How to train a dog to a kennel in the yard - methods and recommendations

Sometimes a dog does not want to settle in its own separate home - a kennel, but prefers to live in the same territory with its owners. But if the dog was bred specifically to guard the local area, such a manifestation of character can become a real problem. How to train a dog to a kennel is the topic of the article. We will learn for what reasons a dog may refuse to live in a kennel, how to eliminate this, and how to rehabilitate a capricious pet.

What should a good kennel look like?

To make your pet feel comfortable inside your house, you just need to follow a number of simple rules. If you follow them, the likelihood of encountering such a problem as teaching a dog to sleep in a kennel will be much less.

Size and design

When choosing a dog house, you must take into account the size of the animal. The dwelling must be of such dimensions that the four-legged animal can calmly sit inside, turn around and stretch out its paws. Otherwise, he will not feel comfortable and will prefer to stay outside. Position the entrance correctly so that the wind does not blow in and cool down the home.

Material and finishing

The plastic booth is lightweight, so it can be easily moved to a new location. It is also very easy to clean. But this material has a significant disadvantage - it does not hold temperature. That is, on a hot day it gets very hot, and on a cold night it cools down.

A wooden kennel is more environmentally friendly. The tree “breathes”, which will allow you not to overheat in hot weather, and keep you warm in cold weather. But wood tends to rot. Therefore, depending on the region, such a house will last for 3-5 years.

And finally, a metal kennel is a very heavy structure, and besides, making such a house yourself is almost impossible: a saw, nails and a hammer are clearly not enough. And, again, a home made of pure metal is not able to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Location

It is better to choose a location for installation on a hill. Animals instinctively occupy a higher point in the territory for a better view. If there is no such place on the site, then the kennel can be raised a little.

It is better to make the exit from the dog house facing the entrance gate. This will make it more comfortable for the security guard to monitor what is happening.

“Interior” – what’s inside?

Depending on the climatic conditions, additional insulation/ventilation is installed inside to improve the maintenance of a comfortable temperature. For example, in the Urals and Siberia, winter temperatures can drop to minus forty degrees, and even the most shaggy dog ​​will freeze. In the south, on the contrary, summers are hot, and in a stuffy house a pet can easily get heatstroke.

It is also very important to choose the right material for bedding. It is better not to use blankets, towels, or carpets, as they accumulate moisture and can begin to rot. In addition, such material is a breeding ground for fleas and ticks. The best thing is to lay straw mixed with cedar sawdust. Of course, the straw will also begin to rot, but during this process it releases heat and a pleasant, non-repulsive odor. And cedar sawdust, or rather, the oil contained in them, will repel insects.

Inappropriate size or uncomfortable conditions

The size of the booth should give the dog the opportunity to calmly turn around and lie down with its paws stretched out! If the booth is small, the dog will not even enter it.

The bottom of the booth is hard, which can cause discomfort to the pet. The owner’s natural desire is to create more comfortable conditions. However, at this stage you need to act wisely. You cannot place a mattress or materials that attract moisture in the booth.

The optimal bedding for the booth is late-mown, chopped hay. Benefits of hay as bedding:

• A 2–3 cm layer of hay is soft enough for comfortable sleep.
• If the weather is humid outside and the bedding is wet, the hay absorbs moisture and begins to rot.
• When hay rots, there is no unpleasant smell; it is rather sweetish.
• As hay rots, it releases heat, which is an additional source in snowy weather.

How to crate train a puppy

At such an early age, training requires a more responsible approach. First, play with the puppy near his future house. Let him know that the new structure is not hostile. Next, place bowls of food and water near the entrance so that the puppy begins to slowly get used to the new home. You can also put a treat inside - the baby will be interested, and he will develop a positive attitude towards his future home.

Position the guard house next to your home so that the exit faces your front door or windows. This will make it possible to check the condition of the four-legged animal more often; it is small and getting used to it. This will prevent him from feeling abandoned, since the dog will see that every time you leave the house you go to him.

There is another trick: put your baby in a plastic bottle wrapped in a towel and filled with hot water at night. The puppy will feel more comfortable snuggled up against a source of heat.

Never lock your puppy inside. This can develop a phobia that can then be difficult to treat. Do everything gradually, carefully watching your pet.

If after the apartment

Training an animal that is used to living in the same room with members of the household and does not know what it is like to live in an open area is an extremely difficult task. To achieve this goal, the following recommendations must be followed:

• At first, the pet should not be left alone for a long time. He should not feel as if he was abandoned.
• The time spent in the booth should be measured. At first, you need to leave the animal in its personal premises for no more than 2-3 hours, after which it should be taken to conditions that are comfortable for it.

Gradually, the time the animal spends in the booth increases. Additional Information! The pet should not be rushed or rushed, much less left alone in unusual conditions.

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How to train an adult dog to live in a kennel

Training an adult four-legged dog is a very labor-intensive process. Each animal has individual characteristics - both psychological and physical. Proper and consistent kennel rehoming requires taking them all into account.

From the street

In order for a dog from the street to start living in a kennel, it is necessary to show it that this is a place where it can feel absolutely safe. Place bowls of food and water near the future home, constantly moving them closer to the entrance. Sometimes put a treat inside so that the dog perceives the new structure in a positive way.

You should not force the dog inside, as this will cause fear and a lot of negative emotions. Weaning from the street will take approximately two to four weeks, but everything is very individual. Remember that the animal understands affection perfectly, even if it spent most of its life as a stray dog.

After the apartment

As a rule, it is more difficult for four-legged animals moved from apartments to adapt to their new environment. The main factor is the absence of the owner in the immediate vicinity.

To make it easier for your friend to accept and love his new home, you need to act gradually and very carefully. To get started, start playing with your pet near your new place of residence, sometimes throwing his favorite toy inside. Encourage him every time he comes inside, as well as when he himself shows interest.

Place something with the owner's scent inside. The dog should not feel that he has been abandoned, otherwise he will develop a phobia. Also, after the first overnight stays, pay extra attention to your pet. This is again necessary so that the dog does not develop a feeling of loneliness.

There is another trick - place a mechanical clock behind the kennel. Together with something with the owner’s scent, this should create a feeling of security and a familiar environment for the pet.

Teaching the command “Place!”

Training your dog to learn this command is quite easy. You need to put a treat in the booth and invite the animal to get it, while saying the word “Place” loudly. After repeating the manipulation several times in a row, take a short break. After some time, the fun game is repeated again, but the treat is placed in the booth every other time.

Additional Information! When teaching a command, you need to choose the right moment when the animal is in a playful mood, it is cheerful and active.

It is quite difficult to train a pet to stay in a kennel. This is a labor-intensive process that requires a lot of effort and patience. To achieve success, you need to act persistently but gently. Through joint games and treats, the owner can show that the booth is very good, comfortable and cozy.

Difficulties to be faced

Be patient. A new environment for an animal is always stressful.

At first, the dog may whine loudly and ask to come into the house. In such cases, never ignore your pet - go out and talk to him affectionately. Do not shout or show aggression, because the dog will not understand why he is being scolded - after all, he just wants to get to his beloved owner.

The dog may stop eating. In this case, stop putting pressure on your pet and let him get used to it on his own. Even if it takes a long time, training is not always easy.

An obstinate dog can deliberately ignore the booth, demonstrating character. In this case, you will have to show perseverance. This problem usually occurs with young male dogs. If you cannot manage your training on your own, contact a professional dog trainer for help.

Fear of separation

Dogs are truly loyal to their owners, no matter who they are, so there is a chance that the pet will run away from home in search of you.

Fear of separation arises precisely because of attachment to the owner. It is activated when the pet cannot go with you, for example, to work. Therefore, determine whether he is sad in your absence.

So, we have decided what could be the reasons why a dog leaves home. Now let's move on to simple steps that will help prevent him from running away.

Why doesn't the dog sleep in the kennel?

There are many factors why a dog won't come into the kennel. Often, a detail that is insignificant in human opinion can become a decisive argument against it for a dog.

Inappropriate house size

If it's too cramped inside, there's nowhere to turn around before lying down, it's impossible to stretch out its paws, or there's no way to sit freely, your pet will feel constrained. But if you build a house that is too large, the animal will not be able to warm it up with its body temperature on cold nights.

Inconvenient location

When choosing a site for construction, always take into account the fact that dogs instinctively try to take a higher position relative to the territory entrusted to them for a better view. This is especially true for guard breeds. And if you do not comply with this feature, no matter how hard you try, the animal will not want to live in the lowlands.

Too cold or hot

The choice of material when buying a finished house or during construction is very important. Plastic can get very hot during the day and not retain heat at night. The same applies to “bare” metal, which, in the scorching sun, can create a real steam room inside. Remember your feeling when you get into a car left in the thirty-degree sun, and everything will become clear.

For regions with a cold climate, you can heat the kennel - or take your pet into the house for the night.

Psychological moments

If someone lived in the kennel and there is still a foreign smell there, the dog can easily refuse such housing. Even an ordinary unpleasant smell will scare off the four-legged one, and he will begin to avoid his house.

The pet may have phobias associated with the newness of the home or the loss of its owner. He may decide that he is being relocated for some offense if you put too much pressure and show intemperance and aggression.

Perhaps, while in the house, the dog was frightened of something or injured itself, and this became closely connected in its head. Finally, animals also experience claustrophobia.

In difficult cases, if the dog whines and does not want to live in a booth, contact a zoopsychologist. Perhaps there is a hidden problem that is not so easy to find and resolve.

Diseases

During illness, you should not try to accustom the dog to a new home, or indeed to anything new. During such a period, he is weakened not only physically, but also psychologically. It is better to temporarily move the animal into a cottage and not put it outside until it has fully recovered.

Basic requirements for housing on the street

To arrange a new home for a dog, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. Make the enclosure or kennel spacious, clean, darkened, and well ventilated (no drafts). The height of the viewing opening should be approximately 75% higher than the length from the animal's shoulder to the ground.
2. The door is made using a piece of rubber, tarpaulin, with cut longitudinal strips with weighted ends. This will allow the dog to see what is going on outside and stay inside.

Providing a safe place is important, especially if the dog lives on the street and will spend long periods of time there. A properly built kennel can protect a dog from extreme temperatures, wind, rain, snow, and potential predators

It is recommended to lay a floor in the room reserved for the dog for additional insulation. Usually it is made of concrete (with wooden flooring) or asphalt, and also inclined so that puddles do not form during washing and after rain.

Experts recommend covering the roof with bitumen shingles (to protect against rain or hail).

General requirements for outdoor enclosures:

Training Tips

To summarize, it is worth highlighting the key points on how to train a dog to a kennel in the yard. All the tips are simple, but at the same time effective.

What will help

Useful recommendations, the observance of which will not only speed up the process, but also make it smoother:

• observe the proportions of the room based on the size of the pet;
• take into account the location when constructing, choosing a hill;
• the kennel must be made correctly and from suitable materials, without burrs, splinters and protruding nails;
• monitor the cleanliness of the booth and its sanitary condition, change the bedding on time and treat it from parasites;
• use tricks, such as a watch, something with the owner’s scent, bottles of hot water, and add a treat at first.

Pay attention to the behavior, general physical and psychological state of your four-legged friend. The training of a future security guard may not always go smoothly. Be careful and patient.

What not to do

You will not achieve results by doing the wrong things. On the contrary, the learning process will take a long time and become more labor-intensive. The dog will lose all interest in the booth and will become afraid of it.

Remember what actions are prohibited:

• lock a dog in a kennel and force it to sit there;
• scold or punish for not wanting to sit inside;
• leaving the dog in the kennel alone for a long time;
• move the booth.

Putting a dog on a chain with the desire to quickly train it in a kennel is not a solution. A dog can accept restrictions, but not get used to a new situation. You can put him on a chain only after he has been trained to the booth.

Owners' opinions

I live in the private sector. Our neighbors have two Caucasians. They have booths, but they move around the territory freely, behave decently and do not bark at everyone. However, one day they forgot to close the gate, and one of the dogs went for a walk outside the site. At that moment I was passing by and experienced extreme stress. Fortunately, the Caucasian was calm as a boa constrictor. He soon returned home, where he felt quite comfortable. My great-aunt also had a chain dog named Bobik. He responsibly guarded the apple orchard, but every evening he ran freely around the yard. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky. I remember another neighbor’s dog (short-haired) who spent most of the time just standing at the booth and howling hoarsely in anguish. Towards the end of her life, she lost a lot of weight, and her paws weakened, making them look half-bent. They never let her off the chain, didn’t communicate with her, and didn’t walk her. Local dogs, constantly sitting in enclosures, also suffer from idleness and physical inactivity, so I consider the best option to be the free movement of the animal around the site, the use of a checkpoint at night and the presence of a warm booth in case of bad weather. But the most important thing is the attention and care of the owner.

I have a huge German Shepherd living in my yard. I keep him on a chain, because he has a very intimidating appearance, and if he runs freely around the yard during the day, even passers-by will walk around my yard 200 meters away. That’s why I only let my guard run around at night, when he won’t scare anyone, but the security is excellent. He is happy to run around and I sleep peacefully, knowing that no “night guest” will get into my yard. For a full-fledged lifestyle, the dog should not only rest lying on its side, but also rest actively, that is, run and jump freely.

Denis

https://agro-forum.net/threads/232/

In my opinion, a chain and an enclosure are the same restriction of freedom. There is a chain that slides freely along a wire stretched over a large area (this is called a block leash), so this is much better than an enclosure, in my opinion. But in any of these cases, the dog needs a walk - to exercise, lose energy, and play. In this case, the temporary restriction will not be a prison. And if it’s chained for life, it’s a nightmare.

shany

https://koshki-sobaki.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=929

Video: the opinion of the owner of a training center about keeping dogs on a chain

A dog sitting on a chain for protection should not be a powerless prisoner. He remains a family member and a pet for whom you are responsible. Provide your dog with competent care, walk, communicate, pay attention, let him off the leash during off-duty hours. Then she will feel needed and responsibly perform the duties of a security guard.

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