Crates are a popular item used during puppy potty training. When used correctly, they can make housetraining a breeze. However, if used incorrectly, your puppy may soon become confused about the rules and you'll be left cleaning up the mess!
Here's some tips to make sure your puppy crate training is a success:
1. A lot of puppy owners make the mistake of purchasing a crate that is too large. A puppy will not want to soil the same area he sleeps in. If the crate is too large he will be able to soil one area and sleep in another. Many crates on the market today can be divided into sections so as your puppy grows you can offer him more room. This is a great solution.
2. A crate should be used for short-term confinement only. As a rule of thumb, your puppy is able to "hold it" the same amount of hours as his age in months. So, if your puppy is 3 months old, you should leave him in his crate for no more than 3 hours. If you have to leave your puppy for an extended amount of time, either hire a pet sitter or create an area suitable for long-term confinement.
3. Place your puppy's crate in an area of the house where there is a lot of activity, like the kitchen. Your puppy wants to be where his family is, not alone in the basement or in the laundry room. The kitchen most likely is also close to the door where your puppy will be taken outside to go potty, so it also makes sense to have the two close together.
Have you had any problems crate training your puppy? Please post your questions here using the comment link below.
I am having a hard time with the crate for my 6 month old puggle. We give her a treat when she goes into the crate, but when the treat is gone, she begins to bark constantly and gnaws and scratches at the crate door to be let out. We do our best to make the crate a safe and happy place for her, but she cannot wait to get out of it. Any suggestions to make the crate experience better for my puppy and less stressful and heartbreaking for her mommy & daddy!?! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're not doing it already--make sure that puppy is exercised and TIRED before "crate time." You also might want to try something like a Kong instead of a small treat. That way puppy has something to work on for an extended period of time. It's also a good idea to give the Kong ONLY at crate time--that way puppy has something positive to associate the crate with.
ReplyDeleteFor more information on Kongs visit http://www.squidoo.com/kongrecipes
Also, puppies learn pretty quickly how to act dramatic if they want mom and dad to let them out of the crate! If you know for certain that your puppy does not have to urinate or defecate there's no reason to let her out if she's just having a temper tantrum. Many parents can relate to this while putting crying infants to bed.
Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of tough love!