Why to Use a Crate for a Vizsla?

Pet parents who are getting a canine companion for the first time usually get angry when they are told to buy a crate for their pet Vizsla. This is quite a normal reaction – dogs are freedom loving creatures unlike birds and rodents. They easily get comfortable around people. However, this experience often includes losing a pair of socks, chewed down brushes and furniture that’s covered with fur. At this point most pet parents feel the need to crate train their dogs. Crate training is a necessary habit taught to Vizsla puppies since it ensures they can adjust to a home life. The next thing to do is figuring out how to buy the right crate for a Vizsla and suitable for your home at the same time. Here’s all you need to know.

What Size Crate for a Vizsla?

Vizslas are sporty dogs with an aristocratic background. This breed is very energetic and needs constant attention and exercise. Vizsla is a lightly built dog with a height range between 21 and 24 inches. The recommended size for a juvenile Vizsla would be 36 inches while the adult Vizsla takes up to 42 inches of crate space. You can measure the length of your Vizsla from the tip of the nose to the tail whip. Once you know the size of your dog, it is easier to pick the right sized crate. 

The appropriate size of the crate that is suitable for a Vizsla adult dog should fall within these dimensions – 42” L x 28” W x 30” H. This size is apt for large sized breeds that have a height range between 23” to 26”. 

A useful tip for pet parents is that if you want to buy an average sized crate that lasts from the puppy stage to adulthood, you can always find the lineage of the pet. Once you’ve found out the measurements of the pet, finding a suitable crate for a Vizsla becomes easier. You should remember these points before picking a crate. The length of the crate or kennel must not be less than the measured length of the dog. Crate makers keep other measurements in mind like the height and weight of the dog while building a suitable crate that can suit an average sized breed. To ensure you don’t make any mistake, pet parents measure the width of their Vizsla puppy in a lying position, and height in a sitting position. 

Remember that your dog should be able to stand comfortably at full height whilst inside the crate. The crate should also provide ample space wide enough to accommodate your dog if he wants to stretch, lay down or sit. A spacious crate will give your Vizsla pup enough space to snuggle into a corner, and move around. If your puppy is potty and pee trained, you’ll notice your dog will not defecate where it eats or sleeps. You can buy a bigger kennel or crate with a divider for your dog. Once he becomes an adult – to improve his living space. 

5 Reasons to Buy Crate for Vizsla

• A crate is a safe haven for your Vizsla puppy, giving it an independent space in the well protected environment.
• If your puppy is crate trained, it can easily travel by flight or by car
• A comfortable space to restrict a pup from meeting visitors scared of dogs
• A crate is a perfect means of disciplining Vizsla and behavior training
• It also removes dog’s habit to destroy things around the house

Types of Crate for Vizsla Puppy and Grown-Up

Now let’s discuss the material of the crate. Pet parents come across a variety of crates: soft fabric carriers, metal crates, wooden or small plastic kennels. The choice depends upon your needs. If you’re a frequent flyer and wish to travel with your pet, you’ll need an IATA approved crate. Depending upon your dog’s breed, size and needs, here are the different types of crates available on the market based on material and application. 

Best Dog Crates, Pet Carriers and Kennels

Best Dog Crate Beds

Soft Sided Carrier

This type of crate offers a comfortable and plush setting for your Vizsla puppy. Fabric carriers are a great choice for pet owners who want something that’s portable and lightweight. Ideal for road trips with your dog, dog exhibitions and competitions. These crates do require constant attention and care. Soft sided carriers are not reliable or durable, so you cannot leave your dog unattended for too long. But in terms of usability, the crate can be folded easily, so it is a commonly used crate by pet owners who have small sized breeds. 

Plastic Kennel

Built with solid walls, plastic kennels are secure and durable. These crates are easy to maintain, and can be cleaned quickly. However, the only drawback is that the crate is not properly ventilated. You should avoid such crates for long term stay or to use at home since they are primarily used for transporting pets. 

Metal Crate

If you’re thinking heavy duty, a metal wire crate or heavy duty crate is perfect for dogs that are energetic. Metal crates are commonly used by pet owners who have personal protection dogs or just need a solid crate where they can leave a dog without any fear to find it chewed down. Durable, sturdy and easy to maintain, these crates have a high longevity, good for home and backyard. They can withstand a lot of wear and tear over the years, and provide ample ventilation. 

Buying your first crate? Go further and find out all the details.

Where Should I Place a Crate?

The best place at home to keep your puppy’s crate is near your bedside. Pet parents practice this initially with their Vizsla puppy to make sure he feels safe and secure. This also ensures your puppy doesn’t suffer from separation anxiety in the initial stages. By placing the crate near you, your puppy will get used to the new environment easily. Crate training ensures your puppy gets a sense of his own space, and will sit inside the crate for hours without throwing a fuss. 

Another important thing to note is that you should avoid placing the crate anywhere near house drought or next to a hot battery. It is unsafe since it can easily affect your puppy’s health either by overheating or cold temperatures. You should also not place the crate in a kitchen, dining area or children’s room. Make sure you choose a two door crate to make the transition period easier, and it helps shifting the crate around easily. 

What to Put Inside the Crate?

• Pick a comfortable bed to put inside the crate for your Vizsla puppy
• Always place a special water dispenser bowl in the crate for continuous hydration
• You don’t want your puppy bored or anxious. Put his favorite chew toys in, so your puppy remains active and engaged
• Food bowls can either be placed inside the crate or you can choose a suitable spot right next to the crate

How to Crate Train a Vizsla?

5 Things You should NEVER Do when Crate Training a Vizsla Puppy

• Don’t punish your puppy by putting him in the crate
• Don’t abuse the dog in the crate
• Never leave your dog with a collar, leash or harness on whilst in the crate
• Don’t use the crate as an alternative for walking your dog
• Never force your puppy to get inside the crate

Basic Rules to Crate Train a Vizsla Puppy

Positive reinforcement is the best way to train your puppy so make sure the first experience in the crate is filled with happy memories. 

• Encourage your dog’s curiosity positively: If your puppy expresses interest towards the crate by sniffing it or coming towards it, encourage it further. You can praise your puppy, or give him a treat. If your puppy voluntarily goes inside the crate, don’t lock the crate at first. Your puppy must understand it is his desire to go inside, and not the owner’s choice. Don’t limit the time your puppy spends inside the crate, and never force the action. Make the interiors comfortable by placing his favorite toys inside, a bed and an old cloth that has a trace of your scent.
• Once your puppy gets comfortable inside the crate, try closing it for short periods. If your puppy remains inside with ease, praise him, let it out and reward with a treat. If your Vizsla puppy barks or whines whilst inside the crate, ignore this behavior until he calms down. After this you can let your puppy out, and praise him with loving words.
• You will know your puppy has become comfortable in the crate if you see him taking his favorite toys inside the crate. This behavior shows your puppy has accepted the crate as its home and you’ve achieved your goal. You can gradually increase the number of hours your puppy stays inside the crate starting with a couple of minutes and eventually to a few hours, however this process takes a month if done right. 
• Always keep your pet hydrated by leaving a special water dispenser bowl inside. Lack of water means he’ll step outside the crate looking to quench his thirst. Food training should be done at standard intervals, and should be on the clock. You should encourage your dog to stay inside the crate during the night, so your pooch can sleep peacefully.

Remember!

Even if you’re locking up your dog in the crate, that doesn’t mean his training is complete. This won’t make your pet obedient in other aspects of his social life. Pet parents start with house breaking their Vizsla puppies, moving on further to leash training and other such activities. Crate training is one aspect of training your pet, so it can be settled down easily at home. This means your dog has his own space inside the house, so it won’t destroy parts of the house. Crate training reduces anxiety and aggression in supremely active dogs. Crate training limits your pet’s access to certain parts of the house, his activities whilst a guest is around. And its important to make up for this lack of physical exercise by walking your dog daily. 

7 Tips for Initial Crate Training a Vizsla Puppy

1. Exercise your dog daily if you want to succeed its crate training regime. Before your dog sits inside the crate, you should take your dog for a walk. Always take the collar off before your dog sits inside his crate. This is done to avoid entanglement or accidents. Get your dog’s attention using a special toy (should remain the same), use a command word like “HOME” with a pleasant and happy tone every time you welcome your puppy back inside the crate. You can move the toy towards the crate or hold it against the door of the crate once your puppy is fully excited and jumping with joy. Once your dog goes inside the crate ALWAYS praise him with loving words, and then reward him with a biscuit and the toy! Let your puppy find his toy inside the crate so it keeps him busy. 
2. Turn crate training into sessions such that your dog feels its similar to playing a game. His experience with crate training will become positive. Dedicate a couple of hours each day to do this and repeat the exercise 10-20 times a day. Initially, always leave the door open and let your dog voluntarily go inside the crate. Observe your dog inside the crate and always keep a watch on his behavior. If he doesn’t whine or bark, and sniffs about, then encourage this behavior with positive reinforcement. 
3. Don’t leave your dog inside the crate for a long time, especially NOT in your absence. Once your puppy enters the crate with ease, showing no signs of fear or anxiety, the first stage of crate training is complete. Once he eases himself inside the crate, leave him for a few minutes alone and observe. If your pet stays inside the crate by itself, praise and reward him. If he barks, whines or howls, you will need to ignore this behavior until it calms down and then praise him again.
4. For the right kind of training, always give attention to your dog after a positive reaction. But if its negative, ignorance is bliss unless your dog is physically unwell. If your dog is making a lot of noise, cover the crate with blanket or large cloth and wait. Don’t mistake the barking to be an indication of discomfort at this stage. It only means your dog is happy within its space, however wants to come back to you.
5. Once your dog calms down within the short span of time he has stayed inside the crate, don’t immediately increase the timeline. Praise and reward your dog for staying inside the crate for those short periods each time. After this stage, you can increase his crate time progressively in the same way. Always remember to praise and reward your dog for all the achievements. If your dog still barks or whines, check your clock – it could be feeding time/play time or walk time.
6. Every time you close the door of the crate, stay next to your dog and talk to him in a soothing, calm voice. Your voice is enough to take away all his insecurities, and this is also positive reinforcement. If your puppy starts to whine, distract his mind and let him smell your fingers. You can always place an old cloth or t-shirt that has your scent on it inside the crate. Once your puppy stops whimpering, open the door and praise him. This exercise should be practiced everyday and lasts 5 to 10 minutes.
7. If your puppy falls asleep inside the crate, don’t disturb him or move the crate. When he’s awake, let him out for a walk or a stroll in the garden. This is conditioning your puppy in a positive manner with happy memories. Don’t immediately give him attention once you let him out of the crate. Most puppies are incredibly active and energetic when they come out of their crates, so wait for him to settle down, then walk your dog.

3 Tips to Keep Your Vizsla Puppy in a Crate Overnight

1. Once you’ve established the foundation of crate training, you can move further on with the training. This means training him to sleep inside his crate overnight and this is essential while building a routine for your puppy. Start by placing the crate next to your bed, and initiate this interest by playing with your puppy next to the crate. If your pet whines whilst inside the crate, you can comfort him, pat his head or scratch behind the ears. Stay up through the night so your dog can get used to sleeping inside the crate during those hours. Don’t ever yell or shout at your puppy when you’re crate training him.
2. It is a known fact that two month old puppies sleep off early. They exhaust a lot of energy during the day (keep your puppy active) and once night falls, eventually your puppy will fall asleep inside the crate. But young Vizsla puppies tend to wake up a lot during the night to pee or poop, so make sure you’re up and ready to cater to his needs. Once he’s done, put him inside the crate again, and switch off the lights. Even if he starts whining again, let him smell your fingers and comfort him again with the palm of your hand till he sleeps off.
3. It will take two or three nights to crate train your Vizsla puppy and at the best, a week to completely regularize his sleeping routine inside the crate. After a few weeks, try to move the crate away from your bedside and into another corner of the room to build independence and confidence in your puppy.

Final Tips to Leave a Vizsla Puppy in a Crate when You are out of Home

• If you have successfully completed the puppy stages of crate training, the next step is to crate train your pet when you’re not at home. This is a difficult phase and requires immense patience with a lot of positive reinforcement. Always make sure your puppy is physically tired, walked and fed before you leave home.
• Take off your puppy’s collar before you leave him inside the crate alone. Invite him into its crate, avoid violence and make sure his favorite toys are inside. Always leave water behind in the crate to avoid dehydration. Close the crate door, and if he stays inside, praise him ONCE (Good Boy!) and walk away quietly.
• Your puppy will initially make noise and that’s alright. Ignore and request the neighbors to also understand. Make sure you aren’t away for too long initially. A few minutes is enough to start with like for e.g. going to the grocery store or disposing off the garbage. Short chores where you’re not present in front of your dog but are well within distance.
• Once you start crate training your dog for longer hours, make sure there’s someone to feed your dog and keep a check on him while you’re away at work.

If your puppy is tired after long hours of exercise, playing with the kids or socializing with other dogs, he will fall asleep inside his crate all by himself. Let the crate door always be open when you’re home. Only lock the crate door if you’re traveling with your puppy outdoors, or if you have guests over who are afraid of dogs.

Here’s a formula that should help in calculating the number of hours your puppy spends in his crate without stepping out: Age in months + one month = number of hours. For example, a 2-month-old Vizsla puppy can stay in a crate for 3 hours. 

How to Crate Train an Adult Vizsla?

It is advisable to always start with crate training when your dog is still a puppy. However, if you had adopted an adult Vizsla and wish to begin his training, here’s how:

• The process of crate training an adult Vizsla is similar to training a puppy – start with the same technique and always use a TOY or TREAT to initiate the bonding without closing the doors. Adult dogs can turn aggressive, if they feel threatened, so you need to just take your time with the training. Try feeding him inside the crate for an easier transition.
• After two or three days, invite your dog inside the crate (no force) without using a toy or treat. Reward him ONLY after he enters the crate voluntarily and make sure you establish a command word for this process from the beginning.
• After a couple of days more stop the treats and let him enter the crate on his own. Make sure you praise him whenever he does this and show your affection unconditionally. You can also sit next to the crate to make him feel more comfortable, and keep the doors open during this stage. During this week, leave the crate door open, but gradually increase the number of hours he stays inside the crate.
• Your next stage is training your adult Vizsla to stay inside the crate with the doors locked. Start locking the door initially just for a few minutes and increase the time frame gradually. Make sure you reward and praise these actions AFTER he performs the deed. Don’t pay attention, if your dog barks whilst inside the crate, but praise him immediately and open the door once he calms down.

It is very important to make your dog understand you will always love him, but don’t overdo your affection. It makes your dog crave for attention and that causes behavioral issues later. When your dog stays inside the crate, encourage this behavior, and once he leaves his crate, don’t immediately give him attention. Instead, a small pat is enough. Avoid any kind of abuse while you are training your dog. Negative feedback, punishments and pain are an absolute NO when you’re training your pet Vizsla. It takes around two to three months for an adult dog to get crate trained so be patient. As a responsible pet parent, give your pet time to adjust to its crate and those sleepless nights will be a worthwhile investment for life. 

Summary

If you’re consistent with your routine and training sessions, your dog will voluntarily step inside his crate whenever necessary. The purpose is to build a sense of security, an independent space and home for your puppy inside the crate. Crate training ensures your dog becomes independent in all its activities. If you’re patient, loving and attentive your Vizsla puppy is sure to enjoy its new home.