Crate training is important for various reasons, one of which is that it is effective for house training. Since a puppy will not soil his sleeping quarters, confining him to a crate teaches him to eliminate at a specified place.
A crate also confines your puppy when you are unable to supervise him, while also providing a safe way to transport him. It is therefore essential to crate train your puppy as early as possible.
This article will show you how do accomplish this, as it gives you five things to consider when crate training your puppy.
Choose the appropriate crate size and position
The size of the crate should be just right; not too large or too small. Your puppy should have sufficient room to stand, turn around and lie comfortably in the crate.
If the crate is too large, your puppy may sleep on one side of the crate and use the other side to eliminate.
With regard to position, place the crate near you during training, or in places with lots of family activity. This ensures that he does not feel isolated, so he can enjoy his crate and still be part of the family.
Properly introduce your puppy to the crate
Crate training your puppy should be a positive experience, or else he will resent the crate. While some puppies will want to explore the crate immediately, others adapt to it gradually.
If your puppy is initially reluctant to get into the crate, throw some food treats inside, so he can associate it with positive things. You should never try to force or push your puppy into the crate. Allow him to wander in and out of the crate until he is comfortable with it.
Gradually begin to confine the puppy
Once your puppy gets comfortable with the crate, increase the duration of the confinement.
To begin with, close the crate door and confine him for around five minutes. Gradually extend the time you confine the puppy in the crate up to one hour or more. Once he gets used to confinement, you may then start to leave him alone in the room for a few minutes. With time, you can lengthen the time you leave him alone until he can calmly be left alone for an hour or longer.
All the same, do keep in mind the times that your puppy needs to eliminate in order to avoid accidents.
Never use the crate to punish the puppy
At no time should you use the crate as a way of punishing your puppy. This will obviously cause him to resent or fear the crate, which will make training harder for you. The puppy should always enter the crate voluntarily.
Deal with whining firmly
At times the puppy may be whining in order to be let out of the crate. Unless the whining has been prompted by the need to go out and eliminate, you should ignore it and he will eventually stop. However, if you release the puppy every time he whines, you will be rewarding this behavior.
Crate training your puppy may take some time, so do not expect instant results. The tips provided here should help to simplify the process, as they show you what do or avoid. In everything you do be consistent, so your puppy knows exactly what you expect.
You have now been briefed on how do you crate train a puppy, and you might want to find out more on how to eliminate behavioral issues such as puppy biting.
Click on the link below to access an article that will help you understanding why puppies bite, and how to stop it.
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