Crates can provide a safe and convenient place for your dog to sleep at night. Not all dogs will realistically want to sleep in your bed with you, but a crate can provide a comfortable bed for them during the night. This is why it’s important that you learn how to crate train a new puppy.
Crating your dog can also assist your family in house-training while keeping dangerous objects out of your dog’s reach. A dog that has been crate trained will be reluctant to defecate in the crate, and instead will hold it until you allow them outside. This makes it easy for families to go out to run their errands and still get to pick up the dog at the end of the day.
While your puppy is spending time in his crate, you need to make sure that you don’t make a fuss about it, just treat it like a room. It is better if you don’t put a blanket in his crate because puppies tend to really chew on that, but a small teddy bear can go a long way.
You should never use the crate as a form of punishment because you want your dog to view his crate as his safe place, where good things can be found.
One of the main reasons dogs would refuse to crate, or actually refuse to go in the first place is because they associated it with fear. If you make it a positive experience for your new puppy, you will find that he won’t view crate as a form of punishment. Instead, he will view it as his den, where he would feel protect and comfortable.
Before even putting your puppy in the crate, spend some time with him first to get him used to it. Start with a short stay in the crate, and make sure to reward him when he first enters it. Allow him to come out before he gets scared, and always make sure that he has his favorite toys in the crate. It certainly helps to put a treat or a toy in his crate to make him think that it is a good place to be there. After he goes in, stay with him for a bit, and then release him and give him praise and a treat.
Do not leave your dog in the crate for an extended period of time. If he is left in the crate all day, this will cause him to be depressed. This is because he’s accustomed to freedom and not restriction. Restraint make him feel afraid and depressed.
One of the cool things you can do with your crate is to add something your dog can enjoy while he is in the crate. You can put in one of his favorite toys, or an extra treat. This way, he’ll know that he’ll be going to have fun while he’s in the crate.
After your dog has gotten used to going into the crate on his own, you can let him out, but keep the door closed. This will teach him that if he wants to go outside, he needs to use the door that is only accessible through the cage.
Here are a few general tips on crate training your puppy:
1. Purchase the proper size crate/kennel for your dog. The improper use of a crate may result in injury and or death of your best friend. 12 inches is the recommended size for the crate. The crate should be large enough so that he will be able to lie down and turn around and not too big so that he can use one end of the crate as a potty and sleep in the other end.
2. Set up your crate in the proper location and at the proper time. Your dog needs to feel secure and will not be happy if you are constantly switching rooms.
3. Keeping your crate clean and disinfected is important. If you don’t, then you may cause your dog to have health issues.
4. Make sure to allow your dog at least one hour of exercise every day. Lack of exercise creates a stressed, unhappy dog during your crate training.
You need to help him adjust to the crate and make it a safe place for him so that he can call it his refuge, even when you aren’t at home. Start out slowly on house training your dog and letting him used to being in the crate and always make sure that he has toys or other items in the crate to keep him occupied.