Puppy Crate Training
Many dogs feel the need of a kennel like space of their own. Providing a space and training your puppy to use this is called crate training. Crate training a puppy is required as it gives them a feeling of independence for the first time. Apart from that it helps in controlling destructive behavior as the puppy is separated from dangerous and precious personal effects such as electrical wires and curios.
Create training a puppy involves getting your puppy used to being closed into a crate for a period of time. A big advantage is that your puppy gets potty trained alongside. This is because crate training is based on the principle that a puppy does not like to soil his personal space.
Click Here for Expert Advice on Puppy Crate Training
Your puppy would take sometime in getting used to using his crate. You need to decide how much of your puppies time should be spent in his crate. Puppies carrying separation anxiety with them may not respond well to crate training. It could be a challenge in crate training a big and hyper dog since he would be able to escape the crate. If you think that crate training is incorrect due to the confinement imposed, please look at other methods. Your puppies crate is also a good way of transporting him around. The idea being that your puppy gets attached to his crate and starts enjoying “his space”.
Start by selecting a crate from a pet store. Puppy training crates may also be called flight kennels or pens depending on which part of the world you are located in.
Ideally, the crate should be big enough to allow your puppy to stand and turn around in. It should also allow him to be able to be able to do this when he is fully grown. Do not use the crate as a means of punishment, the idea being to get your puppy thinking of it as his own personal space. It should be placed in an unobtrusive area of your home.
It is not easy to estimate how long it would take your puppy to be fully crate trained. The puppy crate training process could go on for days or even weeks. It is best not to make the training too fast paced, just slow steps that get the puppy enjoying his crate time.
The crate should have a clean towel or blanket for your puppy to lie on comfortably. You may want to initially leave small bits of food treats in the crate to make your puppy attracted towards it. This can be followed up by leaving his favourite toy in the crate. During the early stages of crate training, feed your dog close to the crate. He will develop crate friendly feelings this way. Subsequently, start placing his food at the entrance of the crate and moving it backwards to the end till he is comfortable with this arrangement. Simultaneously, make him used to being locked into the crate for his meal. If he cries during the locked period, he should not be allowed to come out. He will understand that he can be released once he stops whining. Give the crate a name that your dog will associate with, such as “kennel”. Whenever crate training talk to him about entering his kennel.
Once your puppy has started eating comfortably in his crate, you need to start getting him used to being in there at other times as well. Initially, get him to walk into the crate by pointing to it and leaving a small treat in there. The door can then be locked and you should sit close to the crate for a while after which he is allowed out. This period can be gradually decreased. Later, start walking away from the crate for short periods of time gradually increasing the interval.
Once your dog is okay for 30 minutes independent of you in his crate, you can start leaving him there and going out of the house for short periods of time. Leave him his toys and crate him a few minutes in advance of your departure so that he does not feel that he is being caged “because” you are leaving. Departures and arrivals should be low key and not filled with excitement as far as possible so that your puppy thinks of his crate time as routine.
The next step is to keep your puppy in his crate through the night. Initially, the crate can be placed in your bedroom and moved away in stages till it could be in any location of the house.
I personally believe it is important for a dog to be potty trained, aren’t we as human’s potty trained as well?