Last Updated on April 12, 2022 by Pauline G. Carter
I am sure you love your dogs because of the inestimable value they possess to you. Dogs are animals that naturally belong in cages. Keeping them in a crate will make them sleep, relax and stretch well.
If you are going to start using a crate for your dog, you need to know what rules to apply and what to avoid so that you don’t have issues with your dog.
Guidelines for Keeping Your Dog in a Crate
John and his German Shepherd Dog
John recently got a German Shepherd Dog from his friends as a gift to keep him company, but John is so busy with the remote company work that he does not have time for his pet. Due to his limited free time, he got a crate for his dog and left it there without providing anything to the dog or keeping it busy.
He thought he had kept the dog away from disturbing him. He then began to discover that anytime he goes to greet the dog in the crate or brings it out to play with, the dog either turns away from him or goes to hide somewhere. He started worrying and began to search for ways in which he could keep the dog busy in the crate he provided for it.
Are you like John? Have you been worrying about how to keep your dog busy in a crate? Well, before we continue in the article, I would like to provide you with some safety rules to follow when keeping your dog busy, and they are;
- Make sure the crate is spacious so that your dog can be comfortable.
- Don’t let your dog stay inside the crate for too long.
- Exercise your dog constantly when you bring them out of the crate.
- Provide food and water inside the crate for the dog when you are not around.
- Make sure you don’t let your dog see the crate as punishment.
Having known the dos and don’ts of keeping your dogs in a crate, you should worry no more about keeping your dog busy. I will be showing you some activities with which you can keep your dog active.
Activities to Keep Your Dog Busy in Its Crate
Use Toys
To keep your dog busy in its crate, you have to provide it with toys. You can buy toys for your dogs, such as Kongs (rubber toys), Antlers, Plush toys, and Dental chew (chew toys). While you are busy, leave the toys in the crate so that they can be active.
To know whether this activity is working for your dog, anytime you bring it out to play, your dog would want to go back to the cage to play with its toy. Then be rest assured that this trick has worked.
Providing a Comfortable Bed
Another way to keep your dog busy in its crate is by getting a comfortable bed on which it will like to sleep on because of how sweet it is.
First, get a nice bed, and add a warm cozy blanket. You can also go miles by adding a soft fur to the bed to make it more comfortable. This way, your dog will like to sleep almost all the time because of how enjoyable the sleep will be.
Getting Another Pet
Keeping your dog busy with another dog is a potent way of preventing distractions for you. You can buy another dog that will keep your dog company. I am sure, once it gets to relate with the other pet you got for it, it would be so happy staying in the crate. There is one thing you have to note: you might have to enlarge your crate so that it can contain both dogs.
Popsicles
During the summer periods, everyone loves taking cold popsicles. The truth is, your dog is no different either. You might not know that providing your dog with sicles would make it busy. All you need to do is just freeze peanut butter or still chicken broth so that your dog can gnaw or suck on it as it likes. This way, your dog will surely get busy even when you are not around.
Creating a New Scenery
If you want to keep your dog busy, you can create a new scenery so it can watch. One salient point that you need to know about dogs is that they are curious about new things. So if your dog is seeing a scenery for the first time, it will get distracted. You can do this often for your dog so that it does not get tired of watching just a particular scenery.
Usage of Vet-Approved Medications
If any of the activities mentioned earlier did not work for your dog so far, you can resort to the usage of medications, in case your veterinarian allows it. For these particular options, you’d most likely be best off speaking to a professional.
By following these tips, I am sure that you would reap some benefits in keeping your dog busy in its crates, of which some will be mentioned below.
Benefits of Keeping your Dog Busy Inside Crate
- When you are not around, your house will be safe from damage such as accidents or spoilage of any material in your home.
- Having acclimatized your dog to its crate, it will view the crate as a very safe and secure place to be in.
- Your dog will learn how to be patient.
- Your dog will know what to do and what not to do, thereby respecting what boundaries and rules you have set for it.
- If you got a crate designed as a traveling tool, you could take the crate along with you so that your dog will feel comfortable while traveling.
Plus, once your dog is well-rested and out of the crate, they’ll be ready for outdoor activities like attending dog parks. For Canadian readers, Spot Dog Walkers have provided easy-to-use local guides for dog parks in cities like Toronto.
Conclusion
I want you to know that the tips in this article are very efficient ways of keeping your dog busy. Dogs are animals that have emotions and are dependent on us humans. I am sure you would not want to see your dog unhappy or sick because of its unfair treatment by you.
You can decide to rotate these activities and use them for your dog so that you can be free from distractions that might affect your activities.