Don’t Drive With Your Dog Until You Read This Car Safety Guide

When we think about car safety, we often focus on ourselves and our human passengers—but what about our furry companions? Whether you’re heading to the park, the vet, or on a long road trip, making sure your dog is safe in the car is essential. This guide covers everything from proper restraints to important safety reminders every dog owner should know.

Restraining Your Dog: The Right Way

An unrestrained dog can quickly become a dangerous projectile in the event of a crash, posing serious risks not just to themselves, but to everyone else in the vehicle. Thankfully, there are several safe and effective options to secure your dog while driving:

1. Crash-Tested Crates (Best Option)

The safest way to travel with your dog is in a crash-tested kennel. These crates are designed to withstand the force of an accident and keep your pup secure. Our top recommendations:

Each of these brands has undergone rigorous crash testing and meets high safety standards.

2. Crash-Tested Harnesses

If a crate doesn’t fit your vehicle or lifestyle, the next best option is a crash-tested harness. These are not your typical walking harnesses—they’re specifically designed to work with your car’s seat belt system to keep your dog restrained in a crash. Trusted options include:

3. Down-Stay with Cargo Barrier

Another alternative is training your dog to perform a solid down-stay in the back seat or trunk area, protected by a cargo barrier. While not as secure as crates or harnesses, this method provides some safety by limiting movement during travel.

Important Reminder: An unrestrained pet isn’t just at risk themselves—they can also cause injury to passengers during a crash. If possible, always choose a crate or harness for the highest level of protection.

Other Important Car Safety Tips

In addition to proper restraint, there are several other safety measures to keep in mind whenever your dog is along for the ride:

  • Don’t let your dog stick their head out the window.
    While it may look like they’re having fun, it’s actually very dangerous. A dog could jump out, or suffer eye or ear injuries from flying debris or bugs.
  • Never allow your dog to sit in the front seat.
    Just like with young children, airbags can be deadly for dogs in the event of a collision.
  • Never leave your dog unattended in the car.
    Even on a mild day, your car can heat up to dangerous temperatures in just minutes. This can lead to overheating, dehydration, or even death.
  • Keep dogs and small children separated.
    Always use a barrier between dogs and young children during car rides. Kids may not always interact safely with pets, which can distract the driver and increase risk on the road.

Safety First, Always

Implementing these car safety tips doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start by choosing the right restraint system for your dog and build safe habits from there. It’s never too late to prioritize your dog’s safety—and doing so could make all the difference in a critical moment.

Stay safe, drive smart, and keep tails wagging!

Crate Training 101

Crate Training Review

Summer is coming to an end which means the kids will be going back to school soon. If your dog has been enjoying the freedom of having the family home all summer, now is a good time to start (or reintroduce) crate training. We want to make that transition as easy as possible for your dog, so now is the time to freshen up those crate skills. If you have never used the crate, but are wanting to, now is the perfect time to start!

How do I Crate Train My Dog?

When first starting out, you will want to keep your sessions short. We’ve broken down the following steps in an easy-to-follow video that you can find on our YouTube channel here.

  1. Lure your dog into her crate with treats and then let her immediately come back out. Repeat this step until she is comfortably going in and out of the crate without the lure.
  2. Next, you will want to start closing the crate door. When closing the crate door, you always want to make sure your dog is facing you and sees you close the door. This will help ensure she doesn’t feel like she is getting trapped.
  3. When your dog is calm, you can open the crate door and let her out. It’s important that she leaves the crate in a calm state of mind so that she doesn’t think throwing a tantrum equals freedom. Therefore, if she is barking or pawing at the crate, simply wait until she quiets down (this could take a bit at first if she’s uncomfortable in a crate), and then let her out as soon as she is quiet.
  4. The next step will be to start adding duration in her crate. When adding duration, you don’t want to continuously increase the amount of time she is left in her crate, but instead vary it. By varying the amount of time (2 minutes here, 7 minutes there, 30 seconds next), she won’t be able to predict when she should be let out and will learn to relax while in there.

What Should My Dog’s Crate Set-up Look Like?

When choosing a location in your house to place your dog’s crate, I suggest a room that isn’t in a centralized location. This way your dog can’t see or hear you moving around and feel left out of the activities around her.

It’s also a great idea to play some type of background noise to help drown out any potential noises that could make her upset. You can use a TV, fan, sound machine, or music. It can also be beneficial to cover your dog’s crate with a sheet or crate cover to help her feel cozy and relaxed, maybe even sleepy enough to take a nap. This can make her feel less exposed and create a more calming and den-like atmosphere for her.

Other Tips to Help My Dog Get More Comfortable With Her Crate

You are going to want to start feeding your dog in her crate for every meal. This will help build a positive association with her crate. Likewise, providing her with a special treat or chew when she is in her crate can also help build up a positive association.

Reminder!

Crate training can be really tough at first. It’s important that you go slow and make this a positive experience for both you and your dog. If you rush things, or you force her in before she is calm and relaxed at any of the stages we’ve mentioned above, you run the risk of undoing all of the hard work that you’ve put in.

And if it feels too tough? You’re not alone! And that is where a trainer can come in to help you figure out what you and your unique dog need to be successful.

Practice and consistency are key when creating good crate habits. It might seem tedious at first, but the more you practice the easier it will get!

Not Your Typical Doggy Daycare

Are Friday Fun Days right for your dog?

You have probably seen a few posts on our social media here and there about our Friday play days. This is a new program we have started offering for our program graduates only. It may sound like doggy daycare, but it’s actually so much more. Check it out!

If it’s not doggy daycare.. what is it?

Our Friday play days are used as a daycare alternative for our dog-friendly graduates. And it’s all focused around playtime with their doggy friends. A lot of our clients want their dog to play with other dogs but feel apprehensive about taking their dog to a large daycare, and we get it!

How is this different than daycare?

What makes us different from a large daycare is that we keep our groups small to ensure your dog is matched up with friends of similar energy and playstyle. We also add structure into your dog’s day so it isn’t a free-for-all where your dog can practice those bad habits you put them in training to break in the first place. While the focus is fun, it’s also safety, advocating for every dog in the group, and making sure they come home tired, happy, and fulfilled at the end of the day.

What does my dog’s day look like?

Every dog will get four sessions:

  • two play sessions
  • a walk
  • a place session.

After everyone has arrived, we start our small group play sessions. Your dog will be paired up with a group of one to three other dogs of similar play style and energy (that’s right, a maximum group size of 4! You won’t find that kind of one-on-one care and attention at a large daycare facility). During these play sessions, we practice your dog’s recall and down-stays around their friends to make sure that even in the middle of fun, they can still listen and respond to our staff to ensure everyone is safe and having fun.

After we cycle through both play sessions, each dog gets paired up to go on a walk together. This helps your dog practice their calm leash skills with a friend, which helps strengthen their skills and works them around a high distraction they might not always encounter.

After that, your dog will get a long afternoon nap in their kennel to rest and recover after a full morning of activities. After naptime, the day ends with a group place session with the full group of dogs.

When your dog is not out playing with friends, going on walks, or doing a place session, they are in their kennels practicing their crate skills.

So to recap, not only is your dog learning valuable social skills, but they’re also sharpening their training skills in a high-distraction, fun, ever-changing environment with trainers that they know and trust. This includes working on: recall, sit, down, kennel manners, door manners, leash skills, place command, and more!

How do I sign my dog up?

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, email us at admin@copperridgetraining.com to get more information. Spots are limited, so if you are interested, reach out now!

Fun Ways to Keep Your Dog Cool This Summer

Are you looking for fun ways to keep your dog cool this summer? Well check out this blog post for some ideas that can be fun for everyone!

Treats

Frozen treats are a fun way to keep your dog cool in the hot weather. There are a ton of DIY treats you can make. From ice cubes to doggy ice cream, the options are endless when coming up with a frozen treat for your dog to enjoy. You will want to make sure to only use ingredients that are safe for dogs to consume. Here is a list of fun and creative treats to try out this summer.

Swimming

Swimming is a great way for your dog to stay cool and active this summer. There are lots of lakes in the Madison area, but you want to be cautious when allowing your dog to swim in them. Before letting your dog into any lake, always check for blue/green algae as this can be deadly to your dog. Use your best judgment when deciding if the water looks safe for her to swim in. You can also check out Madison Public Health’s website for water safety updates.

You are also going to want to make sure she is entering the lake in a dog friendly area. A lot of places have designated spots for dogs to swim. A few lakes in the area that allow dogs are:

Toys

There are lots of fun toy ideas that you can use at home to keep your dog cool. You can set up a small pool, a sprinkler, or a splash pad for her to enjoy in your backyard. When looking for a pool, there are a ton of different options out there. I typically will just get a cheap plastic pool to use for the summer, but there are some sturdier options on Amazon as well. For a sprinkler, anything will work. There are a few options available that are made for dogs, she will have to step on it to make the water come out. Another fun option is a splash pad. You will want to look for one that is thick to try to prevent your dog’s nails from puncturing it.

There are lots of fun things to do in the summer with your dog to keep them cool. Use your imagination and get creative when coming up with ideas.