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When introducing a new puppy to your home, crate training is one of the most important instructions for your pup. Though some dog owners initially question the idea of crate training, a crate gives you and your dog a sense of security when used properly. Read on to learn more about the benefits of enrolling in a crate training puppy program in Metro Detroit, as well as important tips to keep in mind throughout the training process.
Puppy training with Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan gives you all the skills and tools you need to help make your new puppy a part of the family, without using shock collars. Contact us today!
What is Crate Training?
Crate training is the practice of teaching a puppy that a metal, plastic, or fabric-covered cage (crate) is their safe place. This taps into the natural denning instincts of dogs, and they will learn that the crate is their personal spot that they can retreat to whenever they desire.
In addition to offering dogs a sense of peace and territory, crate training significantly speeds up the house breaking process. Once a puppy learns that their crate is a safe place, or 'den', they will instinctively want to keep this area clean. During house breaking, keeping your puppy inside the crate dramatically reduces accidents. Keep eyes and ears open to your puppy's bathroom signals and quickly bring him or her outside. This will help your puppy learn that outside is the place to go, not inside.
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
Silver
$1,345
Training Equipment Included: E-Collar
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 3 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions 8 Sessions
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit (next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place (go to bed)
- Quiet (stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
Gold
$1,895
Training Equipment Included: E-Collar
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 6 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions 12 Sessions
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit(next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place(go to bed)
- Quiet(stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
- Down(lay next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Load Up (go into kennel, car, or dog house)
- Manners, Safety & Boundaries
- Calm Anxiety & Build Confidence
- Housebreaking / Potty Training
- STOP Jumping on People
- STOP Mouthing & Nipping
- STOP Chewing & Digging
- STOP Begging & Stealing Food
- STOP Bolting Through Doors & Running Away
- STOP Chasing Animals, Cars & Bikes
- STOP Reactivity (dog & human)
Platinum
$2,745
Platinum offers advanced obedience/behavioral modification with a goal of off-leash control. Includes additional training options and offers more one-on-one and group sessions than Gold.
Training Equipment Included: E-Collar
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 9 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions 16 Sessions
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit(next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place(go to bed)
- Quiet(stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
- Down(lay next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Load Up (go into kennel, car, or dog house)
- Manners, Safety & Boundaries
- Calm Anxiety & Build Confidence
- Housebreaking / Potty Training
- STOP Jumping on People
- STOP Mouthing & Nipping
- STOP Chewing & Digging
- STOP Begging & Stealing Food
- STOP Bolting Through Doors & Running Away
- STOP Chasing Animals, Cars & Bikes
- STOP Reactivity (dog & human)
- *Stay With You on a Job or Bike Ride (off-leash)
- *Emotional Support Dog Training(ESA)
- *Control Aggression(dog & human)
- *Calm Extreme Anxiety(behavioral modification)
We help your dog become a valued companion and beloved member of the family. Read what our customers have to say and then give us a call!
Dog Training Elite of Southeast Michigan is the best of the best when it comes to training. They go above and beyond to make sure you are happy with the services they provide. They truly love the animals like their own and work with the families every step of the way. If I could give 6/5 stars I would. I would highly recommend.— Michelle Foley
Posted October 21st 2024
I cannot recommend Dog Training Elite enough. Hailey and Steve have been training my one-year-old Golden Retriever to be a therapy dog. Daisy has progressed so much in just a few sessions in the comfort of our home. She is so proud of herself and my whole family has benefitted from everything she’s learned.— Stephanie McGuire
Posted October 18th 2024
We have sent 2 service dogs through training with them and their service is fantastic! We've specifically requested Hailey (sp) both times and she is amazing! Kind, upbeat, energetic and empathetic. The company is flexible, understanding and extremely helpful and available! They train you just as well as your pets!— Kei Wolfe
Posted October 4th 2024
Couldn’t have asked for a more professional, yet fun and exciting experience for Murphy, my wife and I. This is our first golden retriever, and our experience with Dog Training Elite and Hailey (our trainer❤️) has been nothing short of perfect. Our Murphy has passed his public service access test (service animal) with the amazing training provided by Hailey and my wife. He is an absolutely perfect addition to our family, and we owe so much of that to Hailey and the team at Dog Training Elite.— Jameson Kyle Hagerty
Posted September 26th 2024
Hailey was very knowledgeable and professional and I would recommend her with confidence.— Mark Jaffray
Posted September 26th 2024
We contacted dog training elite prior to picking up our Murphy. They helped guide us with the initial pup search (we were seeking to get a PSD service dog). Once we got our Murph Hailey started with our training. She has been absolutely amazing to work with. She has done a fantastic job helping me to train him. He’s become the best well behaved (service dog) puppy we could’ve asked for, all thanks to the knowledge that Hailey has given me. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us next.— Ashley Hagerty
Posted September 24th 2024
Our trainer Hailey , is a pro. She wants success for our dog and us. She is clear and patient. At a group session, another trainer Ryann came over to assist us. Great people and company leadership. Our dog is really being trained to be a better companion. Thanks all at Elite Dog Training. Forrest & Ann— forrest hayford
Posted August 31st 2024
Dog Training Elite is great! Ryann helped us train our 2 year old, very hyper dog, and he’s completely different now!! Plus he has a new friend. I highly recommend having your dog trained with DTE!— Sarah Thomas
Posted August 30th 2024
My dog Winnie has been completing therapy dog training with Hailey at Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan for a few months now, and we absolutely love Hailey and the program! It has been so fun to see Winnie's confidence and skills evolve, and I can't wait to continue the rest of our training with this team! If you're looking for high quality dog training in the metro-Detroit area I can't recommend them enough!— Christina E Agostino
Posted August 28th 2024
Hailey at Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite was awesome. Arlo, our 9 month old Australian Shepherd has been one of the best dogs we have ever had and with the training that Hailey did with us and Arlo, has just made having a dog amazing again. Our goal was to be able to take Arlo where ever we go and behave and just be one of the family. With the training program from Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite and Hailey’s passion and patients, we have that dog. Would highly recommend Hailey and Southeast Michigan Dog Training Elite.— Kirk Hedding
Posted August 28th 2024
Hailey with Dog Training Elite was absolutely exceptional. She made herself available for our schedule, and was willing to help us train our dog in any scenario, with family members, and other dogs. It was great! Highly recommend!— Ryan Rosenberg
Posted August 20th 2024
We are so impressed with Austin, Hailey, and this company! The one on one personal training really helped to train our Tessa (and more importantly us humans). She continues to learn more tasks to be the best service dog! Thank you for being professional and still enjoying butt wiggles!— Jean Perczak
Posted August 12th 2024
My family & I adopted a 7-week-old, purebred, German Shepherd in Jan. As she got a bit older, we discovered that we were WAY over our heads when it came to her training. Of course, we went online searching for trainers & we finally found DOG TRAINING ELITE which was the BEST discovery EVER!!! Of course, we read the reviews & we found HAILEY...one of the BEST trainers that we could EVER ask for!!! Her reviews are A+, and we stand behind those reviews!!! She's KIND, PATIENT, UNDERSTANDING, SO INFORMATIVE & IS GREAT w/MAZIE, and w/us too!!! The things she teaches us is so EXTREMELY helpful when we're training on our own! Once we had our free consultation, we were SO impressed to learn about their AMAZING training programs that we signed up right away!!! HAILEY comes to our house once a week, and it truly is AMAZING the things she teaches our pup!!! If you are looking for a dog trainer, look no further!!! Call DOG TRAINING ELITE, request Hailey, and I promise you, you WON'T be sorry!!!— Tiffany Raubacher
Posted June 30th 2024
Just finished a 10-week training class with Hailey from DTE, and it was a great experience. Hailey was wonderful to work with; she was flexible and accommodating and did a fabulous job with our 4 year old mix Tater. She worked with us to customize the curriculum, increasing the time we spent on our areas of concern (behavior basics and leash walking) instead of covering some advanced topics we didn't need or want (e.g., going into public spaces). Sessions were fun and engaging; Hailey worked directly with Tater on each skill to get her started, but also taught me how to continue the process between and beyond class. We also had a few sessions with both Hailey and Austin, along with Austin's dog Sunny, to work on socialization. Tater had been quite a handful since we got her... constantly barking and agitated when outside, overly excited and hard to control with visitors, unable to walk on a leash, zero recognition of any commands, etc. We honestly thought that perhaps there was something wrong with her; that she was untrainable. Nope. She responded immediately to the training, and in fact seems quite smart (though stubborn). She now understands (and follows) necessary commands, walks very well on a leash (and even without a leash), remains quiet in the yard (even when bunnies are present, or the neighbor's dog is yapping), and behaves with visitors. We're looking forward to maintaining and even advancing her behavior at the weekly group sessions. If you are looking for a high quality training program for your dog and have the time and the means, I highly recommend Dog Training Elite and both Hailey and Austin as an excellent choice.— David Kulmaczewski
Posted June 29th 2024
Hailey has been fantastic with Moose! He has learned so much in just a few short weeks. My office is dog friendly but as a large 9 month old puppy he was loud and wanted constant attention and play. In just 4 sessions I was able to bring a well mannered dog into the office with me! He gets to play with his dog friends now at work and daycare and I get to take my smart pup for walks where he’s not pulling me along. And Moose loves to see Hailey each week. He gets so excited to see her. We taught him to swim yesterday! I cannot tell you how happy I am with Hailey and Dog Training Elite!— Tammy H
Posted June 14th 2024
Highly recommend. Hailey and Ryann were great with us and our dogs! The whole team was very responsive throughout the process, patient and thorough. Overall wonderful experience.— Elizabeth Curley
Posted May 28th 2024
A huge thank you to Hailey! She did a great job both with us and our Russell! We needed training as much as he did! The entire team at DTE Southeast Michigan is fantastic. When Hailey couldn’t make it Ryann came and was wonderful! Austin took time with us also to teach us how to get Russell ready for a group environment. We highly recommend DTE Southeast Michigan! #fantasticinvestment❤️— Teresa Leonard
Posted May 27th 2024
We could not be happier with the training we received from Dog Training Elite. Hailey did a great job working with us and we’ve seen a significant improvement in Cassius. I would highly recommend working with the team!— Joe Fornasiero
Posted May 20th 2024
Thank you Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan! Hailey and Holleigh did a great job connecting with our dogs and listening to our concerns. Austin is extremely knowledgeable and teaches how to work with your dog in different situations and environments.— Melanie McPeake
Posted May 8th 2024
So glad we chose Dog Training Elite! Hailey was awesome and shared so much knowledge on training us on how to train our pup. We loved how she came to our home to see what day to day expectations were. Athena is much more well behaved and has quickly learned her boundaries outside as well. Would highly recommend them...and actually we already have to a couple of people!— Teri Nagel
Posted May 7th 2024
Why Should You Use Crate Training?
In addition to offering dogs a sense of peace and territory, crate training significantly speeds up the house-breaking process. Once a puppy learns that their crate is a safe place, or 'den', they will instinctively want to keep this area clean. During house-breaking, keeping your puppy inside the crate dramatically reduces accidents. Keep eyes and ears open to your puppy's bathroom signals and quickly bring him or her outside. This will help your puppy learn that outside is the place to go, not inside.
Crate training can also improve other aspects of your pet's life. A dog that is used to a crate will feel more comfortable when traveling and have a safe place to retreat during thunderstorms or noisy guests. At Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan, we believe that crate training can enhance the lives of both dog and owner when done properly.
Additional benefits of crate training include:
- General safety: Having your pup in their crate allows them to be alone while you are unable to watch them. Whether you are busy at home or out of the house, a crate training puppy can give you peace of mind that your pup is safe and secure.
- Effective evacuation: In emergencies, crate training can save your dog’s life as a quick, low-stress way to evacuate.
- Calmer vet visits: Should your pup be required to stay overnight at the vet’s, they will experience less stress and put up little resistance in their cage if they have been crate trained.
Is Crate Training Your Puppy Necessary?
While crate training is not necessary for housebreaking, it undoubtedly makes the process easier. Owners who choose to housebreak without the use of a crate will need more time and more patience when it comes to cleaning up accidents.
Crate training is also the safest option for keeping your puppy safe when unattended, protecting them during traveling, and limiting household damage with restless puppies.
When Should You Start Crate Training?
Crate training young, starting at about 8 weeks, is the best option for most pups and their owners. Keep in mind, though, that puppies under the age of 6 months should not be confined to their crate for more than three or four hours at a time. Allowing them to stay in the crate for too long will lead to a messy space, as young puppies are unable to control their bladders or bowels for extended periods. This also applies to adult dogs who are being housetrained.
Crate Training for Puppies
Tips From Dog Training Elite in Metro Detroit
- While crating is an important dog training process, your dog should not spend most of their time in a crate. We advise you to never leave your dog locked in the crate for more than two hours at a time.
- If you must be away from home all day, it's best to drop your dog off with a friend so the crate does not become overly dirty and your pup isn’t confined to a small space for too long.
- Crates come in different sizes, and some options can be adjusted as your dog grows to keep them comfortable.
- When possible, leave the crate door open so your dog feels free to come and go.
- Add a doggie bed, soft blankets, and plush toys so your puppy feels comfortable inside the crate.
- Never use crating as a punishment — this will only teach your dog to fear the crate.
Dog Training Elite Southeast Michigan includes tips and tricks for crate training in our puppy training programs. Our unique techniques based on the "Classical Conditioning" model (a.k.a. "Pavlovian" or "respondent conditioning") ensure our program is a success no matter how much crate training experience your pup has.
If you are searching for a crate training puppy program in your local area, contact us today.
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Our Balanced Theory
We base our training around the "Classical Conditioning" model (a.k.a. "Pavlovian" or "respondent conditioning"). This includes developing conditioned or automatic reflexes to commands. In its simplest form (after proper conditioning), when the owner says "sit," the dog automatically sits without thinking about it. Our unique techniques ensure our program is a success no matter what behavior we encounter.
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Empowering Owners
We empower Owners to train so their dog knows who to obey at all times. -
Personalized
We deal with problem behaviors on a personal basis. -
Environment Specific
We train wherever issues tend to arise (i.e. jogging, park, home).
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Supportive
We support Owners in the off-hours (when training is "not in session"). -
Involved
We work with all members of the household. -
Simplified & Customized
We plan training around the owner's schedule and require only 20 min/day follow-up practice.
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Continued Training
Additional programs / group sessions offered after in-home training. -
Lifetime Investment
We follow up & are invested in the owner's success long-term. -
Satisfaction Ratings
Our high client satisfaction rating sets us apart from competitors.