This step is a crucial step, as you can imagine. The puppy is about to lose freedom of movement. And sometimes that comes with a bit of fussing and sometimes it goes pretty seamlessly. It. When we build these steps so solidly before we move on, the puppy isn't worried about the textures under foot or if they're going to get treats or if they can come back out again. You're just adding a new level to the same training.
In a brand new session with a well rested, well pottied and has had a drink puppy. The goal is to always set the puppy up to succeed. And as a beautiful side effect, the human also succeeds. As with the last step, we begin each session repeating the last successful spot we were at. And that was tossing the treats to the back of the crate.
If your pup thinks the game is to run back out of the crate. We are going to try to scooch some treats in behind them as they are getting the treats at the back of the crate. So puppy treats go to the back of the crate. Puppy goes in to get those treats which are now low. value treats meaning kibble and while the pup is at the back of the crate eating the kibble, you are going to put chicken at the front of the crate. So when the pup turns around to leave the crate, they stop.
While they are still in the crate but facing the door, you are just going to supply five pieces of chicken or cheese one at a time, the puppy inside the crate. If they leave the crate, that's fine, but no more high value food. Set them up again, kibble at the back. When they jump back in the crate, because that's a behavior that they learned in the last session. Put the three or four pieces of chicken at the front of the crate so when they turn around to leave, they hesitate. We are building duration for staying in the crate. As they are finishing the five or six pieces that are on the bed inside the crate, we are just going to again try to get five to six pieces of chicken into them one at a time. Repeat until they start to catch on that, they're going to stay inside the crate.
Once they are comfortably turning around in the crate, not trying to escape it. And are comfortable, maybe sitting, maybe laying down, waiting for their next little chunk of chicken. Start moving the chicken pieces so you're feeding them through the wire on the side of the crate, or dropping from the top of the crate, or tossing into the back of the crate. We don't want it to be a highly aroused game, but we want the dog learning to be comfortable moving around in the crate and that treats can come from different places. In training, we call this generalizing. A puppy that knows how to sit in the kitchen when you're holding a treat, doesn't really know how to sit. If you're laying on the floor asking him to do the same behavior without food, that doesn't mean that their food depended. It means that to them, their bum hitting the floor happens in the kitchen when your body language is is in the upright position.
We want puppies. That are so relaxed and so comfortable in a crate that it really doesn't matter. They can get up, they can lay back down again, they can sit, they can and and it's no big deal.
The goal is a puppy that easily and eagerly enters the crate. At this point we can add the verbal cue. That can be go to bed, that can be crate time, that can be gobbledygook. It doesn't matter as long as it's a word that you're going to stay consistent with. As you throw the kibble to the back of the crate, you say your cue. The puppy follow the treat in. So we're attaching a queue as they're performing the behavior. We are going to avoid cues like stay and wait by building that behavior naturally.
Once the puppy is going to bed. Chasing the kibbles in, turning around and naturally hesitating before leaving, you're ready for the next step.
This next lesson focuses on building Duration. Give your pup a good rest, and get yourself a treat. You're well on your way to making training fun!