Activities For Your Dog
10 Ways to Celebrate Halloween With Your Pet
September 13, 2023
Basic Dog Training
March 16, 2020
The vast majority of dog owners consider their pups to be part of the family (ranging from 75% to 95%, depending on the study). But our dogs don’t always understand all the rules of human society – no chewing on furniture, no jumping up on guests, no peeing in the corner. It’s our job as the big-brained primates to help teach them how to behave in our homes. There are many benefits to dog training with a pet gate and gates can be incredibly helpful for many different training task.
@girlplusbulldogs
Most new puppy owners start out using a crate for basic chewing prevention and potty training. A pet gate can be an incredibly helpful next step towards giving your dog more independence.
Make sure that you’re considering the right type of pet gate for the job:
If you’re using a pet gate to wean your dog off of a crate, start small. Use the gate to keep your dog inside of a given space. When potty training a puppy, you might want to use it to keep your puppy inside of a tiled area of your home. As your puppy gets more trustworthy, you can use the gate to keep her out of given areas instead. Switching from keeping your puppy confined to keeping the environment confined is a big step that should be celebrated! Depending on your dog’s personality and your home setup, you might always need to use a pet gate for some things. For example, I almost always leave a freestanding gate up around my trash can. Why? My six-year-old dog simply isn’t trustworthy, and it’s not a high priority for me to fix with training.
Aside from helping with potty training, inappropriate chewing, and trash-stealing, other benefits of dog training with a gate can help with a variety of behavior and training goals:
Puppies can be a real pain in the tail! However, most older dogs will really benefit from a divided household for at least a few hours a day. This has the added benefit of helping teach your puppy to settle alone, rather than constantly pestering the adults.
Whether it’s a fussy cat or an insecure dog, pet gates can help ease your pets into living together. A well-placed pet gate allows your pets to interact through the gate, rest, play, and avoid each other as needed. Pet gates are an imperative part of most successful dog-cat introductions. They can be very useful for managing complicated dog-dog relationships too.
Whether your dog charges the door or fixates on the windows, pet gates can help add distance between your pup and the exciting thing. You’ll find training is much easier if your dog has a bit of space from his triggers.
Dogs that are overly dependent on their owners may seem cute in theory, but this lack of independence isn’t exactly good for their mental wellbeing. Use the gate to keep your pup from following you into the shower, or simply practice cooking on one side while your pup is five feet away, pet gates can help teach your dog not to be so underfoot. Giving your dog intermittent treats as payment for calm behavior can help even more!
It’s important to make sure that your dog’s needs are being met. Be sure that the pet-gated area has water, toys, and a comfy resting place. If your dog is upset when being separated from you, make sure that her needs are being met. Spending plenty of time with them helps. For young puppies, it helps to exclusively put them in the confinement area when they’re already tired.
The benefits of dog training with a gate are abundant and incredibly helpful for all sorts of pet training. Do you have a use for your pet gate that we didn’t mention? Let other readers know below!
We’ve got all the training tips for you and your pet here.