Three in, almost there... go on Troy, go on!
Snug as a bug!
Crate training can be easy or hard, it depends on the dog. Some dogs just walk in day one, others may never want the confines of a crate. Each dog is different so you have to find a way that works for him. With patience and no shoving, a dog can usually learn to relax inside a crate.
Troy arrived very wary of the crate and unwilling to go in for anything - even liver cooked specially for him; he'd had some experiences being crated on car journeys to adoption events, and to him they were unpleasant memories. He had no idea it was done for his own and the driver's safety! Anyway his wariness of the crate had to be undone and he had to start associating the crate with pleasant things.
There's plenty of tips on the web for crate training, and if you want to get it right, it's worth reading up. With the benefit of 50 or more crate trainings behind me, I still take it slowly and carefully, never forcing, always offering treats, favourite toys or food as a reward for going in.
Once I had allowed Troy to settle at my home, eating properly and very happy around me, I started games around the crate with Daisy and Maffy (both crate trained) and Troy. In and out for treats and favourite toys, but never asking or forcing Troy to go in. Food was the next thing... every bowl he ate was placed inside the crate, initially near the door so he could stand fully outside, then further and further back. Daisy eats in the crate next door which gave him a model to follow. Once he went all the way in to eat, I'd close the gate slowly, but open it immediately at first, and then after longer spells. The art is to make sure he's never clawing or barking to get out if you can avoid it.
The turn around for Troy came when I squeezed my tubby body all the way in with his food bowl and just stayed there [squished and uncomfortable I might add]. Cor, what I put my body through for dogs! That got him interested, especially if I sort of barred him from squeezing in beside me - he could smell his food but couldn't get at it! As I squeezed out, he rushed in at high velocity! But I still hadn't got him to sit and relax inside.
The EUREKA moment came when I remembered his love of his very large dog bed, with padded sides. Too big for the crate really, but I squeezed in it and before I'd finished squashing it down, Troy had jumped in and took control of the bed making. He's spent three blissfully peaceful nights in it now - and I'm sure I'll be able to substitute that for something smaller over the next few nights.
Any dog heading overseas in a plane has to be properly crate trained as it helps to make the long journey more bearable if they know their crate is a safe place to be. In the final training sessions, the crate should be fitted out as near as possible to how it will be on the actual journey, with a bowl and water bottled, incontinence pad, some shredded newspaper in case doggy feels the need to bury anything (like a bone or poo) and perhaps something that smells heavily of his carer, like a well-worn t-shirt. Don't sedate a dog for travel, don't feed him too much that day, and make sure he eliminates before being crated for the journey. And plenty of exercise beforehand.
Troy is in ASD's international rehoming programme, but until he earns his 'Crate Merit Badge', Troy won't be flying anywhere.
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