Prepping your dog for a new baby

Commands to teach and practice that will help once baby arrives:
PLACE, Leave It, Down, and Move
Please take the time to train your dog before your baby arrives and don't wait until there is a problem.
Work on Crate time with your dog. Make sure that your dog is comfortable in the crate for extended periods of time. That your dog will wait when the crate door is opened and come out calmly when invited. Also work on sending your dog to the crate and that your dog can go to the crate and wait there. When your baby is here I recommend Crating your dog at the same time that you put your baby down for a nap. When baby wakes up I let the dog out too. But controlled of course so that you can associate the baby with freedom, fun and enjoyment.
Often people do the opposite and this is where they run into problems: Put baby down for a nap then let dog out to play, as soon as the baby wakes up dog goes back the crate or banished to the backyard. You do not want negative associations with baby.

When the baby is up and out I bring the dog out of the crate and send him/her to place to hang out in the same room where you are with the baby.
Also work on Place being able to send your dog to a place from a distance and having your dog hold a place command for extended periods of time and while you go out of sight and come back.

Front Door Manners. Teaching your dog not to dart through the front door. With a new baby it is likely that you will have lots of friends and family coming and going more than normal and you will have enough to deal with you want to feel confident that your dog won't dart out the front door at the 1st chance they get.

Furniture by invitation only: Have you gotten lax and let your dog up on the couch or your bed when he she pleases sometimes. It's time to tighten up your rules. ONLY by invitation. Never can they jump up on their own when they want.

Start making the house feel like a baby.  Have a baby bottle with milk out on the coffee table and work on teaching your dog to leave it.  Leave food out on the coffee table.

Leave a baby blanket on the floor in the middle of your living room.  Buy baby toys... and binkies... and leave them all over just like it will be when you have a baby. Make sure your dog really understands which toys are theirs and which one are the babies long before baby even arrives.

Buy a doll baby that makes noise and cries and start carrying it around everywhere with you. When you start showing this all kinds of attention your pup will be interested. Teach them to keep a respectful distance. Teach your dog with this doll as if it is your babies 1st day at home.

I would start giving less attention weeks before as soon you will be busy with a baby and you don't want the dog to feel like the baby is the reason. If I start making changes now it will help make it more normal for the dog when the baby arrives.

Teaching Wait at doorways will help when going in and out of the babies room. I suggest not making the babies room off limits instead having a place somewhere in the babies room out of the way and teaching your dog to automaticallly waiting at the door the babies room but you can invite the dog in and have them on place out of the way if you are spending more time in the babies room.

Just make sure to remember a few things NEVER leave dogs unsupervised with kids EVER.

Make sure your dog can get away and have breaks from the new baby as it grows into a toddler.

Also there are a few great books on this as well that goes into more detail:

Childproofing Your Dog: A Complete Guide to Preparing Your Dog for the Children in Your Life Paperback By Brian Kilcommons    

Can be found on Amazon.com  

                                            

    

You can find thisbook here:  http://www.thatsmydogstore.com/Dogs_Diapers_and_Beyond_p/dogdiapersbeyond.htm

Crate tips

Teach your dog to love the crate. 

Don't hesitate putting the dog in the crate, don't stop and explain to them that you will be back.
Make it matter of fact and make the crate part of life.
1. Tell your dog "Crate" / "Kennel Up" / "House"
Then proceed to put your dog in the crate. Lead them in with a leash or physically help them in.
2 Once they are in you can give them a treat.
3. When you go to let them out, they need to wait to be invited out. (No barging out the crate door)
If they go to rush out of the crate, close the door on them.
Start to open the door again, if they try to rush out shut the door again.
I do this until I can open the door all the way without them rushing out.
4. Then invite them out with their "release" word ("free") or an invitation command "Let's go".
Then repeat starting at step 1 until your dog goes into the crate without help.
Then Gradually increase the amount of time that you can open the door before inviting them out, also start increasing your distance with the door open then return to them to release them.

Other tips:

• REMEMBER: Crate the dog when your home too. NOT just when you leave.
• Take your dog and their crate with you to a friends house and crate them in another room while you visit with a friend. It's good practice for them to be comfortable being crated in a different place. 
• It always helps to cover the crate with a sheet or towel. 
• If your dog whines in the crate and you think they need to go out for a potty break you can take them out ON LEASH but take them straight out to potty and right back to their crate - whining and barking gets you out for a potty break not time to be free or fun time. Otherwise they will learn to bark or whine anytime they want out. 
• Feed your dog a few of their meals in the crate. Use the above 4 steps for putting the dog in the crate. Once your dog is in the crate instead of a treat give them their food bowl. Close the crate door and walk away. When they are done eating and it is convenient for you, you can come back by and take the bowl out and let your dog out calmly (Still don't allow rushing out).

We have found that more dogs do better in plastic crates than wire crates. Lots of dogs are able to destroy wire crates if they are stressed or anxious. Plastic seems to hold up better and tends to be more den like for the dog. 

I will post a video later today on how to put the dog into the crate and teaching them to wait there.

Crate Training

CRATE TRAINING


WHY USE A CRATE?

• Crate will keep your puppy or dog safe when you can't be watching them.
• The Crate acts as a babysitter for your dog. 
• It keeps your dog from getting into or eating things that may be harmful to him/her, and it also keeps your house safe from things he/she may get into or destroy.
• Teaches your dog manners and how to act as he/she starts to earn freedoms.
• In the wild dogs/wolves naturally look for and like to have a den, this is the way your dog views his crate.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRATES:

 
• Soft Crate: These are easily collapsible and easy to take with you. Many small dogs do well in these crates as well as mellow or older dogs. If your dog has any tendency to chew or be frustrated I do not recommend these crates. These crates are generally not the best for most puppies. Although, I will take these crates with me for camping trips, car rides and times when I need the dog confined but I am still in the area or within eye sight of the dog. 
• Wire Crate: Most wire crates are easy to fold down. Most have a door on one side some have doors on 2 sides which can be convenient, the wire crates also come with a plastic tray for the bottom.  Wire crates work well for most dogs. I recommend the "Precisions" Brand wire crates; the plastic in the bottom of those crates is a little tougher and more durable plastic than "Midwest" or "Lifestages".
• Plastic Crate: These crates take up a little more room and are not as compact to take down or travel with. That being said, these crates are very durable and tend to contain the tougher of dogs. Over the years I have had a few rescue shepherds that have escaped or broken out of wire crates but the plastic crates worked great! 
• Aluminum Crate: These you should never need for a pet dog. If you compete in dog sports, or have a dog with very high drive sometimes these crates are necessary. Many Police and military use these crates for their dogs.

WHAT SIZE CRATE IS BEST FOR MY DOG?

• Make sure that it is just big enough for your dog to lay down, turn around and stand up comfortably.
• THINGS TO CONSIDER
• Is it a puppy? Are we still working on housebreaking? - If so I make the crate a little bit smaller just to make sure the puppy doesn't have room to lie down on one end and can still potty in the other.
• How long is your dog or pup going to be alone in the crate? If it is for a longer period of time towards 8hours - i get them a slightly bigger crate with more room.

INTRODUCING THE CRATE 

• Bring the crate into the house. It does not have to stay in one room. You can have it in the living room during the day and in your bedroom at night if you wish.
• Make sure to put a blanket, dog bed or something soft and comfortable in the crate. 
• Let your dog sniff and check it out on their own. While you are home toss some treats every so often  into the crate or their favorite toy to encourage them to go in on their own. at this time DO NOT shut the door when they go in. (Allow them to do this, checking it out and getting good things from the crate for at least one whole day). I recommend feeding them in the crate, again I don't shut the door, I just put their food in the crate. This helps the crate become a positive thing to the dog/puppy.
• 1st time putting the dog in and closing the door: Guide the dog into the crate, at this time DO NOT put food in first. When the dog is in the crate give them a treat, and make sure that the dog has something to do in their crate. (Nylabone to chew on, Kong filled with Peanut Butter etc.) Stand by the dogs crate, do not talk to the dog, ignore any whinning, and try not to make eye contact with the dog. Wait 1 whole minute and let the dog out. Practice this gradually increasing the amount of time with you in the room, then start practicing for short periods of time with you leaving the room.
• Over the next week, start putting the dog in their crate for 1,2,5,10,15minutes up to an hour or two. Build up slowly over the week. 
• While your dog is still getting used to his/her crate when you are home and the crate door is open toss treats in for your dog, to encourage it being a positive place.

HOW LONG CAN I LEAVE MY DOG IN THE CRATE?

• This answer depends on your dogs age and where they are at on housebreaking and how long they can physically hold their bladders.
• If you have to leave your dog for long hours in the crate. Make sure to thoroughly exercise your dog first, and have given them enough time to process their meal and go potty before crating them.  If you have a puppy i do not recommend leaving water in the crate with the puppy. Older dogs that have more control of their bladders can drink some water in their crates and not make messes. 
• If you have a puppy and work 8-10hours a day, I recommend that you hire a dog walker to come in and let your dog out sometime mid-day if you are not able to come home for lunch. 

WHEN CAN I STOP USING THE CRATE?

• Some people like to use it forever, but it's not necessary.
• I use it with puppies and rescue dogs until they have learned manners in the house and I can trust them.
• Once a dog is crate trained and they are starting to mature a little I may give them more freedom. I may let the dog have run of the bathroom or kitchen, but again I leave them with toys and a bed. Ideally and what I have found with the dogs I've had, is that while you crate train your dogs they learn good habits when you are gone (chewing on their toy, and sleeping) and this is all they know, so as you start to slowly give them freedoms to the house they keep the habits they learned in their crate and are better behaved and alot less destructive when you are gone.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF CRATE TRAINING

• Friends and Family or more willing to watch your pet at their house when you are out of town or have a family emergency because your dog can be in a crate comfortably. If your dog is used to his/her crate dogs generally don't mind where they are crated as long as they can be in their crate. 
• Crating dogs in the car - gives them a better chance of surviving an accident and makes it alot less likely that they cause the accident, by running about the car or jumping into the front seat.
• Inns and Motels are more open to accepting dogs if you promise to crate the dog when you leave the room, and in a strange place your dog is comfortable in his/her crate

Please Contact Eleza at Paws In Progress if you have any additional questions or concerns about your dog and use of the crate.

(916) 735-7496

trainer@pawsinprogress.com

www.pawsinprogress.com