Directions to Charlestown Crate Escape from Sullivan Square

Zen Dog Training

Directions to Crate Escape Charlestown - From Sullivan Square

  Here are step-by-step directions to classes held at Crate Escape’s Charlestown location. The brand new facility is off the beaten path, this should guide your way to finding the Charlestown Maritime Center.


Crate Escape - 200 Terminal St, Charlestown 
Note: GPS is NOT great at finding this location. We recommend you search for the intersection of Chelsea and Terminal Streets.
 
 

Located just 3 minutes from the Schrafft’s building in Sullivan Square.


 Step 1.) Take the left onto Medford St.


Step 2.) When you see this…


Step 3.) You’ll be at the intersection of Medford St. and Terminal St…
Follow the sign labeled “Truck Route”

Step 5.) This sign means you’re on the right track! Take a right and you’ll see…


... an enormous mound of salt with the Tobin Memorial Bridge in the distance.


Step 6.) Take a left onto Chelsea St. at this sign and you will see…

Step 7.) Follow the red arrow and drive directly under the bridge.

Step 8.) At this sign, take a left into the parking lot!



You have arrived! Plenty of Free Parking!

 

Directions to Charlestown Crate Escape from USS Constitution (N. End)

 Zen Dog Training

Directions to Crate Escape Charlestown - From USS Constitution        

Here are step-by-step directions to classes held at Crate Escape’s Charlestown location. The brand new facility is off the beaten path, this should guide your way to finding the Charlestown Maritime Center.

Crate Escape - 200 Terminal St, Charlestown 
Note: GPS is NOT great at finding this location. We recommend you search for the intersection of Chelsea and Terminal Streets.  

 

Step 1.) At this intersection, take Chelsea St. away from I-93 and towards…

…the USS Constitution. At this point, you’re just 3 minutes away!




Step 2.) Follow Chelsea St. until you reach the Charlestown Maritime Center.
Take a right onto Terminal St. and you will see the Tobin Bridge!

Step 3.) Drive directly under the Tobin Memorial Bridge! Follow the red arrow and go directly under the bridge.

Step 4.) Continue until you see this sign. Take a left into the parking lot.

You have arrived! Crate Escape in Charlestown. Plenty of Free Parking!

Impulse Control, Featuring Vinnie

Meet Vinnie!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Vinnie, and she's running straight for us on the couch!

This spunky 5 year old English Bulldog's owners have a baby on the way -- so it is important for Vinnie to re-learn the house rules before the baby comes! Just imagine Mom and Baby quietly cuddled on the couch, when out of nowhere rambunctious Vinnie decides to join them -- it's an accident waiting to happen!

Now, imagine a dog who politely waits for your cue to join you on the couch. Zen Dog Training has a solution for this and the answer is quite simple and very effective -- Nothing for Free!

Nothing for Free is a relationship-changing game which teaches her that the fun of the couch is controlled by you! Up until now, Vinnie has learned that she controls the couch, jumping up on it whenever she pleases!

Nothing for Free is a game that can also be played with food, your affection, and other things your dog finds fun! For a full explanation of when and how to play, visit www.ZenDogTrainingOnline.com. Here are some tips for teaching your dog Nothing for Free with the couch!

-Always Ask for a Sit before calling your dog up on the couch. Use a release word like, "OK" to invite her up.

-If she jumps on the couch without waiting for your permission, Interrupt her by using your Interrupt marker word, "Hey!" and gently grab her collar, then take her off the couch.

-Over time, you can Ask for an extended Sit/Stay before inviting her on the couch.

To your dog, coming up on the couch should be a privilege, and Nothing for Free will teach her just that!

For more activities to add to your Nothing for Free program, and more on our 3-Step-System: Ask, Shun, and Interrupt, please visit www.ZenDogTrainingOnline.com!

Leash Step, featuring Chip

Meet Chip!

Chip is a 2 year old doxie mix who is tremendously cute and showered with love in his home. However, he is also fearful, particularly with children and joggers on walks. Chip’s owners adopted him when he was 9 months old, and soon realized that his fear barking and nipping was trouble.  Chip was in need of some Zen Dog Training! 

Teaching Chip there is nothing to be afraid of when strangers pass by during walks is a great method to preventing aggression. We started the training plan by making sure to be extra aware of our surroundings. We don't want to get caught off guard by someone and end up with a scared, barking and lunging dog.

We made sure his owners weren't making things worse by trying to correct a scared dog or holding the leash too tightly. Leash tension can translate into feeling of nervousness. The dog might think, "My owner is nervous -- could it be that person running by? Maybe I should be on guard!" Nervousness can turn to fear, and if not addressed turn into aggression.

A method we use when stopping to talk with a friend on the street, is Leash Step, stepping on the leash while keeping no tension on your dog’s neck. The reason this is better than just simply holding the leash is because your tight grip might cause tension on the leash.

A Leash Step will not create tension yet it can quickly help stop a dog from lunging at any people passing by, which, in Chip's case can mean the difference between preventing a bite or an injured, angry jogger!

Use leash step when waiting to cross the street or in the elevator to prevent your dog from jumping up or running into traffic. However, it is important to never leash step in a way that traps a scared dog. Allow uncertain dogs to hide behind your legs or make distance between himself and a scary person, place, thing or other dog.
  Management and prevention are key in quickly solving these kinds of problem behaviors. For more information on Leash Step and Shy / Fearful Dogs, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

Using a Confinement Area, featuring Monroe

Meet Monroe!

Monroe is a 13 week old Puggle mix with a lot of things in life to love; his new family, his bed, his treats, and the couch (which he isn’t supposed to go on)! When you bring a new mischievous puppy into your house, it's often hard to teach them our rules!

Zen Dog Training helped Monroe quickly learn the rules of house and rules of the world outside with an In Home Visit. Successful puppy training depends on having the proper Management Tools. With a new puppy full of innocent curiosity, a confinement area is a must!

A confinement area is a small, gated off, puppy-proof area where your dog can be restricted from wandering unsupervised. You should find a room with easy-to-clean floors and decide how best to puppy proof. For smaller or younger dogs an exercise pen or plastic play area works great!

In some cases we put up baby gates around the kitchen (a high-traffic area). It helps to remove books or anything low to the ground. Be careful with wooden furniture, wires -- remove anything tempting for a puppy who loves to explore the world with his mouth!

Confinement Areas bring many benefits. They prevent mischief by restricting your puppy to an area without too many things for him to destroy. They also prevent house-training accidents because we can more easily watch him. Finally, mistakes can be quickly cleaned and easy to see since they are limited to just one room.

Having a confinement area also helps teach independence, as soon as you bring a new puppy home you should start leaving him alone in his  confinement area for short intervals of time while you are home to get him used to not being the center of attention all the time. 

Finally, having a confinement area is a MUST if you have small children or other animals, like cats. Play can be limited to the confinement area and if rough puppy behavior gets out of hand -- small children can simply leave the room!

The idea is to encourage good behaviors by preventing them in the first place! Monroe now stays in his confinement area at times when it is difficult to monitor him, like: when answering the door, getting ready for work, or cooking dinner.
The best part is that housetraining, home alone training and even rough play with children can be managed with little effort from our part! 

For more information on Confinement Areas, Management Tools, and Puppy Training, visit Zen Dog Training Online.

My Walk, featuring Sully

Meet Sully!

He's a puppy Labradoodle who is growing fast and pulls hard on walks. If walking on a leash is a challenge now, it will be much harder when he's a full grown dog! Sully's owners often take him on walks with the baby in a stroller so if Sully thinks he controls the walk, it might be dangerous for the baby!

A game we call My Walk can mean the difference between a frustrating experience and a care free outing. To teach Sully how to walk on leash, we imagine that a tight leash means "red-light" and we stop the walk. A loose leash is a "green-light" and the walk continues. This teachs Sully that -- his pulling makes the walk stop!

The trick to this game is noticing every time Sully reaches the end of the leash. The instant he starts to pull, we say "UGH" and stop walking! 

Once Sully makes the decision to make the leash loose again (walk back a step), we say, "YES." Using clear sounds and words helps him understand what we want. Remember: if leash is loose -- continue to walk at a fun, brisk pace!

If Sully sits down, it's OK to slowly step back to encourage him to come back a step and make the leash loose. This is important because the behavior you want to reinforce is walking! It is essenital to continue walking and not stop and sit down every few minutes.

This simple overview is nice, however, to learn all the rules and tricks that make walking your dog easier, see My Walk, on Zen Dog Training Online.

How to Hold the Leash During Walks, featuring Penny

Meet Penny!

Penny is as sweet as they come. She is a gentle, lovable, cuddly 8 year old chocolate lab with owners who give her all that love right back. It wasn’t until they moved to the city, that they realized Penny had a problem. She pulled hard on walks. In fact, she pulled so hard, she even knocked her owner to the ground! 

In a case like this, we teach a solution called My Walk; a game designed to show Penny she must listen to the rules of the person holding the leash. The game is pretty easy to learn, anytime Penny pulls on the leash, the walk stops. Doing this teaching teaches Penny that she doesn't lead us on walks. It's "my walk" and she doesn't get what she wants by pulling.  

Learning how to handle and hold the leash on walks is the foundation.  It is especially important to hold the leash correctly considering Penny's past history with dangerously pulling so hard.

In order to prevent falling over, we hold the leash with both hands and stand with our feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. The idea is to use our center of gravity (our core) for strength. When we stop, we take a grounded stance, essentially, instead of using your arms, stopping the force of the pull with your entire body. 

Additionally, if we hold the leash with both hands and rest our arms on our body, we can depend less on our shoulders and more on having good balance and a strong foundation when she starts to pull.

It takes practice but if you are conistent she'll learn who’s walk it really is: it's your walk - not her's! 
 

For a complete explaination on  How to Hold the Leash and My Walk, including how to interrupt unwanted behaviors and how to walk a dog who doesn't want to walk - please visit Zen Dog Training Online.