How to entertain and please your dog when they have to accept crate rest

As the owner of a Westie who had to undergo several periods of enforced crate rest because of spinal surgery, I know how hard it is for dogs to accept this kind of confinement. When you are not allowed to move except to relieve yourself, life is VERY boring and I had to wrack my brains for lots of ways to keep my little Arthur sane, entertained and safe during his long weeks of rehabilitation.

Depending on your dog’s injury or incapacity, some of these ideas may not be suitable for them but many can be enjoyed lying down and I hope you will find some ideas that your dog enjoys.

Arthur’s dinner in his crate

First of all, some observations on crate training.

Apart from post-operative or injury recovery management, I would always recommend crate training to support behaviour modification training and for your dog’s day-to-day security and care. A dog which can happily spend time in their crate is likely to feel more secure than a dog free to roam around the house without their own safe space.

Crates can be used to defuse problem behaviours by distracting your dog with entertaining objects in the crate. Put your dog in their crate if you think they will learn bad habits from jumping up or begging from visitors, be terrorised by excitable children or bark at the door. Use it to support you in house training your puppy and to give them a familiar safe place when you go away with them overnight. There are so many situations in which crate training benefits both dogs and their owners. If you need more guidance on successful crate training, please contact me at helen@fidobehaviour.com.

The Crate

If you have already crate trained your dog, their confinement will be significantly easier for them to accept at first. If your dog is not familiar with spending time in a crate, remember that it needs to be a fun place to be so they will come to enjoy spending time there. A crate should not be too big. It is not an exercise area but somewhere big enough to stand up comfortably in and move around a little, so it encourages relaxation.

Give your dog plenty to do and opportunities to fulfil their basic needs of chewing, licking and sniffing. Try not to overwhelm your dog with too many things at once. Rotate toys and games and don’t forget that it is important that your dog learns to relax as well. Here are some ideas for fulfilment and entertainment.

Keep in mind that you may find you will need to stay nearby your dog most of the time in the early days, especially if they haven’t been in a crate before. Your dog will be anxious, confused and possibly in pain and the familiarity of your presence will make all the difference to them.

Intellectual Toys and Puzzles

There are many excellent toys on the market designed to entertain and please dogs. Think carefully though if you plan to buy any, about whether or not they are appropriate for your dog’s condition. Dog toys can be expensive too, so I have lots of ideas for home-made toys from recycling to help as well.

Don’t waste mealtimes by giving your dog a bowl full of food. It will be gone in just a few minutes when you could make the interest last for hours by making games and chew toys using your dog’s daily rations.

Kongs or similar stuff toys are a great way to encourage licking and chewing. If your dog eats kibble, soak it for a few minutes before stuffing a Kong. Wet food can be used straight away and will stay inside the toy well. Try peanut butter (check the label to make sure it doesn’t contain Xylitol), cottage cheese, cream cheese, grated cheese. Plain yoghurt frozen in a Kong will offer hours of fun, if a bit messy! Put a biscuit in the Kong first, to cover the small hole, fill with yoghurt, put it in a polythene bag and stand it up in the freezer until it solidifies.

Lick mats are another great option. They have patterned surfaces so you can spread soft treats like peanut butter, pate or cheeses onto them.

Snuffle mats of different kinds will give your dog the chance to sniff and forage.

Changing the texture of the mat or other bedding from time to time will give your dog a new experience for their senses of smell as well as touch.

Ideas for entertaining your dog. Think about different textures, different treats, new challenges. Have fun using your imagination!

Home-made toys

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to entertain your dog and, especially if they like to rip things up, it’s probably a good idea not to!

Treats and/or kibble could be rolled up in an old cloth. Dogs love to explore, even if it’s only with their noses when lying down. Use your imagination and fold the cloth differently sometimes. Maybe you could tie a ribbon around it or put it inside a plastic container.

A cardboard box with scrunched-up newspaper inside and treats within the layers works well. Make sure the sides are low enough for your dog to get their nose in without standing up.

Loo roll holders with treats inside and newspaper stuffed into the ends can be a good challenge.

Have a look at these videos I have created for lots more ideas of home-made enrichment. Fun Games for entertaining your dog, Find the Treat!, Ball Game and more!

N.B. Your dog will not be burning as many calories as normal whilst in their crate so take care that they don’t become overweight during their recovery. Weigh out their rations in the morning and use them to fill toys and to train with. Conversely, some dogs may struggle to get enough food from intellectual and puzzle toys so keep an eye on your dog and help them by making challenges easier if necessary.

Tricks and Games

If you decide to train your dog tricks and fun games, be sure to find a treat they really love so they will work and learn more effectively,

Head Down – from a Down position, lure your dog’s head to the floor and forwards, until the chin touches the floor. Mark and reward.

Continue until your dog catches on that the treat appears when they are lying flat with neck extended.

Introduce the cue ‘Head Down’ and slowly extinguish the treat reward but always mark and praise your dog. As well as being a fun trick, this exercise is great for encouraging your dog to relax.

Touch – hold your empty hand out straight, fingers extended, and wait. When your dog sniffs your hand, mark and treat. When they start to understand, introduce the cue word Touch. Watch this video to show you how. Once your dog understands the basics you can extend this to Left Touch, Right Touch, Up Touch, Down Touch.  Teach them to touch different surfaces too.  

Sustained Touch – having taught Touch, wait for your dog to offer contact for a longer and longer time before marking and rewarding.

Guessing game – have a treat in one hand, offer your dog your two closed fists. Wait for them to sniff the correct fist, mark, praise hugely and reward.

Luring Games:

Chin on hand – as with training Touch, teach your dog to lay their head in your cupped hand for longer and longer periods of time.

Stick out your tongue – start with the smell of food on your hand, mark and reward for a lick and extend this to the tongue staying out for longer and longer.

Hold this – offer an object, mark and reward for touching it, then taking it into their mouth and then holding onto it.

Look right and left – again lure your dog initially to look one way or another, mark and reward. Introduce the cue phrase when they start to understand what you are asking.

Teach your dog to identify different objects. Hold the object in front of your dog’s nose, wait for nose movement towards it, mark and reward, etc. and then name the object, e.g. Where’s my pen? Do this often. You can then add in a second object so they need to choose. This will be challenging for them at first but with patience you will be able to name both objects and teach your dog to identify each on request. You can then add different objects to their list. Try using your phone or car keys so they will be able to find them for you when they are better!

Watch – Watch or ‘Look at me’ is extremely useful in distracting your dog’s attention from things in the environment and teaching it to a crate-bound dog will not only be rewarding for them but will help you in the future when you need to stop them dashing off after squirrels or next door’s cat. Again it can be taught using luring. Watch this video for a demonstration of how to achieve a solid Watch.

Take care not to exhaust and over-stimulate your dog. It doesn’t matter how intelligent and eager they are, they may well become bored with constant stimulation, so sometimes offer squeaky toys to bite and chew or other soft toys, to encourage calm and relaxation.

Massage and/or TTouch

TTouch is a form of gentle massage which can be very relaxing and rewarding for dogs. Taking care to avoid problem areas, spend a few minutes each day gently massaging your dog. It will help them to relax and improve the bond between you. Here is a video introduction to TTouch and another video showing the Zebra TTouch (which is one of my favourites).

Fresh Air

If you can do it safely and calmly, taking your dog out into the fresh air is hugely beneficial. Smelling and seeing the world mean a great deal to dogs even if they are not allowed to walk. If you are confident that your dog can be kept calm, you could consider taking a brief walk occasionally provided your vet agrees.

For a small dog, a dog rucksack works well and a pushchair can be used for a larger dog. I would always recommend having someone else with you to help in case your dog decides it’s time to go for a run! Practise using the rucksack or pushchair inside your house and then in your garden before attempting to take your dog further afield.

Keep these walks very short. Watch for signs that your dog is becoming restless and if this happens, use some of the training ideas above to distract them and get them home as soon as you can.

Dogs are experts at adjusting to the way their life is organised and yours should accept the new regime reasonably well after a few days. You can help by reinforcing calm behaviour and ignoring complaints as much as you can, provided your dog is safe and comfortable. After all, this period of restraint is for their own good and the sooner they adjust and the more comfortable you can make your dog, the easier it will be for everyone.

Good luck!

Arthur back on his feet again