Crate Training

The Crate is a Puppy's Safe Haven

When you bring your puppy home for the first time, find a place that is safe and comfortable. One of the best house breaking and containing methods is to put your puppy in a crate. Some people think a crate is mean or cruel, but it is the complete opposite, and it is a "home" or a safe haven for your pet. Keep the crate door open when you are home and close the door when you are sleeping or out of the house. If the puppy is not cooperating, put a few treats in the crate at first to entice the puppy to enter.

The Crate Minimizes Damage

The crate minimizes the potential damage that the puppy might do to your house and furniture. This also helps to minimize your anger toward the puppy for doing "puppy things." The crate protects your puppy from harming itself; for example, choking on small items, shock from chewing through wires, and so much more.

The Crate is a Puppy's Den

When dogs were in the wild, they would often "burrow" into the ground to create a den for safety. A crate is your puppy's "den." You need a crate that is large enough for your puppy to turn around in comfortably. If you purchase a large crate for when the puppy grows larger, block part of the crate off with a safe material. Your puppy will try not to soil its home so do not expect your puppy to "hold it in" for long periods of time. Do not put your puppy in a crate and expect it to stay there all day without soiling it. It cannot! You must remember it is a baby.

Where to Put the Crate?

Dogs like to be near their fami1y and that means near you. When the puppy first comes home, put the crate next to your bed so you will wake up during the night when the puppy needs to go outside. You can also reach down and reassure the puppy if it cries during the night. Do not, under any circumstances, put the puppy in bed with you unless you intend for it to sleep there as an adult. It is very difficult for the puppy to understand if you allow it there at the beginning and then do not want it in your bed later. Keep in mind if you are single and then marry, it could cause a real problem.

Keep a Clean Crate!

Do not force a puppy to remain in a soiled crate. You must arrange your schedule to avoid this from happening. Clean out the crate regularly! We recommend that you use a non-ammonia cleaner, because ammonia is similar to a puppy's urine, the smell will attract him, and he will repeat the behavior. You may want to purchase commercial cleaners for soiled areas at a local pet store. Do not punish the dog if it soils the crate.

Your Puppy is Still a Baby

Remember your puppy is still a baby and try to set a schedule for taking it outside. A two months old puppy needs to go out every 2 hours, and each time it eats, wakes up, after a play session, and any other time it starts "sniffing" around the area. Your puppy should be able to hold one hour for each month of age. A three-month-old puppy should be able to hold for three hours. This is from the time of the last time it urinated. In addition, your puppy needs to go outside every time after it eats, each time after it wakes up, after a play session, if it starts sniffing around the house, anytime it squats, etc.

Do not yell at your puppy if it has an accident in the house. It is too young to understand that you are yelling because it urinated in the house. The puppy may think you are yelling at it for urinating and might start trying to hide when it needs to go so you will not see it. This presents a very different problem and makes the housebreaking more difficult. If you see the puppy start to go, gently pick it up and take it outside. Try to have a treat at hand to give the puppy each time it urinates outside. Tell it "Good Boy/Girl" and give it the treat.

My Puppy is Now an Adult

You will not need to continue crating once your dog becomes an adult and is trustworthy, but your dog will probably enjoy the continued use of the crate as its own special place. If you decide not to keep the crate, slowly wean it off once the dog is older and you are able to trust it in your home.

NEVER use the crate as a punishment!

Jupiter FL
Phone: 561-339-7709
Email: Patricia@floridashepherds.com