Additional Resources Mentioned in “Crate Training That Actually Works” Booklet
The resources below are meant to help if you want to go a little further. Some will give you a better understanding of why certain crate training problems happen. Others will help you apply what you have just read more effectively in real life. You will not need everything listed, but if a particular part of this booklet raised questions or showed you where you and your dog need more work, there is a good chance you will find something below that helps.
Online puppy training and Zoom consults
If you want to get things right from the start, or you’re already seeing problems develop and nothing you’ve tried is working, this is where most owners finally get clear direction.
This is not generic puppy advice or a collection of tips. It is a thorough, practical program that shows you exactly how to guide your puppy in a way that carries over into real life. You’ll learn how to teach the right things, avoid the common mistakes that undermine progress, and build the kind of reliability most owners never achieve.
The follow-up is what sets it apart. Instead of guessing, you can send short videos and get clear, timely feedback so you stay on track and problems don’t take hold.
Recommended Reading
The Beautiful Balance: Puppy and Dog Training with Nature’s Template
Ask the Dog Guy’s (John Wade) “The Beautiful Balance: Puppy and Dog Training with Nature’s Template” is a highly effective alternate approach to puppy and dog training that does not rely on treats or might is right ideology. Learn how to tap into your puppy or dog’s desire to please and teach life-skills like, Come, Stay, Heel – No Matter What, and more.
(Note: The second edition of this booklet is not quite ready yet, but it should be available within about a month. If you would like to be notified when it is released, click the link below and send the pre-addressed email.)
→ Notify me when The Beautiful Balance: Puppy and Dog Training with Nature’s Template is available.
House Training Your Puppy or Dog: Stop the Accidents In 5 Days or Less
Whether you’re starting with a new puppy or trying to get an older dog back on track, this booklet shows you how to get house training right from the start. It gives you a clear, practical system to prevent accidents, build the right habits early, and ultimately train your puppy or dog to eliminate on your schedule, three times per day, and in one spot.
Puppy Socialization Done Right: Why Puppy Classes Aren’t Enough
Most puppy owners are told that socialization means taking a puppy to class once a week and letting it mix with other puppies. It is more like dropping children off downtown once a week for six weeks, and saying, “Go make some friends.” It is random, incomplete, and far too often does more harm than good.
That is not how socialization science says we should be developing our puppy’s temperaments.
During the critical imprint period (3 weeks – 12 weeks) (many dog trainers try to say it’s more than 12 weeks – it isn’t) bomb-proof temperaments are created by correct exposure to properly to people, places, noises, surfaces, routines, and real-life situations that shape future temperament.
No one else can do this job for you, because lasting temperament is shaped in the puppy’s day-to-day world, not in a once-a-week class.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a dog that never fears thunder or fireworks? Is comfortable with children of all ages? All public settings?
This booklet shows you how to not leave it to chance, and to do it properly while the critical window is still open, so you can build a calmer, more confident, more reliable dog from the start.
Note: This booklet is for puppy owners with puppies less than 12 weeks of age, and dog breeders interested in kickstarting their litter’s temperament starting at 3 weeks of age.
How to Choose the Right Toys and Get More Out of Them
Not all toys are equal, and some create more problems than they solve. This resource explains what types of toys are best avoided, which ones tend to have the most value, and how to use or modify certain traditional toys to get more worthwhile mental stimulation out of them. That matters because better mental stimulation during waking hours often helps puppies settle and rest better, including in the crate.
→ Free Article: How to Choose and Use Better Self-Entertaining Toys for Puppies and Dogs
How to Start Teaching Your Dog to Use Its Nose
One of the easiest ways to increase worthwhile mental stimulation is to start teaching your dog to use its nose. This resource shows you how to begin doing that in a simple, practical way. Nose work helps drain mental energy, build focus, and create the kind of better-structured day that often makes crate time, settling, and alone time go more smoothly.
→ Free Article:
Ongoing Learning - The Ask The Dog Guy Newsletter
The weekly newsletter provides brief updates on training insights, product reviews, articles, books, and demonstrations. It is a simple way to stay connected and continue learning.
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Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ)
The Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire, or C-BARQ, is a standardized tool used by dog owners, handlers, and professionals to evaluate canine behavior. Some people loosely describe it as a personality test, but that is not really its main value. It was originally designed to measure how common behavior problems are, and how serious they are, in privately owned and working dogs. That is still where it is most useful. However, it can also be a tool to assist in determining how behavior modification, and, or medication is being impacted when the questionnaire is completed periodically.
→ Learn more at: https://vetapps.vet.upenn.edu/cbarq/about.cfm
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Disclosure
Every now and then, I’ll share links to products I recommend on my website, in emails, or elsewhere. Some of those links are affiliate links. That simply means that if you choose to buy through them, I may receive a small commission — at no extra cost to you. I don’t recommend products casually. If I link to something, it’s because I’ve either used it myself or taken the time to look into it carefully. I consider quality, durability, safety, manufacturer reputation, and consistency, not just price. One thing worth mentioning: in the dog world especially, two products can look almost identical online , same photos, same descriptions, sometimes even similar branding, but differ significantly in materials, construction, quality control, or after-sale support. What appears to be “the same thing for less” isn’t always the same thing once you’re actually using it. That’s one reason I’m selective about what I link to. If you do choose to use one of my links, I genuinely appreciate it. It helps support the time I invest in testing, researching, writing, and sharing what I’ve learned.
Thank you for your trust and your support.
– John “Ask the Dog Guy” Wade