Last year, we wrote an article about the benefits of kennel training your chihuahua. Many people dislike the idea, viewing the kennel as something akin to a jail cell. It doesn’t help that many kennels look like a jail too, with iron bars holding the dog back.
The truth is, kennel training is vital to your dog even if you never plan to kennel at home. If you ever take your dog to a dog groomer, chances are they will be staying in a kennel during their stay. If they ever have to stay at the vet, it will be in a kennel. If your dog has to travel on a plane–you guessed it, they’ll need to be in a kennel.
If your dog has no experience with a kennel, already stressful events like visiting the vet could be made even worse. The last thing you want is your dog screaming and crying to be let out, when they’re injured or sick and need that energy for healing.
The goal of kennel training is to make your dog understand the kennel is a place for resting, and they should relax until they are let out.
Setting the Kennel Up
Before you begin kennel training your chihuahua, you should first prepare the space for them. Try to think of the kennel as a tiny bedroom rather than a jail cell. It should be comfortable, with a padded bottom and ideally a blanket or two. (Chihuahuas are burrowers and love blankets.)
If you’re aiming to use the kennel as a tool for potty training, the kennel should be correctly sized—big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in, but not big enough for them to divide the space into a peeing section and a sleeping section.
With potty training, this size is ideal for most chihuahuas. If you’re not planning to use it to potty train, the bigger the better. We have this size and all our dogs will pile in it at once to snuggle. A bed like this one and some blankets like these can all help your dog feel more cozy in the kennel.
Introducing the Kennel
Put the kennel somewhere that you like to hang out, so your dog can see the action from their kennel without feeling alone. Leave the kennel door open, and let the dog explore on their own. Depending on their personality, they may ignore the big scary new thing in their environment or wander right in and bed down.
Regardless of your dog’s reaction, it’s important not to shut your dog in when they’re exploring. You don’t want to change their feelings about the kennel from a place to relax into some sort of trap.
Add Treats
You can encourage your pup to go into and out of the kennel by throwing treats to the back of the kennel. This way the dog will have to at least go half way in (stretched out like the world’s longest dog-noodle, no doubt) to get the treats.
Again, don’t shut your pup in yet. Let them get comfortable with going in and out. Let them discover how wonderful it is to make a nest out of the blankets and snuggle in.
Teach a “Kennel” command
Once your dog is used to going in and out of the kennel to get a treat, start pairing it with a word or phrase that lets your pup know it’s time to go in the kennel. We use “Kennel Up,” at home. Use this word every time you toss a treat to the back of the kennel, so the pup knows to go in and look for a treat.
Practice Shutting the Door
Once your dog is confident about going in the kennel, close the door for just a moment, and then immediately open the door again. You want the dog to understand that the door shutting is possible, but not something to be concerned about.
Quiet Time in the Kennel
Once your dog is comfortable with going into and out of the kennel, and is aware that it’s possible for the door to be shut, it’s time to let the dog have quiet time in the kennel.
I prefer to introduce this to the dog in a way that makes sense to them. This is with either their dinner bowl all the way in the back of the kennel (you may need to remove the bed for this so it doesn’t spill everywhere) with a favorite chew snack, or with a stuffed kong.
This both gives your dog something to do while in the kennel, but also makes sense to them. Why is the door shut? Why, to keep annoying kids/other dogs/other pets out while they’re eating!
My dogs quickly learned and appreciated the value of being alone in the kennel with a chew snack. They can take their time eating something without having to worry about their food or treat being taken.
If your pup is an only dog with no “competition” in the house, they’ll probably think eating their food in the kennel is just as good a spot as any, and not give it a second thought.
Dealing with Screaming
If you introduce the dog to the kennel slowly enough, there shouldn’t be any screaming. Chihuahuas however, can be particularly dramatic and sometimes they scream even when the door has only been shut 5 seconds.
Try to wait for a break in the screaming before opening the door. You can even scatter treats in the kennel to distract them into not screaming before opening the door. They can’t scream if they’re eating.
I didn’t use this tactic for a long time because I felt that scattering treats would be rewarding the dog. When I finally used it at the suggestion of my trainer to deal with whining, I was impressed.
I tried it, and it worked! Rather than connect the treats scattered (not taken directly from my hand) as a reward, he connected not whining with finally getting to go for a walk. It worked to stop the whining, and didn’t inadvertently add to the whining, but use your best judgement.
What About Potty Training?
Many people use kennels to help with potty training. Dogs have a natural instinct to avoid soiling their beds, so if you lock them in a kennel with just enough room for their bed when you’re not available to watch them, it stops them from pottying inappropriately.
How do you take the time to train your pup to feel comfortable in a kennel when you also need to start potty training right away?
The answer to this is complicated. Let’s start with, your puppy can’t learn you specifically don’t want them to go on the carpet, if they’re never on the carpet. Kennels should only be used for a short period of time, and the pup should be with you, supervised, most of the time.
Puppies can’t hold their pee long, so it’s unfair to lock them in a kennel and go off to work. They don’t know when you’ll be back. Even if they could cross their legs for 10 hours, how do they know you won’t be gone for longer?
Kennels are not a storage box for dogs. If you’re going to be gone long periods of time, hire a dog walker, take them to a daycare, or ask family to look after the pup until you come back.
Kenneling your pup is more appropriate for things like cooking dinner. You can’t give the pup 100% of your attention while you’re cooking. It will only be about 30 minutes, so holding it should be fine. Make sure the dog is comfortable, in the same room as you, and has something to do in it. (The kong, a snack, or something long term to entertain them with.)
As long as you are considerate of their feelings, you don’t keep them in there too long, and you don’t let them out when they’re actively screaming, kennel training can still go alongside potty training fairly well.
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