The end-of-year school holidays are only months away, and this means many families are planning where they will go during the time off. As the owner of a young puppy, it is important you use these upcoming months to get your canine buddy used to a dog kennel. While they have free run of your home right now, being confined to a boarding kennel can cause a significant amount of stress. But with a little preparation using these tips, you can keep those stress levels to a bare minimum.

Purchase a Dog Kennel for Home Use

Every dog owner has rules about what a dog is allowed or not allowed to do. However, if you know your dog is going to be placed in a boarding kennel when you go away on holidays, you must prepare your puppy for this change of environment.

You do not need to use the new dog kennel all day every day, but using it for short periods each day helps your puppy become desensitised to it. Most dog kennels at boarding facilities resemble a large wire crate. Purchase a similar design kennel for your dog so the wire does not worry them when holiday time rolls around.

Getting Puppy Used to a Kennel

Kennel training is just like every other act of teaching a dog; it will take time and patience. After you buy the kennel, place it in your living room with their favourite blanket and toy inside and prop the door open. Having favoured items inside encourages the puppy's curiosity, so they want to explore the kennel. If your puppy does not want to enter it at all, try placing small treats inside to tempt them.

Next, you need to get your puppy used to spending time inside the kennel. Start off by putting puppy's food bowl in the crate. Once your dog enters, close the door behind them. Once they have finished eating, release them from the kennel. Over the next few weeks, have the puppy spend 10 minutes in the crate at the end of their meal, and then start lengthening this time. Next, encourage the puppy to enter the kennel without food, and then leave them in there for a period that increases with each visit.

The goal is to get your dog used to the inside a dog kennel. It will take a few weeks to achieve this, so don't leave the training to the last minute before you go on your holidays. Go and purchase a dog kennel now so your dog has as good a time away from home during the Christmas holidays as you and your family plan to have.