A Special Place for Your Dog
In the wild dogs and other canine have natural instinct to create small dens for them to sleep in and feel protected. You can help simulate your dogs need to den by using a crate found at all major pet stores. A crate or portable kennel helps you offer a place that provides security and comfort for your dog if you train him appropriately. By offering your dog a crate you are creating a place for the dog that is his house. He should be able to feel calm and relaxed in his
create.
A crate or portable kennel can also prove to be a quick way to housetrain your dog. Dogs will generally not “go” in the area they live and eat in. If you have to buy a large crate for your new puppy because it is a large breed, you can lessen the size of the crate inside by filling it with boxes. You want to leave your puppy enough room to curl up and be comfortable but not enough to walk around in.
If your dog is out of control during car rides and is a danger to its self and others you should probably crate train your dog so that it can ride safely in the car.
WHEN TO START
If you are starting out training your new puppy you should begin around the ages of 7 to 16 weeks old. Puppies learn and take in a lot more at these early stages of life. Introduce your puppy to its new
home as soon as possible. Be fun and excited when showing him the crate. See if the puppy will walk into the crate alone; if so give him a treat right away. If your dog won’t get in the crate on its own, try encouraging it by placing some toys or treats inside.
You should never force the puppy in to the crate. If you make the puppy go into the crate or put your dog in the crate after it has done something bad it will begin to associate the crate with bad things and may end up braking, chewing, or becoming a bother. It’s very important that the puppy associates the crate with good things. You can also try feeding your dog in the crate to help the process.
A new puppy can start be housetrained around 12 weeks of age and can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. This all depends on the dog and how the owner helps teach the dog.
HOW TO CRATE TRAIN
When you are out looking for a kennel see if you can’t have a sales person help recommend a size for you dog. Find out what the average weight for a dog of your breed is at full size. Your dog should have enough room to stand up inside, be able to turn around, and lay down.
If you are starting out with a puppy you can put down and old towel or blanket with your smell on it inside the cage. This will help keep the puppy from felling lonely. You should resist the temptation to place puppy pads inside the crate. A young dog is more likely to get bored and start chewing it up and making a mess. When you are choosing a spot to place the dogs kennel there are a few things to consider. You will want the location to be a permanent one. You will also want to put it in a place where it can still be part of the family. A dog is not going to want to walk into an upstairs room to go to sleep while everyone else in the family is downstairs watching TV.
Start training your dog by leaving the door to the crate open all the time and just letting the puppy walk in and out of the crate at his desire. After the puppy is comfortable with the crate you can start leaving him in there for a few minutes at a time. Make sure that you constantly treat and praise you dog for every small step forward they make.
Once your dog is happy inside the crate for short periods of time begin keeping them in the kennel for longer periods of time while you are in the room. It is very important that you don’t keep the dog in the kennel all day, especially puppies. Young dogs will need to go potty every couple of hours and should be let out constantly. You should really never leave a dog in its crate for more
than four hours without a potty break.
