You’re sitting in the middle of a puppy pen, swarmed by a litter of chubby puppies. Their soft little bodies scoot closer to cuddle up to you. You can’t help but giggle as the awkwardly large paw of one puppy attempts to edge another out of their way.
How do you leave with just one?!
That is perhaps one of the toughest dilemmas we dog lovers will face!
But if you do end up bringing home littermates, there are some things you should know...
The crate is a required part of training for all dogs, and it is required after training as well. For dogs who’ve never been crated or who haven’t been crated in a long time, this blog post will detail our advice on how to do a light crate reintroduction prior to the start of training. This post is intended for future clients, but anyone can utilize it to get their dog (re)acquainted with the crate.
Depending on your dog’s sensitivities you may not get through all of these steps and that’s okay; however, the further along you can get prior to training, the less time we’ll need to spend on your dog’s crate behavior during the board & train. This is also in your dog’s best interest, as they will be crated from day one of their board & train. If they’re already familiar with the crate, this will be a much easier transition.
Size - There is such a thing as a crate that’s too big, especially if your dog has issues in the crate. Err on the side of a crate that feels a little snug instead of a crate that gives your dog lots of room to pace, circle, and sprawl out. We want to encourage a dog to snuggle up and nap. You dog should have enough room to stand up, turn around and curl up comfortably.
Location - Do not put the crate in anyone’s bedroom—that is the most important rule. The crate should be located in a more central location within the home, not in anyone’s private space (like a bedroom) or in a space that feels isolated (like a spare room, an unfinished basement or a garage). A corner of the kitchen, family room, etc. is usually a good spot depending on your home’s layout and how you use your home.
Multiple crates - You can have an extra crate set aside for traveling so that your dog’s primary crate can stay in its place, but your dog should not have multiple crates within your home. ONE crate in a central location is important.
Respect privacy - Your crate is your dog’s personal space. Do NOT under any circumstances allow children, adults, other dogs, or other animals to enter your dog’s crate. We want your dog to know that this is their space to relax and let down their guard, and if that space is violated, then we’ve ruined the whole point of having a safe space.
Never crate dogs together in the same crate. If you’ve gotten away with this in the past, consider yourself lucky and discontinue this practice immediately. If tension develops, the dogs have nowhere to go and a fight will ensue. Even the best of friends have disagreements sometimes, but when they’re trapped in a small space together that can become deadly. Please do not risk it. Ever.
Items in the crate - If your dog is not inclined to chew their bedding, they can have a blanket or dog bed in the crate with them. If they sometimes eat/shred bedding, then it’s best to skip it. Ingested bedding can cause a blockage which is a medical emergency. For this reason, do not put rope toys or stuffed toys in your dog’s crate either. It is usually a good idea to put an appropriately sized hard chew, like a Benebone or a Nylabone. If your dog is still working on housebreaking, be careful about plush bedding—dogs like to urinate on blankets, beds, etc. Stick with a towel at the most.
Feed in the crate - A good place to start is by feeding your dog in their crate. This pairs something positive with the crate and gives your dog at least two times a day when they’ll eagerly get in. If your dog is really hesitant to enter the crate, start with the food bowl just inside the crate and then slowly place it further back as time goes on. You have time.
Closing the door - You can leave the door open at first and then start closing it as your dog gets more and more comfortable with the routine of eating in their crate. When you close the door, be careful not to make a big deal out of it—just close it and walk away like it's totally normal. If you stop and stare at your dog to see how they’re handling it, they’re much more likely to get upset. We call this the “fishbowl effect” and it’s very confusing for a dog. Resist the urge to stare.
Build in downtime - As your dog becomes comfortable with entering the crate to eat and having the door close behind them, start building in a period of downtime in the crate after they finish eating. They should rest their food before resuming activity anyway, so work up to a period of 20-30 minutes in the crate after finishing a meal. You can also start adding a period of downtime in the crate after exercise. Your dog will be ready for a nap anyway, so get into the routine of crating your dog for some down time immediately after physical and/or mental exercise (include both physical and mental whenever possible). So long as your dog is not inclined to chew their bedding, you can put one of their favorite beds or blankets in the crate to encourage your dog to relax and nap in the crate.
Experiment with crating at night and when home alone - Once your dog is comfortable in the crate and using it for periods of downtime, you can start to experiment with crating your dog when they’re home alone and for sleeping at night. Start with a short trip and slowly increase the time left alone.
Don’t expect your dog to volunteer. You’re not looking for your dog to “willingly” get in the crate, per se. You’re trying to crate familiarity with the crate so that when you decide it’s time for your dog to get in the crate, they can do so with less resistance and a calmer mindset.
“Safe space” doesn’t mean what you think it means. Most folks will express concern that their dog doesn’t seem to “like” the crate. Their thought process is that if their dog truly sees the crate as a safe space, then their dog will want to get in. This is not the case. Creating a “safe space” in the crate means that the space is respected (i.e. it’s just for your dog and no one else violates that space), which means that the crate becomes a place where your dog can totally switch off and relax. This is different from napping in any other spot.
You will encounter some resistance. The goal is not to tip toe around your dog’s resistance to the crate; the goal is to help your dog through this resistance by utilizing a little strategy (pairing it with food) and to add the crate into your dog’s everyday life. If you only crate your dog when you leave, then your dog will always associate the crate with being alone, and that won’t help. The goal is to build the crate into your dog’s everyday life!
When your dog first returns home from training they will need to sleep in their crate for at least the first 90 days, which is the immediate post-training period. Sleeping in the crate is a vital part of the post-training lifestyle, which is how we ensure that everything your dog learned at training—their skills and mindset—transfers home with them. You cannot skip this. We don't mean to be a stickler, but we don’t want to set you up for failure, and sleeping in the crate really is that big of a deal.
For a dog who resists the crate, momentum is especially important. Your dog will have learned to be calm in their crate while here at training, but in order for that skill to last, they will need the crate to remain a regular part of their lifestyle, including overnight. Crate skills are very much a "use it or lose it" kind of thing.
Sleeping outside the crate—and especially in your room and/or your bed—is a MASSIVE reward. Not all dogs can handle it. If you want to experiment with this after your dog’s first 90 days at home, you can. Here’s how you’ll know if your dog can handle it:
If your dog’s behavior in all other aspects of life does not deteriorate, then you can continue to allow your dog to sleep outside of their crate on some nights. Think of it as a reward for good behavior. If you give that reward every night, it becomes something your dog expects and/or demands, and it’s no longer a special reward.
If your dog’s behavior in ANY other area of life starts to backslide, then that confirms that your dog is not ready to handle the privilege of sleeping outside their crate. This freedom has “gone to their head” and is impacting their attitude and/or state of mind. Frankly, seeing this correlation makes it a bit easier on the human end of things. Right now, I know it's tough to see the connection between certain privileges and bad behavior, but it will be much clearer after training.
Last but not least, if your dog has other behavioral issues that are impacting their crate behavior and/or your ability to follow these instructions, please feel free to email us to ask about this. Above all, SAFETY FIRST! Always err on the side of caution.
Sadie’s Rules offers a comprehensive board & train experience like no other. There is a lot that makes us different! Below I’ve listed a few of the big differences, but definitely follow our daily stories on Instagram or Facebook to see our program for yourself! Finally, browse the images below to read more about what makes our board & train worthwhile.
Our training style is “permission-based”, which means that dogs are learning to expect human guidance in general, and to look to us when they’re unsure. This mindset shift makes a major difference in the long term outcome of a training program. Good behavior isn’t just about the skills a dog has learned, it’s about the way they relate to their humans.
We teach obedience, yes, but that’s not all we do. We also get to the root of the behavior issues by addressing the dog’s state of mind. We help each trainee return to a more balanced state of mind, which is calm, confident and more at-ease. An imbalanced state of mind is always at the root of behavior issues like aggression, resource guarding, leash reactivity and more. The behavior is really just the symptom, not the cause. Many trainers know how to address symptoms, but few understand how to get to the cause.
Board & train programs MUST include lessons for the dog’s family! It’s an absolute must. And these lessons need to go far beyond just teaching them how to use the remote—families also need to learn how to use the dog’s skills in real life situations in order to get better behavior. We do lessons with each dog’s family here at Sadie’s Rules, in public places, and in the dog’s home (within a certain distance) so that each family feels confident maintaining their dog’s good behavior for the long haul. We don’t disappear after the dog returns home either. Every graduate of our board & train program receives lifetime email support from us, a commitment we take very seriously. Questions always come up, and when they do, we are here to help!
The truth about dog behavior is that lifestyle and relationships have a MAJOR impact on it. In all cases, lifestyle changes at home and changes to the dog’s relationship with its owner are necessary. Sometimes these are small tweaks, and other times they are big changes that can be challenging for the dog’s family. A lot of trainers shy away from these conversations and recommendations because they’re hard, but we believe it’s our job to be honest with our clients about what it will take to maintain good behavior over the long haul. We do NOT blame or shame owners for their dog’s behavior, but we will have a kind, compassionate, honest conversation about what needs to change moving forward.
Muzzles can be a fantastic tool to use during and after formal training. Unfortunately, they get a bad rap. Here are five common MYTHS about muzzles, accompanied by their corresponding truths.
Myth: Muzzles are unsafe.
Truth: A properly fit basket muzzle allows the dog to pant, eat and drink while wearing it. This makes it very safe to use.
Myth: Muzzles are mean!
Truth: A muzzle is a way to prevent a bite, which is in the best interest of everyone, most especially the dog.
Myth: People who use muzzles are just too lazy to train.
Truth: Dogs can still make mistakes or bad choices, even if they’re highly trained. They’re not robots. When you want to minimize that risk, the muzzle is a wise choice. Using a muzzle in these situations makes you responsible, not lazy.
Myth: Dogs should be taught not to bite, not forced to wear a muzzle.
Truth: See previous answer. They’re not robots, folks! We need to be realistic about our dog’s sensitivities and capabilities.
Myth: Dogs always hate muzzles.
Truth: Dogs absolutely can be taught to accept the muzzle! This process is called muzzle conditioning and it’s a gradual process, which allows a dog time to adjust to wearing one. Once properly muzzle conditioned, the muzzle isn’t a big deal.
It’s a real shame that folks are often hassled for using a muzzle because when used properly, muzzles can be excellent tools for preventing bites!
Leash reactivity is a common dog behavior issue characterized by barking, lunging, flailing, growling and/or pulling toward certain triggers while on the leash. Some dogs react this way for anything that moves—dogs, people, cars, bikes, etc—and some dogs have only specific triggers, most commonly other dogs.
Reactivity makes it really difficult and often unsafe to walk your dog, so it’s a pretty serious behavior issue. But what most folks (including dog trainers!) don’t realize is that there are always underlying issues contributing to leash reactivity. This is why it’s best addressed in a thorough board & train program that includes an emphasis on the dog’s state of mind. Until those root state-of-mind issues are addressed, the reactivity will always be lurking beneath the surface.
In the meantime, the following images can help you keep a lid on your dog’s reactivity by understanding three things that exacerbate the issue.
There is just not enough supervision at dog daycares and dog parks, period. This is especially true of dog parks, which are like the wild west with no rules and no one in charge. But it’s also true of doggie daycares. A lot happens at daycare that we never see or hear about, or that the staff brushes off as “minor”. Over time, most dog park and dog daycare dogs develop feelings of anxiety or nervousness related to other dogs.
You might think that these environments are a good way for your dog to learn proper play behavior, but unfortunately that’s not the case either. During our board & train program we teach dogs to socialize appropriately, and we’ve noticed that dogs who have a history of going to dog parks and daycares have a much higher incidence of bad habits and poor manners that we have to undo.
Your dog is much better off if you intentionally develop a relationship between your dog and one or two close dog friends. Just like us, they don’t need to be constantly meeting new dogs to have a healthy social life.
Your dog’s behavior is allllll connected! It’s not reasonable to allow your dog to bark at triggers in one context—say, from your front window, front porch, through the fence, from the car, etc.—but then expect your dog to be quiet and mannerly when they pass by those same triggers on a walk.
If you want your dog to be more mannerly on the leash, make sure you’re being consistent about this expectation in other areas of life, too.
This one always ruffles folks’ feathers, but it’s true. Free roaming in the house gives your dog the impression that they can make their own decisions and do whatever they want. It’s not really reasonable to then expect your dog to default to your leadership when you clip the leash on and exit the front door.
If you want your dog to tune in and listen to you while on the leash, try adding more moments where they need to tune in and listen to you inside your home by adding more structure. The place command, down/stays, crate time, etc. are good starts.
Do you have questions about leash reactivity? Check out our Instagram page, follow our daily stories for behind-the-scenes style content, and then send us a DM!
If you’re ready to get help for your dog, apply to our board & train program here.
If you’re just learning about training tools like the prong collar and the e-collar, I understand why they might seem really unnecessary. There’s also a ton of misinformation out there about training tools, so I can understand why it might feel overwhelming, too. Here’s a short explanation of why we choose to train with these life-changing tools.
In short, we use these tools because they provide superior communication (including off leash communication in the case of the e-collar) and the opportunity for correction.
Correction is necessary because without it, a dog has no way of knowing that a behavior is off limits. We can and do teach dogs what we want them to do, and that of course is encouraged through positive reinforcement, but that is only one half of the “good behavior” equation.
Let’s take a dog who is nervous around strangers as an example. Many folks have spent quite a lot of time teaching the dog how they want him to behave with new people using positive reinforcement. The dog has learned that certain behaviors will be rewarded, but rewarding the right behaviors does NOT clarify which behaviors are off limits. This is why the dog still isn’t reliably well behaved around strangers—he doesn’t know that we don’t want to see certain behaviors.
How does a dog learn that growling, lunging, etc. is not acceptable? Not through positive reinforcement, but through corrections. Corrections convey very important information on what’s not allowed—the other half of the “good behavior” equation. Only with ALL of the information can dogs begin to reliably make better choices, and from there, you can start to work on changing how a dog feels in a given situation.
If you've been working with a trainer who does not use corrections, then I'm sure the philosophy I just described is contrary to what you've been told. I don't expect you to take my word for it; instead, I strongly recommend following us on social media for a while. Make sure to look at our daily stories (on either Facebook or Instagram) because that's where you can follow along with our trainees and see their progress.
You'll see that the prong collars and e-collars aren't hurting them and aren't causing them to become fearful or nervous; in fact, with clarity on which behaviors are expected and which behaviors are prohibited, you'll see them start to make better choices, become calmer and more confident, earn more freedom and new experiences, and have a more positive experience of life overall. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak,.
We are intentionally very transparent on social media so that folks can see this for themselves and can get to know us a bit. I hope you’ll take the time to check it out and see for yourself that these tools aren’t harmful!
Structure is so widely misunderstood in the world of dog training! Many “positive only” trainers regard structure as unfair and unnecessary, but this reflects a gross misunderstanding of the concept. Structure, when applied correctly and when paired with appropriate training, actually leads to lower anxiety levels and a calmer, happier dog overall.
If you have (or have had) dogs who appear to be on “auto-friend”—that is, every other dog is automatically their friend—then you are very lucky! Not all dogs are automatically comfortable around other dogs. Many dogs need time to adjust to another dog’s energy and presence before experiencing any pressure to interact.
And even with dogs who are on “auto-friend” it’s worth noting that the way we reduce dog relationships to “introductions” isn’t very realistic—or fair. Dogs form relationships just like humans do, and just like us, these relationships grow and change over time. If you really want your dog to have a good long-term relationship with another dog, then it’s best to take it slow.
Here’s what we recommend:
How could a board & train program possibly be beneficial for a dog with separation anxiety? Isn't that too much separation? Actually, one of the benefits of the board & train program is that the dog is separated from its owner and away from its home environment. This halts the momentum behind the dog's deepest rooted, most emotional reactions and patterns, and we can leverage that break in momentum to teach your dog a different way…
Below is a collection of our housebreaking, crate training and overall puppy training videos to assist you with your efforts. We’ve also included a breakdown of the key points of housebreaking. Housebreaking and crate training go hand-in-hand, so if you haven’t prioritized crate training yet, now is definitely the time! I hope this helps with your puppy.
We frequently hear stories of dogs returning home from board & train programs nearly untrained—they still don’t know basic commands or will only do them for food, for example, or they might know their basic commands but they’re still a wrecking ball around the house, or they don’t listen when any distractions are present, etc. As a professional dog trainer who is committed to training with integrity, this is very upsetting to hear…
Riley, a young and sizable pit mix, is here for our 3-week board & train program. One of her main issues is arousal—she’s very amped up most of the time! She’s sweet as pie and doesn’t mean to hurt anyone, but her size adds a level of risk to behaviors like jumping, leash pulling, and even her wiggly-ness. Her owners are worried that as their infant becomes a toddler, Riley will accidentally knock the baby over. We are definitely teaching Riley basic obedience while she’s here for training (both on and off-leash) and we will pattern calmer behavior around distractions. All of these actions are important, but if that’s all we do, then we are leaving her training incomplete.
To really do Riley justice and set her up for success, we also need to teach her how to be in a CALMER state of mind. In this video, I talk through how I’m communicating this to Riley and teaching her to slow down and think through her behavior.
You are your dog’s guide to the world. Dogs do not intuitively understand how to navigate our human world. They don’t come preprogrammed with the understanding that it’s not okay to use their mouth on humans, or that pulling on the leash makes a walk really unpleasant for the humans, or that barking and jumping on strangers is super rude. They have no idea. They only know how to be a dog. You have an enormous opportunity to build a deep bond of trust and respect with your dog when you embrace your role as their guide. (read on to learn how)
I don’t teach the words “stay” or “wait” but I do teach those concepts. The concepts of stay and wait are built into the skills, manners, attitude, and dog-handler relationship that we develop throughout the board & train program. It’s not necessary to name and teach them as separate concepts; in fact, that can become more of a hindrance than a help. Have you ever told your dog to “Waiiiiit… Waiiiiiit….” and watched his excitement and anticipation grow? Treating concepts like staying and waiting as individual commands too often pairs them with the wrong state of mind (excitement, anticipation) instead of the cool, calm, collected state of mind we’re looking for. Let’s unpack this.
I know it’s tempting to get your baby and dog introduced right away. A lot of blog posts are devoted to that subject and filled with miscellaneous suggestions—bring home a blanket or other baby item ahead of time for the dog to sniff, sit in a chair and allow your dog to approach, etc. Lots of people get away with introducing their dog and baby right off the bat; however, in my experience, even if you get away with it, immediate dog-baby introductions still aren’t setting anyone up for long term success. If you want your dog and baby to have a healthy long-term relationship, it’s best to teach your dog a healthy respect for the baby from the very start.
The obvious reason why weight gain is a problem for dogs is because it puts them at risk for health issues. I’m not a veterinarian, plus there are tons of great articles on that subject so I won’t cover them here. What I’d like to talk about in this post is the link between diet and behavior. It’s difficult to pin down exactly how and why this happens, but it’s pretty clear to dog trainers that this is indeed a factor.
You may have heard the common phrase “all they need is love.” Wouldn’t it be nice if that was true! The truth is if love is all a dog needs…
there would be far fewer dogs in shelters,
there would be far fewer dogs returned to the rescues they were adopted from,
there would be far fewer people in my inbox who love their dogs dearly but are at their wits end.
Dogs need more than love. They need to know—they deserve—to know how to live successfully in our human world.
There is a lot of clamor in the dog training community about avoidance. It’s usually painted in a negative light but I’d argue that it’s neither positive nor negative; it’s simply reflective of how a dog is feeling in a given moment. Avoidance is often part of the behavior change process, so it’s important not to demonize avoidance outright. This blog post will be dedicated to explaining what avoidance is and what purpose it serves in the context of changing dog behavior.
