Enter a keyword below to search for articles and products.
Watch as Expert Dog Trainer Kathy Santo talks about how to crate train your puppy. She’ll go over everything from the philosophy behind the crate training method to precautions you should take to make sure that it’s a positive experience for the both of you.
Hi, I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and today we're going to talk about how to crate train your puppy. We'll begin with a general discussion on the philosophy supporting the crate training method. We'll review what you'll need, the steps involved in the process itself, and some possible troubles you may encounter along the way. Before you begin crate training, it helps to understand the philosophy behind this method. If your dog is properly crate trained, he'll view his crate as a private room with a view, a safe haven he can call his own, and a quiet place he can relax in. He won't see it as a rigid structure of confinement and punishment. In fact, it'll be just the opposite. In nature, wild dogs seek out and use their den as a home where they can hide from danger, sleep, and raise their young. In your home, the crate becomes your puppy's den, an ideal spot to sleep and stay out of harm's way. And for you, the benefits of crate training are house training, because your puppy won't like to soil the area where he sleeps, limited access to the rest of the house, where he learns the house rules, and transporting safely and easily in the car. Start crate training a few days after your puppy settles in. Before you can start crate training, you and your family members must understand that the create can never be used for punishment. Never leave your young puppy under six months in his crate for more than three hours. He'll get bored, have to go to the bathroom, and won't understand why he's been left alone in discomfort. As your dog gets older, he can be crated for longer periods of time, because his bladder isn't as small. But keep in mind he still needs a healthy portion of exercise and attention daily. If you and your family are unable to accommodate your puppy's exercise, feeding, and bathroom needs, consider hiring a dog walker or asking a neighbor or friend for assistance. After that, the crate should be a place he goes into voluntarily, with the door always open. There are a variety of crates available for purchase these days, each of which is designed for a different lifestyle need. When selecting a crate, you want to make sure it's just large enough for your puppy to be able to stand up, turn around, and lay down in comfortably. Because your puppy will grow quickly, I often recommend getting a crate that fits the size you expect your puppy to grow to, and simply block off the excess crate space, so your dog can't eliminate at one end and retreat to the other. The two most important things to remember while crate training are that it should be associated with something pleasant, and takes place in a series of small steps. The first step is to introduce your puppy to his crate. This will serve as his new den. Put bedding and chew toys in his crate, and let him investigate his area. If he chews or urinates on his bedding, permanently remove it. Observe and interact with your puppy while he's acclimating to his crate. This will help forge a sense of pack, and establish you as the pack leader. Encourage him to enter the crate with soft words and some treats. You can also pre-place some treats in the back corners and under the blankets to help make it a pleasant experience. Step two is to start feeding your puppy in his crate. Begin with the bowls near the opening of the crate. As your puppy becomes less reluctant to enter, slowly inch the food back every feeding, until you're placing it all the way in the back. When you get to the point where your puppy happily enters the crate, and stands in the back to eat, begin gently closing the crate door behind him while he's eating. At first, open the door immediately after he finishes. But after that, begin leaving the door closed a bit longer every time. If your puppy cries, you may have increased the time too fast. So decrease the length of it, and then slowly begin increasing it again. When he does cry, do not let him out until he stops, or he'll always do this to get his way. Once your puppy is used to eating his meals and waiting to be let out with no anxiety or crying, you can start confining him longer when you're home. To do so, call him over with a treat, and give it to him in his crate. Associating a command such as 'kennel' is important, so he understands the reward is a result of going in the crate. At first, you'll need to sit quietly next to him. If he's fine after 10 minutes, go into the other room for a bit, and then come back and let him out, only if he is calm and not crying. If he is crying, you'll have to wait until he's calm. Once you can leave him for about 30 minutes at a time without him getting upset, you can start leaving him there longer. Eventually, decrease the amount of reward you give him for entering the crate, so that saying the command word is sufficient. When you get home after being away for a long time, your puppy will likely be very excited to see you. It's important not to reward this behavior, or anticipating your arrival every day may be stressful for him. And lastly, make sure to crate your dog for short periods of time while you're home, or else he will associate crating with being left alone. I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and I hope that you found this helpful as you welcome your new addition to your family.
There’s no doubt that dogs are affectionate creatures. And they have numerous ways of showing it. One of these ways is by licking their owners. You may enjoy it when your furry friend comes up and gives you a big ol’ pooch smooch. But why do dogs lick you? In a poll* of dog owners, IAMS™ found a large majority (75%) believe dogs lick people to offer signs of friendliness. That’s definitely a correct assumption. Let’s dive a bit deeper for a better understanding.
Licking has been a social behaviour among dogs since the days of the great-great-great granddaddy wolf. 'It’s a standard canine greeting to lick others around the face,” agrees James Serpell, B.S., Ph.D., Professor of Humane Ethics & Animal Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “Junior members of the pack will run around and lick the mouths of more senior members.” But is that all that there is to dog licking behaviour? Or are there more reasons why dogs lick people? Let’s find out!
Here are a few reasons that can explain why dogs like to lick.
For dogs, licking is equivalent to kissing or showing affection. You may have noticed female dogs licking their puppies which is a behaviour that is intended to show affection. And your dog considers you part of their pack, so they show you affection the same way their kind does - by licking.
Dogs are oral creatures and gather a lot of information about their surroundings through taste and smell. Maybe you’re salty after a sweaty run. Maybe you’ve got barbecue sauce on your face. “Dogs can smell a lot better than we can,” says Dr. Jo Gale, BVetMed CertLAS MRCVS, Senior Manager, Global Science Advocacy at Waltham Petcare Science Institute, “so they find a lot more things interesting to lick than we can.” This is despite the fact that dogs only have about 1,700 taste buds compared to around 9,000 in humans.
Have you been too busy with work lately? Or has anything kept you inattentive toward your pooch? If so, it’s probably one of the reasons why your dog is licking you. It is also possible that your dog just got too bored and wants you to play with them, which is why they’re suddenly licking you.
That’s true. Much like humans, dogs can also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can be concerning. It is often triggered due to stress and anxiety and makes the dogs suddenly begin licking. You will need to visit your vet if you suspect this to be the case.
Unlike humans, no other animals have knowledge about or access to proper healthcare. So, when they get injured, their first instinct is to lick their wounds. This helps them numb the pain to a certain extent, and also clean the wound. Thus, when your dog sees a wound on you, their natural instincts kick in and they try to help you by licking the wound, thinking it will clean the wound and lower the pain.
In fact, in ancient Greece, dogs at the shrine of Asclepius were trained to lick patients. In the Middle Ages, Saint Roch was said to have been cured of a plague of sores through his dog’s licking. The French even have a saying, “langue de chien, langue de médecin,” which translates to, “a dog’s tongue, a doctor’s tongue.”
Don’t cancel your health insurance just yet. While a dog’s saliva does have some possible bactericidal properties against some types of bacteria, it can put you at risk of exposure to others. Too much licking can also reopen the wound and cause further infection. With modern medicine, you’re much better off hitting the first-aid kit. And that myth about dogs’ mouths being cleaner than humans’? Not true — both contain over 600 types of bacteria.
While an occasional canine kiss is “aww”-inducing, some dogs can overdo it to the point of annoyance. When this happens, the best thing to do is “completely ignore it and give no attention,” suggests Dr. Jo Gale. “When they stop, provide them with attention.” This acts as a form of positive reinforcement. Over time your dog will learn to scale back on the smooches. Another thing you can try is training them to cut back on the licking. Remember to use positive reinforcement in this case too - reward them with treats or toys when they display good behavior.
If you're looking for the perfect dog for you, try our Dog Breed Selector today and enjoy a lifetime of tail-wagging joy.
