Use an indoor kennel

There are many advantages to giving your puppy or dog his own safe space to settle for short periods of time. Aside from the obvious benefits for him when he is at home, at some time in his life he may need to be admitted to a veterinary center and have to spend time in a recovery kennel. If he has been trained to settle in an indoor kennel, he is much less likely to be distressed by confinement at the vets.

If you go away from home with your dog, the indoor kennel or crate can be taken with you. It will provide somewhere familiar for your dog to settle. When staying with relatives you can be sure he will not cause a family rift by trashing their home if he is left unattended for short periods. Hotels and guest houses cannot allow dogs into their dining rooms and there will be a huge additional expense if he damages your room while you are eating – a crate will give you peace of mind so you can enjoy your meals. Leaving a dog in the car during the winter or summer months is not an option. Children who live with dogs need boundaries too and can learn to stay away from the dog when he is resting in his kennel, whether the door is open or closed.

Use it wisely

Please bear in mind that while it is reasonable to expect a dog to sleep through the night in an indoor kennel, it is not appropriate to shut him in such a small space for long periods during the day. To become a happy and well-rounded individual it is vital that he is not isolated or confined like this. A dog should also see the indoor kennel as his safe space where good things happen, not a prison where he is dumped when his owner seems angry with him for some inexplicable reason (dogs don’t always understand our logic,). Ensure that he always has access to water when he is in his crate.

Introducing the indoor kennel

1. Place your dog’s bed or bedding in the crate or kennel and feed him some of his meals in it too. When your dog has been active and is becoming tired, encourage him into the kennel with a stuffed Kong™ or chew toy but leave the door ajar. At this stage the only place you should give him exciting things to chew is in the indoor kennel.
2. When your dog is happy to go into the kennel, begin to close the door to confine him for short periods. Make sure he has something to chew on.

For reluctant dogs

1. If your dog really seems to hate the kennel and won’t go in even for his dinner, put a small amount of really tasty food into his food bowl and place the bowl in the kennel. Close the door to keep him out.
2. When he is desperate to get in to the food just open the door, make no attempt to close the door behind him.
3. Repeat until your dog is happy to go in and out of the kennel and con dent enough to settle down with a chew or toy. It should then be possible to close the door for short periods, if necessary.