of the kennel. You want him to obey you when you say, “Get in your kennel,” or as I say, “Kennel up!”
*Place treats and toys in the kennel.
Our vet even suggested we start putting Henry’s food bowl into the kennel. She said to be sure we move the food bowl out before we leave. Eating in the kennel helps dogs associate the kennel with good things.
*When you leave the house, turn on talk radio.
This was a tip from Maegan, and Henry seems to really like having the radio on. It makes sense. When we’re home with Henry there’s always noise. Talk radio is probably comforting to him.
*Start by letting him smell the kennel, and then gradually get him to lie down inside. Work your way up to the dog being inside for a few minutes.
David actually stuck the upper half of his body in the kennel to get Henry to lie down inside at first. I wish I’d gotten a picture of that. Then we put Henry in for five minutes while we were in the room talking with him. Going slow has kept him from barking and whining. It’s been so much easier than I thought it would be!
We kennel trained our big ol Moose-dog as a pup. Now he loves to be in there, even when he doesn’t have to be!
Way back when I had a dog, it was kennel trained too. Housebroken? Not so much, which is why it was kennel trained. LOL I’m glad it’s working out for Henry! (and the house!) Have a great day!
Suggestion about the carpet… at Jennifer’s apartment there was a wide wood strip between the carpet and the tile. It would probably be the most cost effective fix too.
Also, Jennifer put her two dogs, in the cage, in the car, when she moved to Colorado. They were great the entire trip.
I have a picture of George inside of Rudy’s kennel when he was first trying to convince Rudy to get in. Rudy never learned to like his kennel. He would get so upset that he would pant and drool on himself the whole time we were gone. He would be completely wet when we’d get home. Poor dog.
OMG! He tore the carpet to pieces! He looks like a happy guy!