Guidelines for Crate Training Puppies
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.
When you decide you are going to crate train your puppy you need to make sure that you buy the correct size crate – he needs to be able to stand up in it (at adult size) and move around. The metal crates are the best.
One thing that you need to make sure of is that you buy the right size crate for your puppy. He must have enough room to stand up and to move around. The metal crates with a door at one side are the best ones to go for – they are nice and strong.
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!
Don’t ever leave your dog in the crate for long periods of time, especially when they are puppies – they will not have very much bladder control. Your puppy will not want to make a mess in his crate, so crate training is a really good aid to potty training. But you must not leave him in there so long that he is not able to hold on and makes a mess. He will be very upset and you will set back his crate training.
Now you have started to close the door, you need to increase the time it is closed. The next step is to actually leave the room when he is in the crate, but again only do this for a minute or so the first time. You will be able to build up this time slowly over a few days.
Do this for several days and then you can begin to go out of the room for a few minutes. It will not take him long to get used to being in his crate. You can increase the length of time you are away from him, but make sure when you go back to him, and open the door you should not make any fuss of him, just a small pat. Don’t ever let him out when he is crying, or he will think that this is what he has to do to be let out of his crate.
Over a period of three days or so you will be able to leave for an hour quite happily. As your dog gets a bit older you could leave him for slightly longer than this.
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.
Tags: Animal and Pet Articles, crate training, Dog, house training, pet, Puppy, puppy crate training, puppy house training
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