| When we were planning the arrival of our new | | | | it later with a much larger one. Following much |
| puppy, we realized he would require a safe place to | | | | deliberation, and studying our budget, we made a |
| sleep at night. We had read about dog crates, but | | | | decision that the best choice would be to buy a big |
| wanted to completely research them and determine | | | | crate with a metal divider. The divider allowed us to |
| if it was a good choice for us. | | | | make the crate small for when the pup was young |
| For some it may be difficult to imagine, but when I | | | | and then move the divider back as he grew. The |
| started out doing the dog crate research, I was | | | | metal crate offered a lot of flexibility that we |
| unsure if placing him in a crate would be considered | | | | wouldn't have gotten with a plastic dog crate. |
| cruel by our brand new puppy. It felt a lot like we | | | | Now that our puppy is over a year old, he's decided |
| were going to put him in a cage and then slam the | | | | that he really likes his dog crate. We leave the door |
| door shut. I knew it could be a good way to keep | | | | open so he can come and go anytime he desires. It |
| him from harm, yet I did not want him to feel like he | | | | is his area and we do not permit the kids to go |
| was being punished. | | | | inside. We occasionally discover a cat in the dog |
| After doing some research, we discovered that wild | | | | crate, but the dog does not seem to care. He curls |
| dogs live in dens. A den gives a dog a spot to call | | | | up alongside the cat and looks puzzled as to the |
| their own where no other animals will invade | | | | reason why it's in his space. |
| (hopefully). It provides them with both security and | | | | Above all, a dog crate should not be a form of |
| privacy. Finding a den can be a natural instinct for any | | | | punishment. It's never smart to get upset with your |
| dog. After a while, we decided that we needed to | | | | dog, push them in the crate, shout at him, and slam |
| obtain a crate for our pup. Since we wished to have | | | | the door. |
| everything ready before we got home, we decided | | | | When starting crate training, you might want to lure |
| to make the purchase ahead of time. | | | | your dog into the crate with a treat until he gets |
| We discovered dog crates of different types and | | | | used to it. We used this technique with our puppy |
| sizes once we began searching for one. We could, of | | | | and it worked effectively. |
| course, have bought a smaller crate and then replace | | | | |