Good day everyone
Welcome back to the Café
Here is some advice I shared with a family this week.
I hope you find it helpful.
Crate Training for your Puppy
Crate training for your puppy is the single best step you can take in the life of his companion training. Not only does it give him his own space, which is especially important in a household with other dogs, but it gives him clean and easily understandable lines of discipline and acceptable behavior.
Teaching your puppy crate training is the first and best step in his life. It makes all the other steps in his training go so much smoother, much like a solid foundation makes for a superior wall. Establishing you as the Alpha member of his “pack” is one excellent reason for starting your puppy in a crate when he is very young.
Another reason for crate training is that dogs love predictability. Knowing what will happen in any given situation makes them happy and more apt to be the best-behaved dog they can be.
A strong crate is the very basis of good puppy training. A wire crate with a lock is the best kind. Make sure it is large enough for them to stand up and turn around. But not so large that they can roam and wander around. A crate that is too large will inhibit housebreaking. In a crate that is too large, a puppy will tend to sleep on one side of the crate and use the other side as its bathroom.
A crate just the right size will be perceived as his “nest,” where puppies never “go potty.” They will learn to hold it if you don’t make a prison out of it. Never leave a puppy under eight weeks longer than one hour in his crate. The puppy will soil it after struggling and suffering as long as possible.
Put a nice pad in there with a bone. Start with placing a tasty treat in there. The puppy will go in and get it. Do this several times without closing the door. Let them go in and out freely for an hour or so. Praise them highly each time they go in, make it all very pleasant.
Then when their attention is on the treat, close the door. Praise them quietly, “What a good boy(or girl), it’s ok, such a good boy!” In 10 or 20 seconds, no longer let them out without a word, no praise, just a pat. Do this for increasingly longer intervals, but do not give them a chance to get upset. You can do this several times the first day.
Make sure every training session ends on a happy note; this is crucial.
Once they see the crate as their own private territory, they will go in there on their own, expecting treats and your attention. When they do, say, “Wanna crate?” with a happy face while getting his treats. Start leaving the room while they are in there for 2 minutes and onward, gradually. When you return, don’t make a fuss. Just walk over and open the crate. In 3 days, they will be officially crate-trained, ready to be left alone for an hour, no longer at first. Leave them gradually longer, slowly, and carefully.
Q. Why do I want a crate for my puppy? A. Because they love it is the best reason. They feel very safe and secure in there. Here are some more:
When you leave a puppy alone, it always has some measure of separation anxiety. This anxiety leads the puppy to any behavior that brings them comfort, which is chewing, digging, or when it is severe, voiding their bowels. When placed in a crate, they feel safe because nothing can get to them. The puppy feels nothing can harm them. They will sleep and chew and wait for you to return. When leaving a puppy overnight at the vet, if your dog is not crate trained, they will cry the entire time, feeling lost and abandoned. With crate training, a puppy is sure you will return; you always do. Of course, the vet’s office is strange and will cause him some anxiety, but nothing like the pure terror they will feel without experience in being locked in.
NOTE: About crate-training, do not make a prison of their crate. Please do not use it as punishment. Do not leave a puppy there for more than 2 hours. Only enough time for a long puppy nap and some chew time. After that, they will cry. Do not remove them while they are crying. This will make them think they have to cry to get out. No matter what, make sure they are being good when you open the door. The puppy will learn they have to be quiet to get out. Do not make a fuss when you are letting them out. Just quietly open the door and take them out to potty. When they potty, praise them to high heaven! Dogs naturally do not go where they nest, but sometimes it happens. Do not scold. Just clean it out with a bland face. They will learn the lesson. If possible, try to clean it while they are outside, so the puppy returns to a clean crate. In my years of pet experience, I have never seen any one thing more critical for a dog’s well-being than good crate training.
Thank you for stopping by the Café. Would you mind sharing this information with someone who could benefit from it if you found this helpful? Please also feel free to buy me a cup of coffee. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cafeboss2503
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