How To Train A Puppy Using The Crate Method

William has some helpful advice on crate training a dog or puppy. Tell me what your ideas are on this blog!—judy

How To Train A Puppy Using The Crate Method

Ah, house training your dog. Don’t you just love the idea? If you’ve ever had to go through this experience, then you know how challenging it can be. If you’ve never done it before, I’ve got great news. By learning some basic essential knowledge, you’ll soon discover that it doesn’t have to be as difficult or challenging as you were initially expecting.

I’ve had several dogs over the years, and have tried different methods of house training them. The one method, however, that stands out above all the rest is known as the crate method. Crate training refers to housing your puppy in a small crate, or indoor kennel, and keeping her in there when she is not out for walks with you, or when she’s not being actively supervised while in your home.

The whole premise behind this method of crate training is that all dogs have an inbuilt dislike of going to the bathroom in an area where they normally sleep. Therefore, because she’s spending most of her time in her “sleeping quarters”, she will naturally wait until put outside before relieving herself (assuming that you let her out at reasonable intervals). As you start looking at the various crates available, keep in mind that you don’t want to keep replacing the crate as your puppy grows, so make sure you get one that will be big enough for her as a full-grown dog. It’ll look huge for her while she’s a puppy, but puppies grow quickly, and you’ll want her to have the proper space to grow in.

One of the problems with the small puppy being in a large crate is that she can easily use a separate part of the crate for her bathroom area. To prevent this from happening, simply reduce the internal size of the crate by placing some kind of divider, such as a board or grill, inside the crate. You can simply remove it when your puppy grows enough to need the extra space.

Crate training works like this: your puppy is in that crate at all times unless she’s sleeping, eating, outside with you going to the toilet, or being played with (active supervision). You’ll need to be consistent, or else it won’t work: you can’t let your puppy wander off through the house unless you’re focusing your complete attention on her. If you allow her access to the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself inside – and remember, each time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again (and again and again ).

This doesn’t mean that you should keep your puppy in her crate all day long. She should be taken out every two to three hours to stretch her legs, and given the opportunity to go to the bathroom. At night time, however, you’ll find that your puppy will usually sleep through the night no problem. Just keep an ear open for her. If you hear her whining, put her outside quickly.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, crate training is one of the most effective methods of house training a puppy. But it doesn’t happen overnight, and it needs you to be consistent. The whole process can take anywhere from one to two months, but in the long run, this will be considered one of the best time investments you will have ever made in the life of your pet.

By: William Preston  Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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