Quick Guide to Crate-Training Your Dog
Housetraining a dog can be a challenging process. Both you and your puppy need all the help you can get. Fortunately, such help is at hand: a crate.
And no, a crate is not cruel. When used correctly, a crate capitalizes on a primal puppy instinct: to refrain from soiling his den. At the same time, confinement in a crate helps your little one learn to hold his urine or feces long enough for you to take him to his potty place. Either way, many dogs learn to love their crates and actually seek them out when they want to take a nap or otherwise chill.
Here's how to use your dog's crate to jump-start the housetraining process.
Size it up. When it comes to crates, either plastic or metal is fine - but the size of a crate needs careful consideration. A crate should have enough room for your dog to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably, but not much more than that. A crate that's too small will obviously be uncomfortable, but a crate that's too big may prompt your puppy to sleep at one end and do his business at the other.
Divide and conquer. Getting the right-sized crate for each stage of your puppy's growth doesn't man that you have to buy a new one every few weeks or months. Instead, choose a crate that can accommodate your puppy's expected adult size, but has a divider that lets you adjust the size of his living area until then.
Let your pup explore. After you assemble the crate, let your puppy approach and sniff it. Then, toss a treat or toy into the crate to encourage the pup to enter. If the puppy goes in, praise him lavishly; if he hesitates, use a high, happy-sounding voice to encourage him to go after those goodies. Keep practicing until your pup consistently enters the crate without hesitation.
Close the door -- briefly. Toss a treat into the crate - but this time, shut the door after the puppy enters. Praise him lavishly while he's inside. A few seconds later, open the door and give him another treat when he exits the crate. Continue to practice this maneuver until your puppy stays comfortably in the crate for five minutes.
Leave the room. Put the puppy's next meal in a dish and place the dish inside the crate. Toss a treat into the crate to encourage your puppy to enter. When he does, shut the door and leave the room. After a minute or so, return to see how he's doing. If he's eating and seems content, leave again and come back a few minutes later.When he finishes eating, let him out and praise him. Repeat this step until your puppy is staying in his crate for about 30 minutes.
Now that your puppy is cool with the crate, start using it to housetrain him. Place him in the crate whenever he needs a nap or you can't watch him. He'll soon understand that the crate is his special chill-out place, and that his bathroom is somewhere else.
Award-winning writer Susan McCullough's books include Housetraining For Dummies, Senior Dogs For Dummies and Beagles For Dummies (all, Wiley). She lives with her husband, daughter and Golden Retriever in Vienna, Virginia. Visit her website at www.susanmc.com.
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Comments (13)
Hide Posted Comments
Anonymous February 23, 2009 3:23 PM
I need tips on how to train him to do the bathroom on one place
Anonymous February 23, 2009 3:46 PM
Check out this awesome video on potty training your dog! http://www.petside.com/info/m/21755394/training-puppy-potty-training.htm - All you need is consistency and patience
anonymous March 1, 2009 4:02 PM
I need suggestions on how to get the puppy to stop crying at night in the crate
Bea May 21, 2009 4:37 PM
My puppy's are still having accdents indoors, they wont even go to the door. I have been trying to house train them for about a month.
new puppy May 27, 2009 12:07 PM
I have been crate training my puppy for about 4 days and he wines and barks non stop. I give him his meals in his crate and give him a treat everytime he goes in. Do you have any suggestions on how to make him stop crying?
been there June 5, 2009 8:39 PM
can I offer ear plugs...patience in a few months you wont remember the crying.. your puppy will be the little angel you are wishing for now
KRystal June 13, 2009 10:01 PM
I have a 6 mth old Bichon... bought the crate when she was a new pup... she hated it. Would yelp and scream for hours while in it. Didn't work for potty-training, she would just use the bathroom in the crate and then get "it" all over her and her white coat. I NEED HELP! She knows that she is supposed to use the potty outside. If we are home, no issues, she will go to the door and if we are not looking, come get you and then wait til you follow her to the door. But if we leave, she has no problem going on the floor (thank God we have tile throughout the house!). What do I do? We did keep her in the bathroom with newspaper down and it gated off (baby gate), but she has outgrown the gate and can jump over it. Any suggestions?
t June 19, 2009 9:59 AM
Crying Puppies.... we used to use a wind-up alarm clock and stuff it down in the bedding. The ticking sound reminds them of the sound of a heartbeat. Just make sure the alarm doesn't go off!!!!
pamela June 20, 2009 9:24 PM
I thought crate training was so cruel,but let me tell you I brought home a 5 week old yorkie whos mother was hit by a car,put a stuffed animal,comfy blankets,have had NO problems with crying or yelping,she is very content and has learned where to go potty, lucky me!!!!
LISHA June 25, 2009 3:14 PM
I have a cocker spaniel puppy that's 3 months old. my problem is she walks when she boo-boo. She will start on the pad and paper but by the time she finishes, it's all on the floor. Another problem I'm having is her tearing up the paper and will not urinate on newspaper that has been used once
lori June 27, 2009 1:20 PM
please help my dog is driving me nutsshe refuses to let me know when she needs to do her business.Iwill take her outside for a little while she use the bathroom ill bring her back in a when im not looking she will poop again on the floor ill take her back outside where she went before then put her in her crete.then later that day i will take her out of the crete and she will pee,pooped again on the floor .what can i do i cant take it she has even pooped in her crete someone help
Risha September 1, 2009 10:00 AM
With the crying in the crate, I leave the crate where she
can see me. With the potty in the house, Pet Smart has a
pad Natures Miracle, is has urine smell and outdoors, so when its time, set the pad close to the door, then out the door. My Belgium malinois is 13 weeks and has never had an accident on the floor. Good luck
lynsey October 22, 2009 5:38 AM
ive just got a puppy and he cant do mowt unless he is biteing u how do i stop this