Starting with a fresh puppy and a fresh bowl of high value treats and a bowl of some kibble, we are now going to start introducing the pup to the inside of the crate.. Try to choose a blanket or a bed that is quiet. Not the noisy Nylon slippery type. I typically hang a little stainless steel bucket of water inside of a crate. This is not as necessary with baby puppies, because they're going to need to be out to potty and eat more frequently than adult dogs.
So we have a fresh rested puppy that has had half of their lunch or supper. They've pottied and played and they are ready to do some engaging work. Once again, sitting on the floor beside the opening of the crate, we're just going to refresh the pup and toss three or so high value treats around the entrance of the crate. If the pup needs a mini refresher course on that or a little more time, then take that time now. You can always come back to the next step after the next rest. For the pup. Rushing any of this just creates mistrust of you and the crate. That is the opposite of the relationship we are trying to build.
We can move on to. Tossing a couple of high value treats just inside the crate door so the pups head goes in the door but not necessarily their body. It. Again, like before, we are going to stay at this stage of justice, the head ducking into the crate until they are 150 per cent comfortable with that. Once they're easily popping their head inside and maybe even anticipating that. The next set of high value treats are going to go about half way back so that the pup has to me be use their front two feet to reach them. Some pups may stretch all the way in, some pups might jump right in. If your pup jumps right in then you can fairly quickly move to putting the high value treat at the back of the crate. If your pup is leaving, they're back two feet outside of the crate and stretching for everything that they are worth. They're not comfortable. I will ask you to back up to the treats just inside the door where they were last solid. And then cutting that space in half between where you had been and the door. This increases the difficulty and they're just reaching a little bit more. Growth happens outside the comfort zone. It. The challenge with that is if we move that comfort zone too far, too fast, then puppies tend to give up. They don't understand the distance is too great. Always be willing to break it down into a more bite sized piece for your dog.
The goal of this step is to have your puppy running into that crate with joy and zero fear or reservations.
Is your dog going in and out? Is your puppy relaxed? Then move on to the next section.
What is the next section? It's simply Closing the Door. By breaking the tasks into small steps we have pups that understand and comply both! And that's a beautiful thing