The Canine Condominium
People call it crate training. Basically, we are talking about a rectangular enclosure with a top and a door, made in a variety of sizes proportioned to fit any type of dog. They can be made of wood, wire, metal, molded fiberglass or plastic. Its purpose is to provide a secure confinement for safety, travel, illness, control, and housetraining. That is all for your benefit. For the dog, it provides security and a private, warm, peaceful place similar to the den that all dogs by nature want. The den is the very thing we humans have taken away from dogs through domestication
When you were a child, didn’t you long for your own room? A place you could call your own, a place for all your “stuff” and a private retreat from the world you were exploring? Sure you did! It’s the same for your dog. Give him his own space; give him back his den!
This condominium can be used for house breaking, preventing objectionable behaviors, and providing the security the dog needs. It cannot be used for long term confinement, such as all or much of the day. We simply cannot expect a puppy to go for 8 to 10 hours without the need to “go.” Some people have trained their adult dogs to remain in the condo that long, but you cannot begin like that. You must work up to long periods through proper puppy training. And even then, the dog must have ample exercise before and after you leave home. Any dog that is consistently denied human companionship will develop anxiety and will find ways to relieve it.
This condo training is an aid, an adjunct to your normal training procedures, and an addition to the normal amounts of attention and love you give the little guy while he is learning your environment. Condo training is excellent, but it is not to replace common sense training or human contact.
HOW DO I CONDO TRAIN MY CANINE?
Puppyhood is obviously the best place to start, but any dog can be trained to use a condo. First, you have to choose the right size condo. Many people make the mistake of buying one that is too big! You do not want the dog to have too much room so he can sleep in one corner and use the other as a bathroom. If you have a puppy that is a large or giant breed of dog, try to rent or borrow a smaller condo until your little giant grows up. Or, you can buy the giant size then partition the inside off to the pup’s size. Any fully grown dog should be able to stand up and turn around in the condo.
GETTING HIM ACCUSTOMED TO THE CONDO
Begin by making the condo VERY luring. Just think how this would feel if YOU were going in there. You would want plenty of soft blankets, a deck of cards, some popcorn and ice tea! Right? Okay, put plenty of soft blankets (or towels), a few of his favorite toys, and a rawhide chew.
Now start with some real tasty treats. Show him the treat and pitch it in the crate. Either immediately, or after a little request from you, he will go in…PRAISE him. He will probably back out, that’s okay. After several trials like this he will soon turn around in the condo. PRAISE this action. Always end a training session on a happy up-beat note. Don’t try to do too much the first time.
Next session again repeating the above process. Once he begins to come out forward, hold him at the door with your hand while praising him. Pet, praise, and gradually, over many trials, increase the time he is held at the door.
Next session, restrain him at the door with the door, instead of your hand. You can praise and feed him treats through the door. After several days of this training, he will readily go into the condo, and be happy about it. Now gradually increase the amount of time you leave him in there. About every third session, feed him his meal in the condo with the door open. This will really make him comfortable with his new room. Plan on no more than three but at least one training session per day.
TRAINING
Your puppy should stay in the condo at night. The condo should be in the place you want it to be. Only for the first night or two, new puppies can stay next to your bed. Yes, he will probably cry and whine for the first couple of nights. You need to ignore this, it will get better. Put a loud clock or even a radio turned to a talk station next the condo for company. Include about two of his favorite toys also. Don’t feed or water for several hours before going to bed for the night.
MORNING
The first lesson comes first thing in the morning. At the first whimper, whine, or bark, immediately open the door and carry the pup (or leash lead) to the chosen elimination spot. I’m going to refer to this as the “E-spot.” Stand there and let the pup wander around on the leash. This serves many purposes: you can express immediate approval, the dog goes in the spot you have chosen, and learns it is normal to “go” with a leash on. Remember this is NOT a walk, it’s a business trip. Praise him even when he just sniffs, as this will lead to performance.
The dog will also associate an obedience command with this behavior. Some of the common ones used are “Do-Your-Business,” “Go-Pee,” “Potty” and in the winter it’s “Hurry-Up.” Choose one and stick with it. As soon as the puppy urinates say “Goooooooooooooood Dog!!” Then let the little guy explore a bit. When it defecates (bowel movement) again give it more verbal praise. Pet him with gentle affirmation then take him inside.
If he “went” in the condo, don’t scold him. Clean it up very well and replace the bedding with fresh material. Set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier for the next morning and catch him before the accident. Remember: prevention, not punishment. Puppies from pet shops or the pound may have a much harder time with this. They most likely have not been trained to such a tedious schedule and may not care where they “go.” So it will require more patience on your part.
Remember, all dogs will need to eliminate after 1) waking 2) eating 3) playing 4) before going to bed. (Other times include: after chewing, after drinking, after or during excitement and after sniffing.) Take advantage of this knowledge. Take you little friend out to the E-spot right after every one of these events. Follow the above procedure for positively reinforcing the elimination behavior. By far the most common cause of urinating in the house is a missed or irregular schedule.
As your dog gets older, you may want to go for a walk first thing in the morning. This will stimulate his bowels and bladder and encourage scheduled elimination. If you have a fenced yard, and if he will run around on his own, let him out on his own for a while.
Now you feed breakfast. If a pup is reluctant to go back in the condo, you can place the food in the condo for a few days until he becomes more accustomed to it. You lure the pup in and let him eat inside with the door open, this is so he never feels trapped. NEVER force him in there! After the pup has eaten, wait 10-15 minutes (this time increases as the dog matures) and take him back out to the E-spot. If he does not eliminate, play or walk around for a while then take him back. Keep this E-spot relatively clean. It is important that you stay there and praise the pup for several weeks. I know you can think of hundreds of other things you’d rather do, but this training will last a lifetime!
Now take him inside for some supervised freedom. If everyone is off to school or the office, this fun time may have to wait until the evening or weekend.
DAYTIME
If the pup will be left alone all day, leave its condo door open in a restricted area like a kitchen or washroom. Turn the radio on very low, put one or three safe toys in the condo and place 4-5 thickness of newspaper by an outside door just for emergency use– we’re not paper training!! If someone can be there with the pup, take him out on the schedule discussed above.
Once the pup is comfortable with its condo, you can leave him alone with little worry of a dog that will chew up the house. If you need to be gone for up to 2 hours, take the pup out to eliminate, then put the pup in the condo with some of his toys, radio on, close the door and leave. No speeches or apologies! If you need to be gone for more that 2 hours, leave the pup in the restricted area with the door open. When you come back, immediately take him to the E-spot. Don’t scold him if you find a mess.
Remember, this two hour limit is for new puppies. As the pup gets older, you can gradually increase the time. For example, a 3 month old pup should be able to stay in the crate for up to 4 hours. By 6 months, they can stay in the crate all day, if necessary. At this age, you can allow them the freedom of your bedroom at night, they may, however, prefer the crate.
The first week you are teaching the pup the route to the door. The second week, you are teaching him to “hold” it until the prescribed times. Gradually, each of you will learn the routine and you can begin to refine the schedule. Don’t worry, it won’t be this complicated all the dog’s life. Remember, there will always be accidents, usually because you let the rascal run in the house unsupervised. Stay with this schedule.
BEDTIME
Feed the last meal at 8:00pm or earlier with a last drink of water. Then remove the bowls. Before you go to bed, take him out for the last time. Take a flashlight with you to be sure things are going smoothly. Put the pup in the condo with a toy and a plain dog biscuit. Tell him how good he was today, close the door and turn out the lights. This is it, no repetitive trips to “reassure” him. You can take the condo to your bedroom if you want. But don’t get involved in conversation with him; both of you go to sleep. Don’t keep saying “Quiet” or “Go to sleep.” He perceives that as conversation and he’ll stay up keeping you company!! If the crying is too much, put him in the kitchen and see him in the morning.
ADULT DOGS
When crate training adult dogs, follow the same routine but obviously less trips outside are needed. You may need to spend more time letting the dog walk in and out of the condo and positively reinforcing the experience.
PAPER TRAINING
Generally, I am against paper training dogs. Many times they learn it’s okay to “go” in the house. However, there is one case where papers are okay. As I have described, use them as an emergency outlet for new pups when you are going to be gone for more that 2 or 3 hours. Placing them by an outside door reinforces that direction as the outlet to the E-spot. Also, only use them in a small area, never cover an entire room with papers.
TRAVELING SAFETY
2000,000 dogs are killed every year by falling, jumping or being thrown from vehicles. The condo “crate” physically protects them, and it prevents the dog from interfering with the driver. If there is an accident, it prevents escape and allows rescue personnel to remove the crate and save the dog, and even get to you quicker!!
SOME NEVERS
- Never shove you dog into the condo. Most dogs will be shy at first; there’s nothing wrong with him if he doesn’t walk right in at first. Always allow him to walk in because it’s fun, secure and he likes it.
- Never leave a very young pup crated more that 2 hours. Older dogs can last up to 4-6 even 8 hours. Remember, overnight is a long enough amount of time over the 24 hour period to be restricted to the crate. If you begin letting the dog freedom in your bedroom at night, you can crate him longer during the day.
- Never punish the dog by putting it into the condo. Try the bathroom or wash room for “time outs” like that.
- Never hold or cuddle the pup to get it to go to sleep. Don’t leave a radio or light on all night for him.
- Never leave the condo door open at night while training the young pup. He needs to learn to sleep in there.
- Never scold the pup if he has an accident in the condo.
Always teach the pup commands. Use an easy one like sit or come – this makes him understand you are trying to teach him something and helps tremendously with housetraining.
MANY MANY BENEFITS
So many people tell me that condo training their dog has made all the difference in the world. Their dogs are happy, easier to obedience train, travel well, and stay calm when they must be boarded.
Just think about having painters or workmen over, or when children are visiting or during a holiday party… what about after a bath or when your dog is sick or injured? There are so many times in your dog’s life you will be happy you took the time to condo train him.
As he settles down and gets used to the condo, begin using the phrase “Go To Your Room!” or say “Condo!” in a happy voice as it enters the condo. Follow this with a “goooood dog” and it will soon get the idea. This condo should always be a happy safe place!!
