You’ve probably discovered by now that buying a crate for your new puppy is highly recommended. So you’re in the pet store, and there they are: row after row of crates, just big enough for a dog, made of plastic, wire, or stainless steel. To you, it just looks like a puppy prison.
But to your new puppy, it could be a great home. Crates are one way for a puppy to have a place of its own in its new household, to rest, nap, or just have its own space and alone time. Dogs are den animals, and feel most secure when surrounded in a contained space (which is why they can also become a bit too territorial at times).
Crates are also great tools for housetraining your new puppy. Dogs don’t tend to soil their immediate environment, so chances are they are going to associate out of the crate with out of the house to pee and poo in no time, especially if you lead them from crate to outside in the garden or front yard or out of the apartment quickly, rather than letting them dawdle or play.
In addition, when in a car, inside a crate is probably the safest place for a puppy to ride, for both puppy and your whole family. And if your puppy ever has to be boarded, pet sat for, or kenneled, they will be much better adjusted if they are accustomed to being crated. You can fold the crate and send it with them.
Finally, a crate is a must for any larger breed dog that has to fly cargo. Their own crate provides a touch of the familiar on the plane, and save you money renting one from the airline or having to buy one specially at the last minute and paying a small fortune.
Making Pups Comfortable With their Dog Crate
We have already covered how to choose the right puppy crate in a previous article.
So, once you have the dog crate, put it in an area just for the dog, with enough space to pull out the plastic tray for easy cleaning. It should not be in the way of anything in the house, but not isolated in a back room either.
Line the crate with its bed, a blanket, its food and water, and then show the puppy the doot and how to get in.
Establish a routine make sure you don’t isolate your pup when he’s in his crate., except at bedtime.
Once your puppy has figured out how to go in and out of his crate, and has satisfied his curiosity about it, and does not seem nervous, use a cue word – such as “crate,” or “bed” as he moves toward the crate. Give him a treat as soon as he goes in, and praise him.
Repeat this several times at random intervals until he goes in when he’s told to. At this point, you can shut the door for short periods, without making a big fuss about it. In fact, it’s best to ignore your pup while opening or shutting the door and ignore any whimpering when it is left inside. Try to keep yourself emotionally even and low key. You are establishing a routine which will hopefully not be a rollercoaster for the new puppy, so just stay calm even if he leaps and gets excited at being locked in, or being let out.
Once your puppy is willing to rest in the crate, start confining him for varying periods of time, and at different times of the day, while you’re at home. You can also try for longer periods of time, but remember, no young dog can possibly be expected to thrive if it is left alone for too many hours.
The more random and persistent you are in crating the dog while you go about the house on your daily chores, or head into the garden or go upstairs, the less the dog will worry when you do have to leave the house. With this kind of routine, your puppy will learn to rest while it is crated, and that’s exactly the way you want him to feel – at home, relaxed and comfortable in his own little doggie den. It is his space, his alone and down time, which all animals need to grow.
Establish a household routine so that you put him in the crate at night at a reasonable time, and get up early to let it out to do its business.
The Crate is Great!
Occasionally you may want your pup to be in his crate when he wants to be out. Don’t try to fool him, by calling him to you and then forcing him into the crate. Instead, use a command like: “Go to your bed,” and lure him in with a little food and a lot of praise.
Hand over the treat as soon as he settles down inside the crate, and praise him and keep feeding him while he’s inside. The minute he ventures out, tell him to go back to bed, and repeat the process.
Put a few pieces of kibble in the crate so the pup will develop the habit of going into the crate by himself, earning more praise and even more treats. Sooner or later, he’ll learn that he gets lots of attention, affection and goodies inside the crate – and very little in the way of treats outside the crate.
Some people say to never put your pup in his crate for misbehavior because they might become upset and start to dislike the crate, but sometimes its best to separate them from your children, another pet, or people in your house they might not be welcoming towards. Try to correct bad behavior at the time, though, not hours later. So if you find pee in the hall, don’t lock them up for that.
The Crate and House-training
The puppy will rarely soil its crate, so you can also use the crate as a toilet training aid. As soon as you let it out, take it outside quickly, with the command of “pee pees,” so that it will associate being out of the crate, and out of its larger crate, with being allowed to going to the toilet. Rememer, they are very small, with small bladders.
To confine an untrained dog for a long time is to invite trouble. If the pup is forced to soil in his crate because you have left it too long, the crate will no longer inhibit his elimination there. and will be of no help when you wish to use the crate as part of your house training regimen.
You want to teach the dog to eliminate only in one place – outdoors. During the training period, it’s up to you to be clear about what you want and don’t want. You need to set the boundaries from the start. If you don’t want it to pee all over the house, don’t allow it to wander all over the house. If you don’t want it to pee on your bed, don’t let it on your bed. Simple, right?
If you do take the dog into other rooms of your house, always let it outside first, and never leave it alone. Ig you don’t allow your pup free and unsupervised access to the living room and bedrooms, he can’t make a mess on the carpets there.
Because most puppies can’t control their urine and feces for extended periods, the most important part of any house-training program is setting up and sticking with a schedule that your puppy can maintain. How often to you go the the toilet every day? When? Think about that and adjust accordingly.
Feed him at consistent times of the day, as indicated on his puppy food instructions, and watch his natural schedule: Puppies usually need to eliminate shortly after waking up, after eating, and after playing. Young puppies may need to urinate every four hours. Puppies will often do their business with appropriate encouragement, such as walking. Once they have had all their shots, they will be allowed to go for full walks. Until then, make sure you don’t dawdle, but bring them straight from the crate to the outside, then back in for time in the house.
When your pup eliminates in a designated area, praise and reward him immediately. People usually reward their pup for urinating outside only after they have brought him back indoors. This is a mistake because it rewards the pup for coming inside, not for peeing outside. Instead, keep a few treats in a metal tin in your pocket, and hand them out on the spot.
If your pup repeatedly messes inside his crate, take him to your vet to rule out medical problems, such as intestinal parasites, worms, and urinary-tract diseases. Also check how much water and food he is eating, and what kind of food. Diarrhea can mean a food allergy, and left unchecked, can result in a malnourished and weak puppy.
If you need to be away from home for a few hours, hire a dog walker to take the puppy out, or enclose your pup in a large pen or in a room with the door/s blocked off by a gate to provide him with an opportunity to eliminate away from his resting spot. Leave newspaper or wee wee pads down in one area when you are gone – but pick them up as soon as you get home so he doesn’t come to think of the whole room as his territory.
Punishment after the fact will never work, and only confuse the puppy. You must be consistent. If an “accident” happens, clean it up with a good enzymatic cleaner and blame yourself: You’re the one who wasn’t supervising the pup at the time the “accident” occurred.
If you catch your dog in the act of peeing or pooing indoors, make a loud noise to distract him, and then take him outside right away.
Dogs may also do their bodily fucntion in the house is a sign of behaviorial issues. Pets with separation anxiety will often urinate, defecate, or bark for long periods of time when confined. In fact, some dogs become so anxious when confined that they destroy their crates and hurt themselves in the process.
These dogs may do better when confined in a larger area, but if the problem still persists, see your vet or check with a veterinary behaviorist.
Far from being a prison of punishment, your puppy’s crate can be haven of security and comfort for both you and him.
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