Crate Training your Dog

Here are some pointers for effectively Crate Training your Dog.

1. A puppy under sixteen weeks old should spend more time in the crate than out. Unless you are there to watch him don't let your puppy out.
2. When you are gone, no food or water should be given to the puppy in the crate.
3. Until your puppy has been dry inside his crate for more than two weeks straight. He should not be given any padding or blankets etc… as this raises the risk that he might go on the blanket and then simply kick to the side.
4. Puppies between eight and twelve weeks should be taken to their "spot" every hour to see if they need to go. As the puppy gets older you can increase this to every two to three hours.
5. If you are unavailable for long periods of the day hire someone else to baby-sit your puppy.
6. Gradually increase the time between potty walks when your puppy reaches his twelfth to eighteenth weeks.
7. Unless asking to use the bathroom do your best to ignore your puppy's whining or yipping until he stops before letting him out of the crate. If your dog is having trouble going to sleep, try covering the crate with something thin like a sheet.
8. By using a clicker and treats you can begin shaping your dog's behavior as he enters and exits his crate.
9. Even when you are home put your puppy in the crate often so that he learns to be away from you for increasingly longer periods of time.
10. The crate will be useful to you during the earlier years of your dog's life. Keep it around and you will find it a wonderful place your dog can retreat to when there are workmen or big household events. Traveling is another time when the crate will be handy to have. If your dog learns that his crate is his space, he will always have somewhere to call home.

While Crate Training your Dog, watch if you are only using the crate when you go out to shut your dog inside he will begin to associate the crate with something bad. To avoid this practice having your puppy enter the crate while you are there with him. Praise him when he enters the crate even if you have to use food lures and don't shut the gate behind him. This will teach him that it is his space and he can enter any time he wants or needs to. Beware of the puppy that cries and whines unstopping trying to get out of the crate. If you are not firm he will never learn. Of course most puppies do this to some extent, so be prepared for some long nights. And remember that what you teach them now will benefit them later. If for some reason crating your dog is not a viable option then you can use baby gates to give your dog a confined area. The trick is to make the confined area small enough so that your puppy can not use one side as the bathroom and the other side for sleeping and eating. By consistently walking your dog as we talked about before you can usually avoid accidents and your puppy will learn to keep his area clean. Don't give your dog free and unsupervised access to the house until he has proven that he is house broken for at least six weeks straight. Even then the liberty to roam the house should be given slowly to ensure his continued progress in his house training. Choosing the right crate