Crate games for dogs are not only a great way to get your pup used to spending time in their crate but also a great way to bond with them. A crate training session can help you with various issues, including housebreaking and providing mental and physical stimulation.
In addition, crate games are a great way to make your dog feel comfortable and content while the dog is confined. Check out our exciting games on the Canvas Personalized for inspiration!
Things You Should Know Before Playing Crate Training Session Games
What You Will Need
- A quiet space or less distracting place
- Tasty treats or any reward and your dog’s favorite toy.
- Ideal-sized crate or kennel: While a wire crate is ideal for a young puppy, the hard plastic crates simplify teaching your dog these games.
- Don’t toss treats through the bars with the door closed if using the wire crates.
How To Choose The Best Dog Crates For Separation Anxiety
The success of your house-training efforts depends on your dog’s comfort level in its crate. The dog’s crate should be big enough to lie inside without straining, stand straight without banging its head, and turn around entirely.
Invest in a crate that will fit your dog when it’s fully grown, and utilize a movable partition so you can modify the size as necessary. A cardboard box makes a great room divider because it can be easily swapped with a smaller one as the puppy grows.
Basic Guidelines For Crate Games For Puppies
- Crate games should be short and exciting.
- Say or release word such as “Pretty good!” or “Go” or “Free” so your dog understands it’s finished and can come out.
- How to crate train a puppy or play with your dog when feeling happy and upbeat. Your dog may feel your emotional state and respond differently to the training if you aren’t in a positive mood.
- Two or three short sessions per day are ideal.
- Playing each game for a few days before moving on to the next is recommended since the ideas and skills your dog learns in one game will be used in future ones.
- Feeding your dog the treat inside the crate is an excellent idea to help establish a positive association with the crate.
- Ensure your dog has mastered crate training or potty training before playing these great game ideas below.
10 Crate Training Games To Help Your Dog Love Their Crate
These best dog crates for separation anxiety aim to help your dog learn to enjoy its time in the kennel full of treats and toys once it completes each game. In addition, these games will teach your dog a new “trick” in developing new skills and expanding its cognitive capacities.
As a result, many dogs will gradually be less likely to experience situations like separation anxiety, feel isolated, or any undesired behavior if it is playing your games.
These are 10 fun crate games for dogs that you can play with your dog during the crate training sessions.
1. Best Dog Crates For Separation Anxiety: Treats and Toys!
This is a great introductory game for both you and your dog. You only need to put treats or toys in your dog’s crate while you’re gone. It means turning your pet’s crate into a gift is one of the simplest ways to make dogs enjoy it.
Keep the crate door open, and do not interfere with your dog’s curiosity about finding the treats. As a result, your dog will discover that the crate is its new heaven. Let your dog go inside the crate. Once it appears safe and enjoying itself, please close the door for just a few seconds while it contentedly munches on the treats.
Don’t rush to close the door. This game will help your puppy understand that the kennel isn’t dangerous but rather a pleasant, treat-filled den!
2. Treat Tossing Game
Once the dogs are comfortable and can stay inside the crate independently, you can gradually increase the difficulty of how to crate train a puppy.
Prepare treats or toys and toss or throw them in the crate to start the game. Let your dog enter and sit on its own and close the door. Never use force to put your dog inside. Once the puppy has eaten the treat, please open the door and call it back. Continue to throw another one into the crate for it to enter and then come back again.
Keep playing for 5–10 minutes, and watch your dog’s behavior. It is best to relax and try again later if it becomes boring during play.
3. Close The Door
Once your dog has enjoyed the treat-tossing game, it’s time to start Game 3 by closing the door for a moment.
First, open the door and throw a treat or toy into the crate. Then, when your dog enters inside to get the treat, close the door for a few more seconds.
Remember, do not keep the door closed too long because it can cause your dog to bark, whine, or scratch at the crate. If your dog does so, wait for it to stop whining, then click and reward it. This game aims to teach your dog calm and quiet.
Be patient and give your dog time to adjust to being confined in the crate. Eventually, your pup will get used to being quiet and relaxed while he’s in his crate. Thus, keep your training session short and gradually build up to more time spent in the crate.
4. Meal Time in the Crate
This fun game is ideal for all dog breeds because it is easy to play and effective at building a positive association with the crate.
Just put your dog’s meals in the crate. First, open the door and wait for your dog to come. Once the pup eats its meal, it won’t even notice you close the crate door behind it.
Keep an eye on your puppy and let it out of the crate when it finishes the meal.
5. Run Out of The Crate Gently
Many dogs run out of the crate, which can hurt themselves or pet’s owners in the family. Second, and most crucially, for your protection. Or your dog may escape from its kennel and run straight into the street. So this game is one of the helpful tricks for dog training.
To play this game, your dog must stand patiently inside the crate with the door closed. If your pup tries to escape when you open the crate door, close it again and throw a treat or toy inside. This game will teach your dog to wait calmly in his crate.
Now open the door and praise your dog if it remains calm and within the crate. Next, call your pup out of the crate by assigning a release word like “ok,” “release,” “break,” or any other word to release your dog from other commands like sit and stay.
Repeat this exercise for 5–10 minutes at a time. It won’t take your puppy long to realize that escaping the crate is unacceptable behavior and sitting calmly is rewarded.
6. Your Puppy Safe Place Game
Once your dog is willing to enter the crates and sit inside with the door closed, you can reward it for its calm behavior. Since this fun game makes your pups create a peaceful, special place to sleep or relax.
Put a treat or toy into the crate and give your pet the order to lie down, sit, or stand. Watch the signs that the dog is comfortable, such as a roll onto its side, a stretch, a lips lick, a resting head on the paws, or even blinking. It’s time to provide them with positive reinforcement with the release word “good” or “yes.”
7. Let me in!
This is a fun game for puppy in many types of crates. Close the crate door and attach a chew toy. Your dog will undoubtedly become interested in it.
It can make your pup want to get the toy by scratching at the door and staring at you. Once your dog can’t wait, open the door and let the puppy enter the kennel to take the treat.
Continue to play this game over a few days until the pet is happy to sit and stand inside the crate with its favorite toy.
8. Hide and Seek
Who doesn’t enjoy the fun “hide and seek” crate training games for dogs? While this is a game for pets and owners to play throughout the entire home, it also works well how to crate train a puppy! No matter what game you play to make your dog’s time spent in his crate enjoyable, it can help establish a positive association with the crate.
Put your pup in the crates while you hide to start this game. Let the crate door open and ask it to stay calm. Once you’ve hidden, call out your dog to find you. When your pet does, it’s time to reward it. Try hiding places around the house to see where your dog can find you.
Or you can hide the good smell of treats around the house and let your pet go and sniff out the treats.
9. Treat Trail
This is one of the best crate games for dogs to start crate training if they are brand new to their crate.
Create a small line of treat that leads into the crate door and a few more inside if your pup is unfamiliar with entering the crate.
Keep the door open to make your puppy safe to get in whenever possible. Praise it and give it plenty of love once it goes into the crate to fetch its treats!
10. Fetch it!
Come to one of the most popular crate games for puppies, “Fetch It.” First, grab the pup’s attention with its favorite toys for a few minutes.
Then, toss the toy inside the crate and ask your puppy to get it. If the dog hesitates, you can coax it inside the crate by throwing the toy closer to the door.
When your dog successfully retrieves the toy and returns it to you, give it praise and a treat. Add to your list of crate training games to get your pet excited about crate time!
What Are The Benefits of Playing Crate Games For Puppies?
Crates are good tools for managing and training dogs, but it’s essential that your puppy feels good about being in the crate. Some dogs may initially dislike their crates, but with the crate games for dogs above, they will gradually adore their own space to sleep and relax.
Playing crate games for puppies will teach them to enjoy crate time while you’re away. In addition, these games will make owners feel safe and comfortable when leaving their dogs alone to explore the entire house.
Some crate training games are the perfect solution to prevent separation anxiety or undesired behavior within the home.
Once you build a positive association between your puppy and its crate, it will understand that staying in a crate is a safe and comfortable haven for dealing with the anxiety of strangers.
Playing with these best dog crates for separation anxiety can make the house training process much easier and more exciting.
Tips & Tricks For Crate Games For Dogs
Are you ready to play these crate games for puppies? Here are several general tips and tricks for superb training.
- Choosing the appropriate crate size for your puppy
Depending on the game, some crates could be more useful than others. For example, hard-sided plastic dog crates or wire crates are ideal for the games you need to toss treats or toys in the crate.
- Make your pup’s crate nice and comfortable.
Many dogs can feel more at ease in a crate with a blanket or a dog bed. But be careful not to overcrowd with too many blankets and even some of their favorite toy.
- Keep a cheerful environment during training sessions.
If we make training enjoyable, our dogs will do the same. Remember to make your crate training games playful and short.
- Be patient
It’s easy to get frustrated when training our puppies, but remember that they need time to learn as much as we do. It’s best to stop teaching for the day and return when you’re in a good mood to have fun and play these crate games for dogs.
>>>Further reading:
- Dog Training Tips | How To Teach A Dog To Sit Pretty In 2 Easy Ways?
- 15 Best Dog Training Tips & Why Teaching Dogs is Important?
Crate games for dogs can be a fun and effective method of training sessions for your dog while giving them a safe and comfortable place. Crate training games will go more smoothly if your dog is familiar with the safe place. Always watch your dog and use positive reinforcement to shape good behavior during crate games. We hope that playing games from the Canvas Personalized will help you build a bond with your dog.
