Treating stubborn dogs definitely requires a specific training plan to reduce their stubbornness, but you cannot be constrained by their stubbornness during training! Below is an introduction to the stubborn dog training plan.

　　1. Immediate Punishment

　　Sigh! Before the dog is four months old, you can still use "immediate punishment." After four months, due to increased weight... immediate punishment becomes more difficult!

　　Immediate punishment, this method, has been passed on to thousands of dog owners in Taipei; out of every 10, 1 fails because of improper use～

　　When the dog makes a mistake, catch it red-handed and immediately grab it by the scruff of the neck... forcefully lift it off the ground and shake! Let them scream in panic—if you see it biting shoes... immediately grab and shake it! Hold the shoe and scold loudly until it screams... then lower the height and forcefully drop it! (Not dropped from a high place.) If you see them doing something they shouldn’t and verbal warnings are ineffective, you must catch them in the act so they know exactly why they are being grabbed!

　　Do not punish after seeing the damage... Immediate punishment must be in-the-act. After use... it might challenge your memory and ability, because if it knowingly repeats the offense, you still have to catch it immediately in the act and shake it... They will definitely remember the cause of your anger after several screams!

　　Dogs under four months are light in weight. Normally, mother dogs will scold puppies by grabbing their scruffs with their mouths and shaking, this won’t hurt them. After four months, they become too heavy to lift and shaking will cause big struggles and anger! Then it’s ineffective～

　　Parents with young children at home, remember to try immediate punishment!

　　You must catch and grab it on the spot, never feel sorry or be gentle, just shake it strongly in your hand... show it what it bit... tell it: No biting! ～ until it screams in fright... slowly lower the height... drop it gently mid-air; the dog will definitely hide in fear! And associate: biting shoes = owner angry + immediate punishment.

　　2. Crate Training

　　Many people have heard of crate training but don’t really know what it is. They think it’s just training dogs to sleep in the crate to avoid problems, which is a big mistake. Next, I’m going to guide you into crate training for dogs (recommended to start when they are young).

　　Many people live in a corner of Taipei City, maybe in a mansion, apartment, or studio. Regardless of whether the house is owned, rented, or provided by others, I use Taipei as an example for easier illustration, but it’s not limited to Taipei City, please don’t misunderstand!

　　You live in such a house. No matter what your job is, in the end, you return to this permanent or temporary home or nest, lie on your chosen bed, and sleep soundly. Have you ever felt scared? Or felt like you were in prison? Or uneasy wanting to sleep outside? No! You will make your bed comfortable, soft, even fragrant, except for messy people. You probably won’t stay in the house 18 hours a day for a lifetime without going out, right? Nor would you feel the house is too small to want to sleep in the park. These are normal for you, but when it happens to your little dog, it’s entirely different.

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　　Some people keep their dogs in the crate for over eighteen hours a day. Some think dogs sleeping in crates are pitiful. Some use the crate as the dog's jail—anytime it makes mistakes, they put it inside. Some use the crate to prevent mistakes... Before making those decisions, have you thought about how you would feel if you were the dog?

　　Here is a data point: dogs kept in crates all day are three times more likely to be sent to stray animal shelters than dogs allowed to move freely in a human living environment. Many owners feel relieved seeing this, thinking they never have to crate their dog again, or that data tells us dogs shouldn’t be crated. But you haven’t truly understood the meaning of these words. The dogs crated over eighteen hours daily are dogs whose owners have become tired of them yet are reluctant to stop keeping them. Because the dog’s behaviors disrupt or annoy the owner, which actually stems from the owner’s lack of proper training, leading to many unresolved problems and thus prolonged confinement! So proper crate training and obedience training can prevent these problems.

　　If you start raising a puppy at about 30 days old, how much time do you have at home to do daily and crate training? Most people don’t have time. However, if you have a baby later, I guess it will be different—you’ll hire a maid or find time to raise the child, but no one makes time to raise dogs….

　　Of course, you can say humans and dogs are different. If you think so, then please accept all your dog's behaviors because no method will help! If you want it to be well-behaved for life, please work hard to learn how to live with animals. Starting crate training at day 35 is your first step!

　　Introducing the Crate:

　　First, introduce the crate you prepared to the dog for familiarization. No need to say anything, just use a gradual approach to let it understand the meaning of the crate, making it feel pleasant, like your own bed. Don’t lock it in initially, as that only makes it dislike the crate. Throw its favorite treat inside and let it enter on its own to eat. Keep the door open. When it goes in to eat treats, add a simple command like "bedtime!" or "go in"... Be patient. Let it explore freely and reward it lots. Once it can go in and out freely and comfortably, proceed to step two.

　　Start putting its regular meals in the crate. Let it go in to eat. Encourage it! Then shortly before it finishes, close the door but do not leave. As soon as it finishes eating, open the door and let it out. Repeat this until it can finish all its meals inside, then move to step three.

　　When your dog can eat comfortably inside for meals and treats, if you don’t want it to eat meals inside the crate thereafter, you can let it eat anywhere at home. However, keep giving treats in the crate!

　　Once that goes smoothly, move to next step: close the door whenever it enters to eat treats. Encourage it and close the door to keep it inside for a while before opening it again. Don’t be too excited when it comes out—many owners are overly happy or excited when the dog leaves the crate, making the dog think being outside is better and eventually refusing to enter! Gradually increase the time it stays inside. Always remember to reward with treats and verbal praise, even if it enters on its own. Sometimes you can put its favorite toy inside. This essentially completes crate training.

　　Choosing a Location:

　　During the day, the crate should be placed where the dog can easily come and go, making it feel like part of the family. Front or back yards, bathrooms, or toilets are poor choices, causing feelings of isolation and unhappiness, especially if it can hear you moving around the house. So the living room, bedroom, or kitchen are better. At night, place the crate near your bed in the bedroom—that makes it feel safe and private. If it needs to relieve itself during the night, take it out before returning to the crate to avoid accidents. In the room, your voice, scent, and figure will give it a more stable feeling and reduce being startled by outside noises.

　　Setting a Schedule:

　　Dogs need time to grow, physiologically developing bowel and bladder control. It’s better not to predict their restroom time but to set a fixed schedule. Once set, never change it arbitrarily. Dogs aren’t as fickle as humans! Your schedule is like a contract and must never be broken, or else prepare for messes! If you set a feeding, watering, and restroom schedule as I suggest and follow it consistently, you will see gradual progress! In modern life, everyone’s routine is different, so there is no standard or best schedule. The best is one that fits your lifestyle. For instance, if you work nights and sleep days but keep the dog on a daytime feeding and toilet schedule, you’ll be exhausted quickly. Adjust the schedule to your timing. The first thing after waking up must be to let the dog out—don’t test its bladder control or try to lie in. No way! If you do, it will urinate everywhere in frustration...

　　When you see your dog eagerly waiting to go out in the morning, learn to read its signals. It’s actually a clear signal, but you may not understand, so I call it a hint. Learn to recognize these "urgent" hints so you can take it to the right place for toileting. Usually, dogs quickly learn how to get your attention but use poor yet effective methods—barking, whining, jumping on you, pawing at doors, etc. You have to teach a correct way to get your attention, for example, hanging a bell inside the crate; whenever it touches the bell, you open the door to let it out. You can apply treat scent (like cheese) on the bell for it to sniff. Every time you bring it out to toilet, let it lick the bell's treat, so it associates the treat licking and bell sound with going outside. When opening the crate, ring the bell. After months, the dog will use the bell to tell you it wants out!

　　Remember, except for nighttime sleep, do not leave it in the crate for more than three to four hours continuously. Puppies need to go out every three to four hours to walk, play, urinate, and defecate... So you should know how to set the timetable!

　　During training, you will have some mishaps, such as the dog urinating in the crate. Don’t shout or scold loudly, which will frighten your dog. Just say firmly "No!!!!" loud enough to stop it. Don’t scare it so badly it soils itself out of fear, which causes more problems and makes cage-cleaning harder. After saying "No!!", take it outside to finish. If you punish or scold for accidents, you teach it that going to the bathroom is bad or the owner thinks it’s wrong—and you’ll find golden spots everywhere at home!

　　Owners starting crate training with adult dogs can still do so but must also do basic obedience training, or you will have many troubles, especially with dogs that have old bad habits!

　　Afterword: (Tips)

　　1. When the dog whines or paws at the door, never let it out immediately; it will think complaining wins freedom. Better to ignore it and only open the door when it is calm or quiet.

　　2. Don’t use the crate as punishment. If you put the dog in the crate whenever it errs, it will think the crate is a bad place, like a prison. Even if you want it in the crate for solitude, make sure to reward it with treats or favorite toys.

　　3. Dogs need a place to rest, especially in homes with children, who may disturb the dog. The crate is the best place to breathe and relax. The dog will soon realize the crate isn’t bad!

　　4. If you have children, teach them not to disturb the dog in the crate. This applies to the entire family. Always remember, once the dog is in the crate, do not bother it.

　　5. When setting a schedule, decide feeding times first, as the rest of the schedule can be easily arranged around it.

　　6. Don’t get complacent after success. A few weeks without mistakes doesn’t mean the dog is fully trained or tamed. Always persist with the schedule to maintain good behavior.

　　7. If it accidentally urinates or defecates at home or unwanted places, remember to clean with enzymatic cleaners or disinfectants to remove odors, so it doesn’t repeat the mistake there!

　　8. Crate size choice according to the US National Institutes of Health standards:

　　a. Measure the dog’s length from nose tip to tail tip stretched out.

　　b. Add 15.24 cm (6 inches) to this length.

　　c. Square this sum to get the floor space needed for the crate.

　　If your dog is 59.76 cm long, add 15.24 cm to get 75 cm, then the required floor area is 75×75=5625 square centimeters.

　　9. Even if you furnish the crate like a palace, if the dog still shows anxious behaviors in the crate—whining, barking, stomping, self-harm—give up the crate (this applies only after proper crate training; for untrained dogs showing these behaviors, don’t abandon the crate but learn how to train).

　　Let the dog like the crate, eat in the crate, have toys there, and sleep happily there...

　　When someone is home, keep the crate open so the dog can freely enter and exit,

　　Put its food bowl inside the crate during meals... If it barks during the day, it’s usually scared by noises.... Over time, it will find the crate protective and a safe haven.

　　Then in its daily routine, it will accurately calculate when the owner returns... develop a biological clock and expect it, obediently sleeping and resting in the crate, awaiting familiar figures to appear.

　　I believe through mutual adaptation, you will find each other’s routines. It will understand the crate is its room and get used to it with trust. I hope this helps you. Please take time to fully absorb the above crate training! Good luck～

　　We usually only close the dog in the crate when no one is sleeping at home, for safety, to prevent eating inappropriate things unless we are sure they are calm enough not to chew things or risk choking or fractures by jumping.

　　In Taiwan, 50 pets die annually from accidents of ingesting harmful items too late for rescue.

　　Even every month, there are incidents of naughty puppies jumping off couches or slipping and breaking bones... Especially when no one is home, losing golden emergency response time causes lifelong limping consequences. (Source: PetsZone)