Dog Housetraining Using a Crate

Dog House Training Using A Crate

Tips and instructions on house training your dog using the crate method. Information on puppy habits and how to work with the crate to housebreak your dog.

Usually at about 5 to 6 weeks old, a puppy will leave his mom and litter mates to go and relieve himself. This is his natural instinct to keep the place where he eats and sleeps clean. It is best to start house training your puppy as soon as possible. However, just remember that from 8 to 16 weeks puppies don’t have full control of their bladder and bowels. It’s a good idea when you are house training your puppy to remember that your puppy will have to relieve himself after eating, playing, drinking and sleeping.

Our method of choice to house train your puppy is the “crate”. Dog house training using a crate is not a prison or a place to put your dog to get rid of him. You need to make the crate a happy place for your puppy. Give him lots of love and praise for going in the crate and leave him with a toy and fresh water. As with any sort of training, dog house training using a crate should start out slow at first, only about 2 hours at a time until the puppy feels good about his new home. Gradually lengthen the times in the crate. The crate we recommend is one that is enclosed. These offer the safe enclosed feeling, kind of like a cave, so that it appeals to the puppy’s inner wolf.

Confining the puppy in the crate will develop bowel and bladder control. The puppy will naturally not want to soil his bed so will learn to control itself until let out. You still must spend lots of time with your puppy outside of the crate or dog house training using a crate will not be successful.

When you first introduce your puppy to the crate, it will help to throw a favorite toy into the crate and say the command you intend to use to go inside the crate such as “to bed”. “time out”, “crate time” or any other command that suits you. Let the puppy go in and out freely and give lots of praise. You could add a meal in the crate and water also. Close the door on the crate while the puppy eats then open it when he is finished. Do this for awhile until all the meals are eaten in the crate. This will get the puppy accustomed to eating his meals in the crate. You should also keep some toys in the crate. Let your dog get really comfortable with the crate then increase the times he stays in the crate. Your dog will learn that the crate is a place of refuge.....a place to rest, a safe place.

The crate should be kept in the family room or wherever the family is most of the time. Dog house training using the crate must keep the dog from feeling left out or isolated.

The best way to house train a dog is routine. If you keep the same schedule all the time, the dog will learn much quicker. It is good to remember to take your dog out at specific times. Of course there will sometimes be emergencies that you will have to adjust your schedule to, but mostly the same routine every day will work to house train your dog a lot faster and easier.

Probably the most important thing you must learn is patience when house training using a crate. You should remember that your dog or puppy will have accidents and you need to have patience with him. Don’t punish him or he will learn to be sneaky. Just take him where you want him to relieve himself and praise him when he does it. Your puppy will be house trained in no time with patience and perseverance. House training using a crate makes the job of house training your dog much more enjoyable since it makes the job easier on both you and your dog.