Crate Training
Basic Manners · 33 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to go into their crate for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Crate', and relax while confined alone for up to 2 hours.
For this plan you will also need:
**- A Release Cue:** such as "Okay!" to tell Your Dog when they are free to exit the crate.
**Bonus:** Create as many good experiences in the crate as possible. For example, feed all of Your Dog's meals and special treats inside (with the door open if Your Dog is afraid of having it closed).
**Split:** If Your Dog is afraid of the crate, start on the first split step, use high-value treats, and keep sessions short.
Training steps
Sneak treats into the front of the crate and leave the door open
Setup: Your Dog does not know treats have been placed in the back of the crate.
You can even place extra treats on the floor in front of the crate to encourage Your Dog to check it out. If they see and smell the treats but are still too nervous to go near the crate to eat them, try using higher-value treats.
Success: Your Dog finds and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Sneak treats into the back of the crate and leave the door open
Setup: Your Dog does not know treats have been placed in the back of the crate.
"This step is known as passive training, where the dog trains themselves at their own pace. It will take a few hours to a few days to complete, depending on how comfortable Your Dog is with the crate and how often you can sneak treats into it.
Success: Your Dog finds and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure nose into the crate
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
With Your Dog near the crate and focused, hold a treat in front of their nose and guide them toward the crate so they stick their nose into the doorway.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure head into the crate
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
With Your Dog near the crate and focused, hold a treat in front of their nose and guide them toward the crate so they stick their head into the doorway.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure front paws into the crate
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
With Your Dog near the crate and focused, hold a treat in front of their nose and guide them toward the crate so they step both front paws inside.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure into the crate
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
With Your Dog near the crate and focused, hold a treat in front of their nose and guide them all the way inside. You may need to bend over or crouch down to reach the lure to the back of the crate. Using a side door instead of the front door can help. Feed the treat at the back (toss it in if needed) and then let Your Dog exit at will.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Bury the lure
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Bury the lure in your prompting hand by pressing it against your palm with your thumb. Lure them into the crate, but instead of giving them the buried treat, reward with a different treat from the opposite hand or your treat pouch.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Large hand signal
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Repeat the luring motion with your hand (finger pointing to the back of the crate) but without a treat in your hand. Hold your hand pointing to the back of the crate and wait to see if Your Dog goes inside. When they do, give them a treat from the opposite hand or your treat pouch.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Small hand signal
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Prompt Your Dog into the crate with a small hand signal, pointing at the doorway only (do not bend over or crouch down), and wait to see if they go in.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Say 'Crate', pause for 1 second, and then prompt Your Dog into the crate with a small hand signal if needed. As soon as Your Dog goes inside, give them a treat from the opposite hand or your treat pouch.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate for a verbal cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Only the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Say the verbal cue 'Crate' and wait to see if Your Dog goes inside. Do NOT use the hand signal. If Your Dog goes in, give them a treat. Continue to use the verbal cue 'Crate' for the rest of this plan.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate for a verbal cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Touch the door
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Cue Your Dog into the crate, touch the door without moving it, feed a treat, and allow Your Dog to exit at will.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate and stays when the door is moved.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door 1 inch
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Cue Your Dog into the crate, move the door 1 inch toward closing it, feed a treat, open it again, and allow Your Dog to exit at will.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate and stays when the door is moved.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door halfway
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Cue Your Dog into the crate, move the door halfway closed, feed a treat, open it again, and allow Your Dog to exit at will.
Success: Your Dog goes into the crate and stays when the door is moved.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Cue Your Dog into the crate, close the door, feed a treat through the gaps, then open it again and allow Your Dog to exit at will.
Success: Your Dog goes into and is quiet and relaxed in the crate
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door and wait 3 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Wait 3 seconds after closing the door before feeding Your Dog a treat.
Success: Your Dog goes into and is quiet and relaxed in the crate
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door and wait 5 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Use the timer to count to 5 seconds.
Success: Your Dog goes into and is quiet and relaxed in the crate
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Close the door and wait 10 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Use the timer to count to 10 seconds.
Success: Your Dog goes into and is quiet and relaxed in the crate
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add an automatic wait to be released, open the door 1 inch.
Setup: Your Dog is in the crate
With Your Dog inside the crate, quickly open the door 1 inch and then close it again. The goal is to teach Your Dog to stay inside even when the door opens.
Success: Your Dog stays still inside
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Open the door 2-3 inches.
Setup: Your Dog is in the crate
Open the door 2 to 3 inches, small enough that Your Dog cannot get out but wide enough to be harder than 1 inch.
Success: Your Dog stays still inside
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Open the door half way.
Setup: Your Dog is in the crate
Open the door halfway and, if Your Dog stays inside, give them a treat before closing the door again. If Your Dog moves to get out, try to close the door before they can, but be careful not to hit them with it.
Success: Your Dog stays still inside
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Open the door all the way
Setup: Your Dog is in the crate
Open the door all the way, give Your Dog a treat inside the crate, and close the door again.
Success: Your Dog stays still inside
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Open the door all the way and count to 3
Setup: Your Dog is in the crate
Open the door all the way and count to 3 before giving Your Dog a treat inside the crate, then release them to exit.
Success: Your Dog stays still inside
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Crate for 10 minutes with a frozen food toy
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Cue Your Dog into their crate, give them a frozen food toy, close the door, and then hang out beside the crate reading or watching TV for 10 minutes. Drop bonus treats in every 20 to 30 seconds to make Your Dog's first experience being confined for this length of time overwhelmingly easy and fun!
Success: Your Dog is relaxed enough to eat the food toy
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Crate for 10 minutes with a frozen food toy, almost leave the room
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Occasionally get up and move as if you will leave the room, then switch to approaching Your Dog to give them a bonus treat if they are quiet and relaxed.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed enough to eat the food toy
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Crate for 10 minutes with a frozen food toy, occasionally leave the room
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Repeat the previous step, but this time occasionally get up and leave the room, returning after only a few seconds. Be nonchalant when you come and go. If Your Dog vocalizes, try to ignore it and only return into view of the crate after they have been quiet for 3 seconds. Continue to feed bonus treats when Your Dog is quiet and relaxed. If they whine to the point that you are concerned they are stressed, Drop back to the "Close the door" step and build back up.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed enough to eat the food toy
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Crate for 30 minutes
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy, leave the room sometimes and feed bonus treats every 2 to 3 minutes.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed enough to eat the food toy
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Crate for 1 hour
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy, leave the room sometimes and feed bonus treats every 5 minutes.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Crate for 2 hours
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy, leave the room sometimes and feed bonus treats every 10 minutes.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Leave the house for 5 minutes
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy in the crate and then be nonchalant coming and going from the house.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Leave the house for 30 minutes
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy first.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Leave the house for 1 hour
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy first. Make sure you exercise Your Dog and give them a chance to go to the bathroom before this step so they are more likely to relax and sleep.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Leave the house for 2 hours
Setup: Your Dog is near the crate.
Give Your Dog a frozen food toy. Make sure you exercise Your Dog and give them a chance to go to the bathroom before this step so they are more likely to relax and sleep.
Success: Your Dog is relaxed
Advance on: 1 of 1 successes
Good job! You've laid a strong foundation for Crate Training.
Now it's time to proof Your Dog's new skill. You can restart the plan using proof steps, or play games with the goals you just earned. Practice both in different locations and around distractions.