Archive for the ‘kennel’ Category
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Here are some ideas to make moving easier for your dog based on what I did and a few things I should have done: 1. Walk your dog in your new neighborhood before you move. I realize this isn’t always possible, especially if you are moving across the country. Since I only moved about five miles, I was able to take Ace to his new neighborhood for a nice half-hour walk twice before actually moving. I walked him up to his future driveway, around his future backyard and along the streets in his future neighborhood. I wanted the mutt to get used to the new smells and the new environment so it wouldn’t be as big of a deal when we did move. 2. Stick to your dog’s routine as well as possible while moving. Your dog will already be nervous when he sees you packing. If you can keep everything as normal for him as possible, it will lower his stress level. Right up until the very day we had to be out of our apartment, I still took Ace out for his morning walk. He still ate at the same times, and we didn’t move his kennel until the very end. That way he could remain in his kennel in its usual spot while we were moving things in and out. A lot of dogs feel safe and are more relaxed when they are in their kennels. It was also nice to have Ace safe and out of the way when we were moving items out. 3. Make sure your dog gets a long walk the day you move. I did not do so well with walking Ace the day we moved. He got a shorter walk than normal and some random ball playing throughout the day. This is better than no exercise, but an hour walk would’ve reduced his stress and helped him settle down for the rest of the long day. 4. Consider boarding your dog for a day or two or leaving him at dog daycare. I did not leave my dog at a kennel or dog daycare because I thought that would be even more stressful for Ace. But if your dog goes to daycare every week anyway or if he is boarded fairly often, then it might do you both some good if your dog is out of your way while you are moving. Then you can have everything ready once you pick him up, and it will be easier to stick to a routine. 5. Don’t let your dog run all over like he owns the place once you are moved. Instead, keep him in his kennel until you are ready to introduce him to the new place. I actually kept Ace in the car until we had moved everything in because he is the most relaxed in the car. Then I allowed him inside but had him lie on his dog bed for 10 minutes. Once he was calm, I allowed him to follow me around on the first level. I did not let him run around sniffing everything. I had him stay at my side, following me. Then we went upstairs, and I showed him one room at a time, making him lie down at the bottom and top of the stairs and sit and stay before entering each room. This was a good way to practice some basic obedience and show Ace that he is expected to follow rules in our new place. It also helped him be calm. After introducing him to the new place I had him continue to stay on his bed for another 15 minutes or so. 6. Enforce your usual rules right away. Just because your dog is in a new environment isn’t a reason for him to resort to inappropriate behavior. Of course your dog will be nervous, so don’t get upset with him if he is extra hyper, barking more or even going to the bathroom indoors. Just remember to enforce your usual rules. Make sure your dog gets outside more than usual and keep him on his leash or have him lie down on a dog bed or blanket to encourage him to be calm. If he doesn’t get sick easily from raw hides or other bones, offer him something to chew to help him relax. 7. Remember how much your dog picks up on your energy. If you are stressed, anxious and losing your temper with family members, your dog will be even more hyper and anxious. If you are calm, your dog will have an easier time relaxing. 8. Use the change as an opportunity to create new rules. We have been in our new place for about five days and I have already started training Ace not to run up and down the stairs. He is expected to stay behind any people on the stairs. I am also training him to go to the bathroom outside on his own and to return right away while I wait at the door. I also plan on teaching him to go to his bed and lie down whenever someone knocks or rings the doorbell. These are all things I never got around to teaching him at our old apartment. 9. Take your dog for a long walk once you are settled. I did not do this with Ace, but I should have. The longer the walk, the better. The less pent-up energy your dog has, the easier it will be for him to relax and be on his best behavior. 10. Consider confining your dog to his kennel or a single room when you leave the first few times. There’s a good chance your dog will get into trouble when you leave him in a new house for the first time. Don’t give him that opportunity. Just put him in a kennel or bedroom the first couple times you leave him alone until you are sure he is adjusted and can be trusted. I left Ace in his kennel for at least the first three or four times I left. He has stayed out a few times now but not for more than an hour. If I have to leave him for more than a few hours he will be staying in his kennel for now. If your dog doesn’t sleep with you, you might also want to consider leaving him in his kennel for the first few nights. Have you moved with your dogs? What went well and what didn’t?
This is part one of a two-part series on how I trained my mutt during the first two weeks he came to live with me. Click here for part two of the series. Ace came to me kennel trained (supposedly) and housebroken. I was very happy to adopt a mutt that wouldn’t have any accidents and wouldn’t mind going in his kennel. I knew he didn’t know any commands and hadn’t walked on a leash before. These were minor issues because I knew I would be able to train him on my own. This is what Ace learned in two weeks: His new name (he was previously named Junior), sit, down, stay, wait, come and heel (continuously working on this one). But more important than these commands, he learned to practice patience, that he is expected to follow rules and limitations, to contain his excitement, to think (at least a little) before acting, that furniture is off limits and that it’s OK to accept a human as a leader. He literally went from a hyperactive pup to a mature teenager in about two weeks. Of course it is not possible to entirely train a dog overnight, in a matter of weeks or even a year. Training is a lifetime commitment to our dogs. What I am saying is my mutt made incredible changes in a very short amount of time because I didn’t give him any slack. I am highly influenced by Jon Katz and Cesar Millan. Before adopting my mutt, I did my research and found the dog that was right for me, but I also read some new books by Katz and Millan about dog behavior and training. I started training Ace the moment his leash was handed over to me. Here’s what I did: 1. Rules and limitations were established immediately and enforced. I had to drive an hour out of town to pick up Ace when I adopted him. Ideally, I should’ve taken him for a run before I even put him in the car. Instead I drove him to my town and immediately walked him in one of our parks. Ace of course was terrible on his walk, pulling and basically strangling himself out of excitement and anxiousness. At exactly a year old, this was the third walk he’d been on in his whole life. Still, he needed to let out some pent up energy (a year’s worth). I immediately began teaching Ace commands, but before he had those down, he was already learning the rules of my apartment. The first time I brought him inside, he had to sit and wait while I entered first. This was before he understood the sit command, so I put him in that position and did not let him in until he was calm. Then he had to lie down on a rug and observe the room from there. He was kept on a leash, and I had to sit with him for a few minutes so he would stay. He was not allowed to run around smelling the place or to chase my cat, Scout. Scout was not restrained at all and was free to come check Ace out at his own comfort level. Ace did not have the same privilege to approach Scout. Ace was used to no discipline and doing whatever he wanted. When I went to meet him in his first home, he was jumping on and off the couch as I sat on it, trying to climb into my lap, putting paws on counters, grabbing towels off shelves, etc. He was a dog that had never been given exercise, training or discipline. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted and that had made him and his humans miserable. Once he came to live with me, things were different. Ace always went in his kennel when I left. He did not get to come out until he was quiet. All furniture was off limits. He wore his leash in the apartment for at least two days so I could control him. At night he either slept in his kennel or on a blanket on the floor. He did not get to eat or go outside until he was sitting calmly. Once we were outside, we didn’t go anywhere if he pulled. If Ace pulled, I stopped until he was sitting at my side. The first time I brought him outside, we literally stopped at least 20 times. Neighbors were watching me and it was embarrassing. It took several tries to get out the door and several tries to get down the stairs because all of his life Ace was used to barging through doors and knocking people over. By the second time I brought him outside, he already knew to sit and wait calmly. It was simple exercises like these that helped Ace learn how to behave. It wasn’t obedience commands, although we went to work right away on those too. It was consistently enforcing rules without yelling or getting upset. Tomorrow I plan to share how I began training and exercising Ace from day one (Click here for part two). The photo is of Ace the day I brought him home. It was hard to get him to hold still for a picture back then.
Kennel training a puppy or dog is one of the most useful things to teach them. Jon Katz summed it up nicely when he said a dog left loose in the house will find trouble eventually. I like to leave my mutt out of his kennel as much as possible. When I go to work, Ace does not go in his kennel. He has the whole apartment to himself, minus my bedroom. But I wouldn’t have gotten to the point where I can trust him had it not been for kennel training him to begin with. For the first few months I had Ace, he stayed in his kennel every time I left, no exceptions. Then I slowly built up to where we are now by leaving him out for short periods at a time, then half days, then a few days a week until he could be trusted all the time. Now that Ace is trained to stay in a kennel, it is a nice option to have when I need it. It is a place for him to go when he needs to relax, and he doesn’t mind his kennel. He actually runs to it when I say “kennel” because he knows he’ll get a bone with peanut butter. If he is in an extra naughty mood or hasn’t been exercised enough, I will still put him in his kennel when I leave. I am not willing to have my night out ruined because I’m worried about the trouble my dog is getting into at home. What do you think about kennels? Do you believe in kennel training a dog? Are cages cruel? When do you use a kennel for your dog? Read my post on why you should buy a kennel here. (Every week I am going to ask a dog-related question. I don’t care if you’re an “expert” or not. I want to hear what you think. If you have a dog-related question, email it to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer.) |
