# How to teach my dog to calmly come out of his crate?



## Tulip (Jul 31, 2012)

So just now I was about to take my dog to the dog park so we could walk around the outside to work on his dog aggression from a distance. However, when I tried to get him out of his crate, he acted like a nut and ended up bruising my shin. I was in pain and mad, so I just put him back in his crate so I could calm down.

Now, he already knows to sit and stay when I'm opening the crate until I tell him "free". He does this pretty well, since he does it several times a day. The problem is, that as soon as I release him, he bolts out and acts all crazy. This is especially frustrating when I'm trying to put a leash/prong on him so we can go do training or even just go for a walk. Please help??


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I use the Wait command at every transition, the crate opening, doors, hallways. Wait is calming and when my dogs are calm, then I give a release word and let them out. The only time it doesn't work is when my puppy first wakes up in the morning and has to pee very badly.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Get the DVD Crate Games.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Have a look at these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn5HTiryZN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7lyzbgTXjU


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## DobbyDad (Jan 28, 2014)

How old is the dog?


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

leash him while he's still in the crate and control his exit.

or

lure him with a treat in a u shape, release the treat when he's fully out but facing the crate again.

or 

body block him and if he tries to rush past you, knee him back along with a verbal correction. repeat until you have the exit you want.

some things are a matter of just making it happen.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

I don't have much to add about the crate issue. But I can relate to the leash/collar excitement. Asher used to go nuts when I got out his prong collar for training or to take him on walks. I taught him to sit and "wait" while I put on his collar and leash just like he has to sit and wait before stepping out the door. 

I say wait and I will not put on his collar until he is calm. Now when he sees me with his leash or collar, he will sit while I put on his collar. This took a while for him to learn...we had to be very consistient for a while. We started practicing in a small half-bathroom where there wasn't a lot of space for him to run around. I'd say "wait" (he already knew what wait meant) and then I'd wait however long it took for him to settle down before I put on his leash. If he got excited, I'd back off and wait for him to calm down, then try again. Now, he he sits for me when we're getting ready because what he wants is to get outside faster. Anyway, this is just what worked for us. Good luck with your guy!


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## Annabellam (Nov 2, 2015)

Hey. I understand your frustration. This was pretty much the case with Sammy when we hadn't fully trained him. The verbal commands are really important. Use the wait command to calm him down before letting him out of the crate. It will take time but it is worth it.


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