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A new dog house can be a scary structure to your pup. It appears to him like it’s a cage where you want to keep him in for good. It doesn’t help matters if your dog has not used a dog house before and you’re introducing him to it for the first time.
You need to drive this fear out of him by making the dog house appear to be the nicest, comfortable, and safe place to live in.
But how? Here are ways to persuade a dog to use a dog house.
Make the Dog House Comfortable
Your dog’s house needs to be comfortable and attractive enough if you want him to stay in it.
You can do this by placing the best outdoor dog house in a sheltered place, away from direct sun, rain or wind.
Reduce openings but still have enough light and air coming in.
You want a house your pup can use in any weather, rainy or sunny, without subjecting him to suffering.
Have a nice dog bed in the dog’s house where he can comfortably lie to rest; lying on the hard floor can be a put off for a dog used to sitting in a couch in your home.
Dog houses come in various designs and sizes.
Buy a dog house with ample space for play and rest.
It will make the dog prefer being inside it than any other place.
Place Your Old Cloth inside the Dog House
Your dog can smell you and know when you’re around.
Sensing your smell makes him feel calm and safe.
Because you’re not going to live in the pet’s house, the best way to ensure him of your presence would be to take one of your old clothes-and one that you wore not too long ago and put it in the dog house.
It could be a shirt or pieces of towels you no longer need or use.
Make these pieces of cloth part of the dog’s bedding.
It would help to place the items in the dog’s house the very first time you lead him inside it; doing so would instantly make the dog fall in love with its new home.
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Introduce Dog Toys
Your pup is, most probably, a lover of toys.
Place safe and approved toys in the doghouse to make him feel attracted to stay and play in the new house.
Toys take away boredom and anxiety from your dog, and he gets used to his house sooner than you would have imagined.
The toys can be indoor or outdoor, as long as they’re safe and don’t clutter the dog house.
Introduce the Dog House in Calm Weather
One mistake you could make when introducing your pup to a new dog house would be to do so during foul weather.
Thunder, fierce wind and the noise of raindrops can terrify a dog out of its skin.
He will then start to associate this scary situation with the new house.
As a result, he could become fearful of using the dog house, even when the weather is fine.
Introduce him to his new home when there are no terrifying sounds to avoid the scare.
In addition to choosing a fine-weather day, make sure there are no other scaring things and situations round when introducing your pup to the new house.
Such scares include naughty children who may mistreat the dog or machinery producing loud noise near the dog house.
Use the Reward Method
It involves using treats to train your dog to like its new home.
Take a few treats and head towards the dog house, ensuring your pup can see you and what you’re carrying.
Place the treats near the entrance to the house.
He will come for them, but if he doesn’t, you might want to move them a little bit away from the entrance.
As soon as he takes the bait, move the treats closer and closer to the door of the dog house until they’re well inside.
Once you’ve managed to get the dog inside the house, take back the treats and command him to lie down.
Caress him gently while talking to him.
Within a few days of this training, your dog’s fear of its new house will have disappeared, and he will be willingly getting inside it without persuasion.
Train the Dog to Stay in the Dog House Every Day
Not all dogs will like to live in a house on its own straight away.
Most need to be trained to.
When training your pup to use its new house, you’re likely to become impatient and angered, especially if he proves to be slow to learn.
Never show your anger, though, during the training as it can affect him adversely.
Avoid yelling, hitting or even forcing him to stay in the house for longer than he wants to.
You risk damaging the dog’s ability to adapt to living in the new house.
Regaining your dog’s trust that the house is safe would then become difficult.
Keep Training Sessions Short and Regular
You don’t want training the dog to adapt to its new living place to appear forceful, so you should make the sessions short, about 10 minutes long or shorter.
You don’t want him to forget either, and you would need to make the sessions regular, not skipping a day.
With consistent training, your dog will learn to live in the new dog house much more easily and quickly.
Making your dog to like its new house can be difficult but, with a few tricks, it takes a shorter time for the new house to become home for him.
It only needs you to keep your calm when training him too.
It also calls on you to ensure the dog house is comfortable.
When buying a dog house, buy one that’s not only attractive but one that will allow you to put a water bowl or feeder inside, some bedding, and a few toys.
Ensure, too, that the materials used to make the dog house are durable and can withstand the harsh outdoor weather conditions.