Pets

Crate training is widely agreed by dog owners to be the best technique to house train a puppy. Puppy crate training certainly involves a crate. A crate basically looks like a cage, and is used to temporarily restrict your puppy’s movement to a specific area when you’re unable to keep an eye on her. Your puppy should be in that crate at all times unless she’s eating, going for a potty break outside with you, or playing under supervision.

The crate is like your puppy’s den, a place where your puppy feels safe and at ease; this will be the space for her to enjoy her time sleeping, napping or simply being alone. Dogs naturally like to keep their sleeping or resting area clean, so your puppy will not like to soil her den. She will try to keep her pee and poop in until you let her out of her crate.

How to choose a crate?

Picking the right size of crate for your puppy is crucial. If the crate is too big, your puppy will be able to use one end as a bed and one the other as her toilet area. This actually destruct the primary objective of puppy crate training, and certainly will impede the house training process for a few weeks!

With regard to choosing the crate, choose one crate that’s large enough for your puppy to comfortably stand up, turn around, and lie down. No worries though, there’s no need to keep buying new crates when your puppy gets bigger. If you can buy just only one crate and use it until even your puppy gets bigger, you’ll save a lot of money in the long term.

Get a large wire crate (for adult dog size), then block off some of its inside space with dividers when your dog is still a puppy. Boards or wire grilles serve well as dividers. When your puppy needs a larger area as she increases in size, you can then slide the dividers back to adjust for more space. If you prefer to build the crate yourself, that’s a good idea, too. You can later replace it with a larger model when your puppy gets bigger.

Making the crate welcoming

You can make the crate a welcoming and inviting place for your puppy to go. Try laying a couple of thick blankets or towels inside the crate, and place some toys and a chew inside. The door of the crate should be open at all times to appear welcoming. However, the door should be tightly closed when your puppy is inside.

Remember: before your puppy is completely house trained, you wouldn’t want her to move around in the house freely to avoid accidents. If you allow her access the all areas in the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself anywhere she likes. And every time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again.

Where to put the crate?

Whenever you crate train your puppy, keep the crate close to you. The ideal place for the crate is the hub of the family: usually the kitchen, or anywhere the family gathers. Having the puppy crate near to you makes puppy house breaking easier for you, and at the same time helps to create the bond between you and your four-legged friend. Your puppy also needs to feel like a part of the family, it’s important that she does not feel alone in a strange environment.