THE BENEFITS OF CRATE TRAINING

Crates aid in housebreaking your dog. Dogs like to live in a clean area so they will try to refrain from messing in their house.  Crates are a safe place when your home is hectic or you can’t watch your dog. If you are unable to supervise your dog during his teething and adolescence period, you can use the crate to protect your dog from damaging your home or possibly hurting himself.

A crate is your dog’s private place. Since dogs are “den” animals they like a place of their own. Often you will find your dog asleep in his crate with the door wide open.   As a traveling aid, crates provide comfort and security in your car. When you are staying in a motel, your dog will have his very own private bed.

For medical reasons you may need to confine your dog for convalescence.

DO NOT USE A CRATE if you are going to be gone for long periods of time. A puppy is physically not capable of holding it all day long!  If you must be gone all day, provide your puppy with a very large crate or a contained area of about 3’ X 5’.

Place bedding in one end and newspapers at the other. Expect that your young dog will make mistakes. As he ages the mistakes will get fewer and fewer.

Do not punish your dog by putting him in his crate. They do not understand this type of reasoning. 

The best location for your crate is next to your bed and/or in the room where the family spends the majority of their time. With a puppy, having the crate beside your bed prevents him from crying. He will not feel so alone on his first nights away from his littermates. If he fusses a little during the night you can offer him some reassurance by placing your hand next to the crate and telling him “shush”.

Prepare your crate by placing something clean and washable inside which will serve as a bed for the dog. Have a toy inside the crate. At first, let your dog get use to it by placing a treat inside the crate and letting him go inside and get the goody. Wait until he is tired, tell him “kennel up” and lure him inside with a treat. Close the door, praise the dog, and occasionally feed him a few more treats. If he is making a fuss, do not feed him a treat or let him out of the crate.

At first leave your dog in his crate for short periods of time. When you get him out of the crate, take him outside immediately so he can relieve himself. It is best to establish a routine.   Your attitude is the key to successful crate training. If you act as you are mistreating your baby and feeling sorry for him, he will pick up on your behavior and capitalize on those feelings. Dogs are den-loving animals and will accept a crate as part of their life.