Meet Ringo!
Welcome to sit Ringo sit.com!
Sit Ringo SIT.com is a new website dedicated to helping the everyday person solve those pet problems that just won’t go away! We are still developing and changing all the time but meanwhile…let’s speak frankly and get down to business. I am an animal trainer with a dog and family of my own, and I would like to hear from you and offer you free help and training tips. We can talk about what works for most animals and their owners and what works for you so that your family, including your animal, are happy and healthy!
MEET RINGO!
Johnny “Ringo” Kirk is our 3 year old golden retriever. He loves the dog park, the regular park, trees, grass and water of any kind, and balls of all shapes and sizes. He was our first child and remains an important member of our family even after having our two children. We have had Ringo since he was a puppy complete with all behavior issues that come with a baby animal. He is trained to do many things which is a saving grace when you have small children as we do. Our kids roll all over him and kiss his nose and he just lays there calmly enjoying the attention. There are toys all over the house that he does not touch even when they are thrown. He is the best dog a family could ask for and we love him.
I am his owner Jill. I have a BS degree in Vertebrate Zoology from Texas A&M University. I have worked at zoos training various different animals ranging in size and intelligence from porcupines to elephants. I have trained many dogs and cat species, but I will not pretend to know everything. There is always new information and different techniques that work for different animals. I am currently taking a break from the zoo to stay home with my two babies and Ringo. I know that a home without a trained animal can be very chaotic and difficult to manage. I want to talk to you and let you know that there is light at the end of the tunnel where your animal listens to you and does what you need him to. Let me help or guide you to the best help there is! Thank you for meeting Ringo and his mom! Share a story with us or get some free advice!
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Dogs, cats, ocelots, bobcats, tigers, rhinos, and even elephants…. All animals can be taught to go into a crate willingly.
With some it takes more time than others, but given that time, it is possible.
I have been involved in crate training all of these species and more for various reasons. Sometimes you need to move an animal safely from point A to B. Other times you need peace in knowing that your animal will not tear up your house or harm himself.
Having a crate trained animal has many advantages. The crate can provide a comforting and safe place for your animal inside your home. It can reduce separation anxiety, prevent your animal from tearing up your home or getting into something dangerous, and it serves as a way for transporting your animal safely and effectively. The crate can also be used as a potty training or obedience training tool.
Your animal can be at peace and even enjoy the crate. With consistency and patience your animal and your household can be a happier place.
Here’s how…
1. Establish a relationship based on mutual love and respect. The more willing the animal is to work, the better they will listen and follow your commands. You want your animal to be eager to please you just to make you happy and get praised. You do not want your animal to behave based on fear or any other negative emotion.
2. Choose a crate
that is right for you and your animal. You can get them just about anywhere, www.amazon.com and www.dog.com have a wide variety of good quality crates and have good shipping rates. Crates should be large enough for the animal to sit, stand and lay down (stretched out) comfortably. Puppies and kittens will need a smaller crate to start with so that they do not confuse their crate as a space to potty, only eat and sleep.
Crates mainly come in a durable plastic
material or an all wire metal mesh type 
with a removable metal floor pan that can be folded down to lay flat for storage. I have the wire mesh type as Ringo is quite large and enjoys the visibility and airflow of the mesh. He is too large to carry.
If you are looking for something to carry your animal in, you may go for the plastic lightweight crates, but be aware that some dogs will chew on the plastic. They are both fairly easy to clean, and it really depends on your animal as to what you think will be best. Again, be sure it is big enough for your animal to be comfortable.
3. INTRODUCING THE CRATE Once you have the relationship and you have chosen a crate, the first step to training your animal to go into anything is to simply put it where they can get used to it on their own, and make it appealing. You want their first impressions to be positive as they are very important.
Chose a location for the crate and place it with the door opened and secured (if necessary, depends on the crate) so that the animal can look at it and smell the inside and outside. Good places include areas your are with your animal a lot of the time or where you want them to be when they sleep…ie the kitchen or the corner of a well trafficked room. Pick a place that you would want to leave the crate with the animal inside when they are trained.
Make it a great place to check out. Put a few treats in and around it or put a favorite pillow or toy 
inside to let your animal know that the crate is a new item for them to enjoy.
Feed your animal in the crate or just outside of it. Whatever works for your animal in the way of encouragement to check out the crate.
Often your animal will find the crate immediately and see it as a great place to relax or sleep without any persuasion. You will only need to train the animal to go in when told.
Other times it takes a short while to warm up to it.
NOTE: If your animal shows an immediate negative reaction to the crate just being there, do not push it on them. Try to give encouragement for just looking at or walking near the crate instead of going in at all. Allow the animal to check out the crate full of goodies in his own time with simple encouragement. Forcing an animal to go in can leave the crate looking like a bad place to be and we do not want that.
In a matter of minutes, hours, or days (depending on your animal), your pet will be comfortable enough with the crate to be in or around it on its own, and crate training sessions can begin.
4. “Training sessions” is just a technical term that means you try to get your animal in the crate for a positive reward for some amount of time. An animal could be trained in one session or many. Every animal is different with different needs and should be approached with patience and consistency.
These sessions should be very short at first. Spend maybe 3-5 minutes, 3 times a day positively rewarding your animal for entering the crate.
Baby steps if needed. At first you may reward when he goes near the crate, then puts his front foot in the crate, then the next time when he puts two feet, then three and so forth. Make them work harder for the reward as they improve until you ask them to go in, sit and close the door before rewarding. The animals tend to catch on very quickly and do what is necessary for the praise, whistle, click, or treat… all methods of reinforcement should work here.
It is important to always be consistent with the reward. When the animal does what you want him to, reward him right away each time while in the crate so that he knows why he is getting the reward and will repeat the behavior. You want him to be sure that he is getting a reward for going into the crate and nothing else. No matter the reinforcement, whistle/click/praise/treat, give it when the animal puts his last foot in the crate (or goes in as far as you would like that session).
5. Emphasize the word CRATE (or another word you want to call it) when directing the animal inside so that the animal will learn the word and recall it later. If you consistently say “crate” when directing the animal into the crate, the animal will learn the word very quickly and respond.
You can also use a hand motion while saying CRATE. A sweeping motion from the front of the crate to the back while standing on the side often works because you can reward the animal immediately through the side of the crate. You could also simply stand at the front of the crate and point inside while saying “crate” it if you have a more willing trainee.
I have found it very effective to repeat the word in the praise... “GOOD CRATE! Very GOOD CRATE!” They learn the word faster when you repeat it as a command and as praise. The same principle applies to dog obedience training, house training, etc. You are teaching them English.
6. End each short session on a positive note. If you start to notice your animal loosing focus and start to pay attention to something else, ask him to go in the crate as far as he has been going very well and no farther so that you can surely reward him then end the session.
It is common for trainers to choose a word that consistently ends the session each time and tells the animal that the session is over. A phrase like “the end” or “that’s all” or whatever you choose will work fine as long as it is one or two words and not more. This is not necessary, but often useful when training an animal regularly for any behavior.
7. Once your animal easily goes into the crate when asked, begin closing the door behind him. Because the animal is now trained to go into the crate and still gets a reward immediately upon entering, he should be fairly unfazed by this action. Some animals will freak out when the door closes. In these cases, try shutting the door for a very short amount of time at first so as to not discourage the animal from going in at all. Reward the animal quickly when he goes inside with the door shut and instantly open the door again. Feed treats while the door is shut through the side of the crate so the animal does not focus on the door being shut.
Each time you do this hold the door shut a little while longer as long as the animal continues to enter. In time (minutes, hours, days depending on animal), the animal will know that the door will always reopen and go in with ease. They will trust you and the crate as home.
If you choose to, you can further train them so sit in the crate before rewarding using the same principles. AGAIN, always end a session on a positive note, meaning the animal does what you ask and you greatly reward him and then end the training for that time.
HOORAY! Now your animal is crate trained!
Pat yourself on the back and congratulate your animal! If you run into any problem areas or need some direction please feel free to write your questions here and I will try to help guide the steps along.
Every animal is different so please do not get discouraged. Instead, persistence, consistency and patience are the keys to training… that and a lot of love and treats!
HELPFUL TIPS FOR CRATE TRAINING
1. Make sure to crate your animal at various different times, not just when you are leaving, so that the crate stays a positive place.
2. Never allow barking, moaning or whining to be the cause to let your animal out of the crate. Wait until they are quiet for a few minutes and then reward the silence with the release from the crate, not the noise! This could be an opportunity to train your animal a command like “no bark.”
3. As your animal gets better behaved and better at going into the crate, put him in it and leave the door open to see what your animal does. If you can tell him to stay without the door closed and he listens, then you may not need to close the door every time. This depends on where your animal is with obedience training and what your goals are with his training in the future.
BUT WAIT… SEE Crate Training 101: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CRATING YOUR ANIMAL! (this was getting too long… so it is a two parter 
)
Take 5% OFF ANY SIZE order at dog.com. Use coupon code CJDG5OFF at checkout.
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Are you looking for a way to have your animal potty inside without a mess?
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Is your animal in training and have way too many accidents?
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Do you have an older animal or one that has to be inside for long periods of time?
PoochPads 
might be the answer you have been looking for.
As the season changes into cooler weather you may need to allow your animal an indoor alternative to potty.
You could also very easily have your pet potty trained to avoid messy potty spots.
Whatever the reason, PoochPads are great and could really work for you!
PoochPads Reusable Housebreaking Pads are great for potty training! 
WILL PoochPads WORK FOR YOU?
PoochPads Reusable Housebreaking Pads are made for dog owners who love their pets but
can no longer live with the mess and stench of accidents. Just throw the Pooch Pad into
your washing machine and enjoy the ease of having a reusable pad that controls odors and
leaves no mess behind. No more newspapers or disposable pads so that your life is cleaner
and more pleasant without the frustration of having to find a soggy mess waiting for you at
home.
PoochPads Reusable Housebreaking Pads are for older accident prone dogs, puppies in
training, crated animals who need less smell and mess,and for your pet at home while you are away.
They are a great product that are durable nylon not easily chewed up by your animal.
PoochPads are environmentally friendly as you do not have disposable pad after pad to throw away.
BUT are PoochPads right for you? Let’s look at the ups and downs of PoochPads!
UPS
- Machine Washable and Reusable
- Controls odors
- Protect your furniture and flooring
- Durable Nylon NOT chewed up so no torn up mess to pick up
- Absorb up to four times their own weight without soaking through
- Each PoochPads is guaranteed to equal at least 300 disposables
- Save money with each reuse
- Size suitable for many dogs … in M, L, XL sizes
- Great for potty training when end goal is to potty only outside
- Line dry quickly or throw in the dryer as directed
- Manufacturer’s money back guarantee!
- Can use for pregnant animals or those in lab
DOWNS
- Your animal could see the pad as a bed to sleep on
- If you do not have an easily accessible way to wash them, they may not be for you
Upon looking at all the reviews and speaking to friends who have used these, there are not
many down sides to PoochPads. Everyone I have spoken to says that they work great and that
they will not go back to disposables. You can look at reviews yourself and see that this is
something that could make your quality of life better and make cleaning up after your pet easier!
MORE INFO ON PoochPads …
Advanced Odor Protection Technology
DuPont developed a fiber technology geared toward helping patients in nursing homes and hospitals.
PoochPads are based on this technology that allows them to absorb up to four times their own weight without leaking. PoochPads also have a protective bottom which is how they prevent leaking through to the surface they are on… your carpet, crate, floor, furniture, pet pillow, wherever you need them is safe. Your house will not smell due to accidents!
Pooch Pads have a permanent non-toxic, antimicrobial agent that does not allow the bacteria to grow that is responsible for odors that come with urine.
PoochPads: Great for your dog, money in your pocket
PoochPads, when used as directed, are equal to at least 300 disposable pads as they can resist more than 300 washings without leaking or smelling!
BUY NOW PoochPad for Mature Dogs, Large 30-Inch by 32-Inch
Just like animals talk, they listen and understand much more than you think. They read body language, tone of voice, and they hear key words that they understand. Ringo understands what I am saying when I speak to him because he has learned English!
Part of his training has been learning words that tell him to do an action so when he hears a word he knows is directed at him, his behavior changes… that is training in a nutshell. He knows words and phrases such as sit, steady, pillow, crate, down, speak, inside, outside, no, go, park, walk, potty, get the ball, bone, pick it up, drop it, back, what did you do?, are you bad?, up (to get in the truck) and I can ask him questions that he answers with his actions.
All of this can be achieved with any animal if given the proper tools and time. You may have a “dumb dog” but I guarantee that dog knows a lot more than he lets on and is teachable. There will be free advice and tips on how to reach animal training goals on this website. Until then, let us know what your issue is and how we can help.
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Your dog talks… are you listening?
What does your dog do when he needs to go to the bathroom? When he is hungry? When thirsty? excited? sad? sick? happy? itchy? tired? Animals talk in their own ways using body language and sometimes actual vocalizations. If you pay attention, your animal will be a much happier one and likewise your life will become smoother when you understand what your dog is saying. Ringo will follow me around like he is glued to me when he is out of water and that is how I know he is thirsty. He will stand by the door or come and stand in the room where I am with this energy that says, “Take me outside! I have to potty!” Then I ask him if he needs to go outside and he goes to the door ready to do what he told me he needed to.
Every animal has cues that tell you what they want or need. Your job is to decide what those cues mean. A dog laying asleep on the floor needs only to be left alone whereas a jumpy or clingy dog needs some love and attention or to play or potty.
Your dog could develop bad habits trying to tell you something. A few examples but not limited to… A dog getting out of a backyard all the time may need more exercise or enrichment. A dog that barks constantly may have some anxiety and need some extra love or training. One that goes to the bathroom in the house may have a health issue or attention issue. A puppy crying at night needs comfort and one chewing on everything in sight is likely cutting teeth. They are not trying to make your life harder, they are just talking in the only way they know how.
How do you fix these habits that develop? How do you prevent bad habits in the first place? That is what we are going to discuss… problem solving and your pet problems and basic house training for your pet. What are some effective ways to train your animal with or without a professional dog trainer? Some behaviors are easier to train and others take persistence. Training takes time some of you may not have so a professional may be what you need. What issues do you have with your pet that need attention? Let’s talk!
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for crates if you are in need of something to cool your animal in the crate.
