By Carol Sumbry and Linda La Foone

Positive crate reinforcement is just what it says: making the crate a positive place for a dog to be. Crate training is essential for greyhounds in the beginning months that a greyhound comes out of the kennel, into its foster home and then on to its forever home. The reason being is that when a greyhound leaves the kennel environment it is going into a brand new world that is very unfamiliar to them. They need to adjust to this new world and a crate can be a very useful tool in doing this. Many times a greyhound has to adjust to being alone after spending their entire lives with other greyhounds; because of this sometimes a greyhound can have separation anxiety.

Separation Anxiety stems from a dog’s fear of abandonment. The dog is afraid you will not return. Once the dog realizes you will return, the fear will subside. Some of the signs of separation anxiety are: destructive chewing, vocalization (whining and barking) and soiling (urination and defecation). Separation anxiety usually occurs on a daily basis when you are gone. The crate can be very useful to prevent separation anxiety and ease your greyhound into its new home. The following are some tips to help ease your dog’s fear:

• Leave an article of clothing (without buttons and/or zippers) for the dog with your scent on it.

• Play soft music in the background.

• Leave a dog’s favorite bone or toy to play with (rawhides and other difficult to chew or digest items should not be left without supervision). Save special treats or bones just for times when you are away.

• Put a “Kong” filled with peanut butter or cream cheese in the crate before you leave.

• Do not make a big deal when you leave. Leave quietly.

• Do not make too big of a deal when you return if the dog is crated. This will only confirm the dog’s suspicion that the crate is a bad place.

• Whenever possible, leave the dog often for short periods (3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes). These short trips will help build his confidence that you will return. Even if you are home for several days, leave to get the mail and take your time, etc., just so the dog again gets used to being left and you returning.

• Try making a tape of your voice slowly trailing off at the end to play for 30 minutes when you leave.

• If the dog is destructive or has an accident while you are away, do NOT correct him when you return. You can only effectively correct the dog if you catch him in the act. If you correct him when you arrive home for something he may have done hours earlier, he will only associate the correction with your coming home rather than the accident of wrong he did.

• Remember dogs are creatures of habit, so consistency is the key in their life. If you are home for a 3 day weekend (or even a regular weekend) and don’t crate him/her, you may have problems on Monday. Dogs with separation anxiety usually have their worst day on Monday, so try to do some crating on the weekends and be consistent 7 days a week. You don’t have to crate them long, but stick to a routine.

*Never leave a dog’s collar on while crated. A dog can get it caught and strangle himself, BUT remember to put it back on when he comes out of the crate!

As a foster parent, I depend on the crate to help each greyhound I foster adjust to its new life. Greyhounds need to learn what behaviors are okay and what behaviors are wrong. They don’t know that it is not okay to chew on the corner of your tables or eat your house plants, some of which could be poisonous. They don’t know that it is dangerous to chew on electrical cords or it is a bad idea to snatch food off of the kitchen counters. They have a lot to learn in the first few months of their new life outside a racing kennel. This is why a crate is so helpful. Dogs are naturally den animals and a crate provides that den.

The first couple of days that a new foster greyhound is in my home, it will spend most of its time in a crate. It has just come from a kennel situation and is used to spending the majority of its time in a crate. Being in a home is such a new experience for a greyhound and it is very common for them to become anxious and nervous at first. Spending time in a crate helps to reduce its anxiety. I also feed the new foster in its crate. This is what it is used to. Before I put the greyhound in the crate I always show it a treat and then throw the treat in the crate. They don’t always want to go in the crate, but as a foster parent, I am the one who needs to set the rules for the greyhound. This is part of being “the alpha dog” or “top dog”, which dogs look for you to be. Whenever the dog goes in or comes out of the crate, I always praise the dog.

Whining and some barking are not unusual when I first start doing this. The dog must learn to be by itself as will be the case in many homes. Usually, they settle down and go to sleep. The first couple of nights a greyhound spends in my home, they will spend it in the crate. As days go by, I leave the greyhound out of the crate for longer periods of time and begin to let the greyhound sleep in our bedroom at night. The bedroom is always gated at night. While the greyhound is out of the crate during the day, it is always in the same room that I am in. This greatly reduces the chance of an accident. If there is an accident, I will catch the dog in the act and let the dog know this is wrong. Remember: never scold a dog for having an accident when you have not seen it happen. They don’t know what they have done wrong. I go on the basis that a dog must prove itself to me before I will let the dog have access to the entire house. I also crate the dog when I can’t keep the dog in my sight, such as when I have to take a shower of spend time outside doing yard work.

Okay, back to positive crate reinforcement. When a greyhound goes into its new home, it is a very good idea to make the greyhound spend time in its crate while you are home and when you leave from the very first day your greyhound has arrived, so the dog will know that the crate is a positive place and that you will always return. For those folks who are having trouble with their greyhound getting used to being in a crate there is the positive crate reinforcement. This is a technique used to help the dog learn that the crate is a good and safe place to be. The following steps are used in positive crate reinforcement. This technique takes time and will not work over night. You must be consistent. There are basically three steps in this process:

Step 1

The first step is done by putting the dog in the crate and remaining in the crate while you are in the dog’s sight. Make sure the crate is placed in an area where you spend much of your time. Do not place the crate in an out the way area such as a laundry room. This will only add to the dog’s anxiety. Before the dog goes into the crate show it a treat. You can make this a special treat that they get only when they go in or come out of the crate. A piece of cheese is one example. Each time you put the dog into its crate use the word “kennel”. This will let the dog know that it must go into the crate. Throw the treat into the crate. If the dog does not want to go into the crate, you MUST make it go into the crate. Do this by placing one hand on its collar and locking that arm. Place the other arm between its back legs from behind and lift the dog’s rear end. Guide the dog in the crate with the hand holding the collar. Most of the dog’s power is in its back legs. By lifting those back legs off the ground you are taking away much of their resistance. Once the dog is in the crate, walk away. Don’t try and comfort the dog. The dog needs to learn how to comfort itself, much like a baby needs to learn how to comfort itself. Another thing that will help the greyhound is for you to do things that you normally do when you are getting ready to leave, like picking up your keys. Greyhounds thrive on routine and they know when you are getting ready to leave. Once the dog has settled down in the crate and is relaxed, let it spend 30 minutes to an hour in the crate. When it is time for the dog to come out of the crate, make sure the dog is relaxed. If the dog is not relaxed and you let the dog out, this is letting them know that it is okay to be anxious. The goal is for the dog to become relaxed in its crate. You may need to do this a couple times a day. It is also a good idea to feed your greyhound in its crate. This reinforces the idea that the crate is okay. Positive crate reinforcement takes time to learn for some greyhounds. Other greyhounds seem to prefer their crate. Remember to give them that special treat when they come out of the crate. Always let them know they did a good job too.

Step 2

Once your greyhound has adjusted to spending time in its crate while you are in the dog’s sight, the next step will be to leave the dog in the crate while you are out of the dog’s sight, but still in the house, Again tell, the dog “kennel”, give it a special treat and make the dog go into the crate. Go about your business in the house and remain out of the dog’s sight for 30 minutes to an hour. You may hear some whining and barking, but you must ignore it. The dog needs to learn to comfort itself, be able to settle down on its own and learn that you will return. You may need to this a couple times a day until the dog is relaxed and knows you will return. Don’t forget that special treat once you let the dog out of the crate and ALWAYS praise the dog.

Step 3

The last and final step of positive crate reinforcement is leaving the dog alone in its crate while you are gone. Begin by doing this in very short time periods. Start with 5 minutes. Do all the things you normally do when you are getting ready to leave. Get in your car and drive around the block a time or two. When you come home, ignore the dog until it is settled down. Then let the greyhound out of the crate and give it lots of hugs and that special treat. Increase the time in small amounts until you can get up to one hour. Dogs with separation anxiety are usually destructive or have accidents the first 5 minutes to 30 minutes you are gone. Once your greyhound is able to remain in its crate for up to an hour when you are gone, it should be fine for a number of hours.

This technique can and has worked for many people that have dogs with separation anxiety. Again the key is consistency. Make the crate a positive place from the moment your new greyhound walks into its new home.