To crate or not to crate

Personally, I don’t think this is a question. I am a firm believer in crate training your dog.

Regardless of their heritage, dogs have been domesticated, and continue to change to adapt to the new environments we bring them into. This means indoor life. If you start early, crate training can be quite easy, and an effective way to keep your dog (and your home) safe and content while you’re away.

There are a few things to consider if you’re debating on crate training your dog. The biggest thing is, if this is a puppy, you really don’t know what they’ll be like as they grow. Maybe they’ll be a destructive dog, or a chewer. Chances are good you aren’t going to be with your dog 24/7, and at some point will need to leave your dog on their own. Are you willing to risk your possessions, your home, or the safety of your dog, on the chance your dog will be okay to be left alone?

The second point is the unknown future. Regardless of your situation now, there’s a chance your lifestyle or situation may change in the future. What if you have to move? What if you get a different job, with a different schedule? What if (heaven forbid) something were to happen where you are unable to keep your dog with you?

A crate can be a familiar place for a dog, something consistent that can help them adjust to new places/situations. If you move, their crate moves with them, and they have a familiar place in an unfamiliar situation. Think of it as their little home inside your home. If you have to switch schedules, their crate is already familiar to them, which will help them adjust. If they have to be re-homed, their crate can go with them and they’ll have a safe place in the midst of the chaos and adjusting period, as well as make it easier on their new family and their schedule/environement/needs.

Since I believe the best time to start crate training is when your dog is a puppy, here are a few steps you can take to help get your pup adjusted to their crate.

1.       Make sure the crate is the right size for your dog. If your puppy is expected to get quite a lot bigger, try to find a crate with a divider so you can keep it the right size throughout their growing process while keeping the crate the same. You want the crate to be big enough for the puppy to stand, turn, and lie down in, but not so big that they have a ton of extra room where they could feel comfortable to eliminate and not have to lie in.

2.       Start feeding your puppy in their crate. This way they’ll associate the crate with good feelings.

3.       Reward your puppy with affection (and/or treats) when they voluntarily go into their crate on their own throughout the day.

4.       Start the crate in an area where you spend a lot of time. Your puppy is probably going to be following you around and will want to keep an eye on you, so this will help if they can be in the same room as you most of the time.

5.       NIGHT TIME – this is usually where people will give up. Your puppy has been taken from the only home they’ve ever known, along with their litter-mates. They are going to be lonely, especially at night when they’re used to curling up with their mom, brothers, and sisters. Chances are good they will cry. My only recommendation is to stay strong. Getting up to get your puppy every time they cry is teaching them they can get your attention with it, and that’s a bad habit to start. (Keep in mind you will need to let your puppy out at night to eliminate, I recommend setting a timer and getting up before your puppy starts crying if you can. This will also help teach your puppy to eliminate on command, which is super helpful going forward.)

6.       Some will recommend you keep the crate in your room overnight, which may help comfort your puppy as they won’t be alone, and make it easier for you to get up to let them out. This will depend on your puppy and your own tolerance of what will likely be a loud adjusting period. I can tell you from personal experience this did NOT work on one of my dogs, she did much better in her own space where she couldn’t hear me. Covering the crate with a blanket (as long as the room isn’t hot) can also help tremendously. You’ll want to leave some openings for air flow.

7.       Start putting your puppy in their crate for short periods during the day. After playtime when they’re tired is an excellent time to try this, as they’ll be less likely to get agitated. Again, covering the crate can help settle them down.

8.       Hopefully your dog isn’t going to be left for long periods of time on a regular basis, but I believe it’s best to try and train them for it just in case this happens unexpectedly. Continue to increase the amount of time your puppy is in their crate during the day to help them adjust.

There are a few don’ts you’ll also want to keep in mind when crate-training your puppy.

1.       DON’T use the crate as punishment. This needs to be a safe space for your dog, and as such they should not have any negative associations with it. If you need to put your puppy in time-out, use a different space (the bathroom, with garbage, toilet paper, and other chewables removed, for example).

2.       DON’T leave your puppy alone with toys (ESPECIALLY STUFFIES), bones, or chewing treats in their crate. This rule applies as they grow older as well. Dogs should never be left unsupervised with chewable things, as they can easily end up consuming things they shouldn’t, which can lead to many complications (choking, blocked stomachs/intestines, etc.). And no matter how sturdy you think a toy is, it’s pretty much a guarantee that your dog would be able to find a way to destroy it.

3.       DON’T leave a puppy in a crate for longer than they can hold their bladder (about half an hour to an hour for every month of age is a good rule of thumb, except after they’ve eaten or played). You do not want your puppy to use the crate as an elimination spot. Most puppies and dogs will be disinclined to do this anyway as they’ll start associating the crate with a ‘den’, but it’s good to keep them out of this habit early.

I believe crate training your puppy is for their own good, and can help save you a lot of grief in the future.

Have any more tips or suggestions for crate training? Leave them in the comments!

Beat the heat

While most of us are probably loving this temperature turnaround here in Calgary, you can bet some of our pooches aren’t going to be as enthusiastic. Summer heat for our furry friends can be rough. If you have a dog who is either elderly or very young, a snub-nosed breed (think pugs, bulldogs, Frenchies, etc.), or a long-hair/double coated breed, your dog is at higher risk for over-heating.

Since dogs have much more limited means to cool themselves than people do, it’s important to be aware of your dogs condition in the heat. Panting is your dogs best way to release heat, but excessive panting, especially when combined with stringy, sticky drool, is an indication your dog is overheating.

 So how do we keep our doggos cool? Well, we’ve put together a few tips for you. Keep in mind these are general hot-day tips. If you are trying to cool down a dangerously overheated dog, you’ll want to seek vet attention. You can check out our blog on recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat stroke/overheating, and some emergency measures you can take here. Please keep in mind this is not intended to override any advice your vet gives you, but is based off of the standard pet first aid guidelines.

1.       Always ensure your pup has access to shade. If you have an open backyard with no trees, consider creating a covered (but not enclosed) shelter where your dog can escape from the direct sunlight.

2.       Ensure your dog has access to water. Much like people, dogs can become dehydrated, as well as suffer from heat stroke. Check out our blog on signs and symptoms of overheating for more information.

3.       Consider getting a pet cooling mat (basically a giant ice pack), which will help keep your dogs body temperature down. This is especially helpful for those dogs noted above at higher risk for overheating. It is not recommended to cover your dog, even will cool or wet products, since their bodies cool much differently than ours and you run the risk of insulating the heat instead of allowing it to disperse.

4.       Do NOT shave double-coated dogs. While this might seem like the best idea to help them release heat, it will in fact cause more harm than good. Just as their fur will insulate them from the cold in the winter, double-coated dogs will also be insulated from some of the heat in the summer. Shaving their coat strips them of their natural protection, and exposes their skin which is unused to being open to the air and sun. Shaving your double-coated dog can also change the way their hair grows, which leads to other complications. Regular grooming (with a knowledgeable and experienced groomer) to keep their coat healthy, along with our other tips, is the best way to make your double-coated dog comfortable during the warmer months.

5.       Put out a sprinkler! This is likely to be great fun for you and your pooch, and a good way for them to keep cool while playing.

6.       Give your pooch a cool, wet towel to lie on. Remember, you don’t want to cover your dog as you’ll simply be insulating them. Having a cool surface to lie on will help your dog keep cool much more efficiently.

7.       Keep outdoor exercise limited to early morning and later evening hours if you can. Always check the pavement before you take your dog out. If it’s too hot to hold your hand on for a few seconds, it’s too hot for your dogs paws.

8.       Give your dog ice cubes or frozen treats. Frozen cutes of soup broth (the no sodium kind) are a great treat for your pup on a hot day.

9.       If you have the space (and don’t mind the mess), get a kiddie pool for your pooch! Check out this awesome idea for a multi-use pool/fireplace for your yard.

And we hope it goes without saying, but never, ever, EVER, leave your dog alone in the car. The only exception is if you can leave your air conditioning on for them, but even still it’s debatable. And certainly not just with the windows down, not even for five minutes, because you never know what could happen. If you get delayed for any reason (a medical emergency for example), your dog could be left alone, and there’s no way for it to save itself. It’s just not worth the risk.

So, play safe, be aware, and beat the heat this summer!