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Guidelines for Crate Training Puppies

December 14th, 2009 | Author: Pat Richardson

I have owned dogs all my life, and one thing that I have recently learned that crate training puppies can be really helpful, and save a lot of stress when you are housebreaking your puppy.

A puppy loves to feel secure, and he will certainly get security from having his own space. Any animal hates to soil his own area, so he will be very unlikely to mess or wet his crate – so long as you don’t leave him in it for longer than his bladder can hold on.

A puppy will think of his crate as his little home, and they will never intentionally mess in it. So long as you do not leave him in his crate too long he will hang on until you let him out into your chosen toilet area. You should never leave a young pup for more than an hour or so, otherwise he is likely to wet or mess it.

If you go about crate training puppies in the correct way, they will think of their crate as their own special space and be only too happy to be in it. My dog often goes and lies in her crate for a bit of peace and quiet when the family visit!

When he is totally relaxed with this you need to move onto the next stage which is closing the door for a few seconds. So when his attention is on the treat, close the door whilst praising him quietly. No more than 20 seconds though. Let him out and give him a pat, no praise, just a little pat. Repeat this often and gradually increase the length of time the crate is closed. Don’t do it for so long that he gets upset though.

Continue this for a few days, then gradually leave him in there when you are not in the room, but only for a few minutes – he will soon get used to being in there. When you go back into the room, don’t make a fuss, simply walk over to him and open the crate. After about 3 days you will be able to leave him for an hour or so.

In no time at all your puppy will be totally used to going into his crate, and you will be able to leave him in there for upto an hour if you need to go out without him.

People often ask why they should be thinking about crate training puppies. This is partly done because they feel safe in the crate, and also when a puppy is left alone they can start to misbehave by digging, chewing or similar. When he is in his crate he already thinks of this as a safe place so will not start to feel anxious. He will simply rest and play with any toy you have put in there until you come back to let him out.

Your puppy will love his crate and feel totally safe and secure in it. An added advantage of having a crate trained puppy is that is you do need to go out you can be sure that he will be relaxed and happy in his crate, so long as he has a blanket or bed and a few toys to amuse him. Often when a puppy is left alone he will become anxious and this is when he is likely to start chewing, barking and making a nuisance of himself. So if you don’t want to come home to a destroyed house (it’s surprising how much damage a small puppy can do when he is stressed), then all of your crate training will be a real asset, as he just will not feel anxious or stressed because he knows you will be coming back to him, as you always do.

Make sure to visit crate training puppies for house training and learning the basics.