One of the best ways to house train your new dog or puppy is by crate training them. Crates allow you to confine your dog to a safe place when you’re unavailable to supervise them. As dogs generally don’t defecate or urinate in the places they eat and sleep, they tend to hold back the urge to excrete in their crates.
Using the crate properly will train the dog not to poop or pee inside your house. It also helps them acclimatize to a new safe space where they can relax and rest.
Pick a Crate for Your Dog
There are many kinds of dog crates to pick from. You can go for options like nylon crates, soft-sided canvas crates, plastic pet carriers, wire cages, etc.
The most widely used crate is the wire crate. This crate allows dogs to see their surroundings with most of them coming with an extra panel that offers the ability to increase or decrease the size of the crate, depending on your requirements. It’s a collapsible crate with a sliding floor that makes it quite easy for you to clean the dog’s crate.
Plastic pet carriers are great for training purposes as well. Pets that are traveling via air are commonly transported in these crates. However, being enclosed on 3 sides reduces the amount of sunlight your pup can get. Cleaning it is quite an ordeal as well.
Soft-sided dog crates tend to be lightweight, thus allowing you to carry them easily during your travels. However, dogs with excessive scratching or chewing behaviors may escape from the crate if not handled properly. This crate should not be used for housing young puppies.
Regardless of the crate you select, it’s important that they be of the right size. Your dog crate should have ample space to turn around and sleep comfortably. It shouldn’t be too big since that could result in your dog reserving one corner for sleeping activities and another corner for defection/urination.
Wire crates have a divider built into them, which is of great help while crate training young puppies. You can confine the dog to one corner of the dog crate using this divider and make it larger depending on the size of your growing puppy.
How To Introduce The Dog Crate To Your Pup
It’s important that your puppy have a positive crate training experience. The crate must be introduced very slowly. You can start by placing a soft cover inside the crate with some of the dog’s most favorite toys. Include some treats as well. Allow your dog the freedom to explore its cage without being forced to do so.
Shower praises and treats on your dog when it enters the crate. Keep the crate door open until it’s fully comfortable resting inside it. Give your dog complete freedom to move around during the initial stages.
Confine the Pup Inside the Crate
Dogs like to have secure, safe spaces that they can treat like their den. If you crate train your dog properly, your pet will treat the crate as a safe haven where it’s comfortable and happy.
Most dogs eventually come around to their crates and learn to use it automatically if they have been house trained successfully. If your dog is disciplined enough not to cause any damage or destruction in your absence, you can give them more freedom to move in and out – they’ll prefer their crates though!
You need to train your dog to adapt to prolonged confinement as well:
- Lure your dog to enter the crate with the help of treats and close it once the dog enters the crate.
- Wait for a while before opening the crate – do this only if your dog has been silent and calm.
- You can slowly start bumping up the time period for which your dog is left alone in its crate until the dog can go for an hour or so without being worried.
- After your dog has grown used to being confined in the crate, leave the room out of its sight for a few minutes.
- Keep bumping up the time period for which your dog is left alone with no one in the room until it can remain quiet for a few hours without any company.
Proofing Behavior
The dog crate must never be used for disciplinary purposes. It’s crucial that your dog have a completely positive view of its crate. Using the crate for punishment can leave your dog with a negative view of it, causing it to feel anxious and fearful inside its crate instead of feeling safe, comfortable, and happy.
You should never permit your dog to exit its crate during a barking or whining session either as that will teach the dog that making noise is enough to get you to open the door. This is a problematic issue and behavior, which can be very hard to unlearn. Only release the dog after it has calmed down.
You shouldn’t ever confine your dog for a period exceeding its capacity to control its bowels or bladder. Puppies and dogs that have not been housetrained shouldn’t be confined for more than 3-4 hours. You can confine older dogs for a bit longer though.
You should also never confine your dog for prolonged periods of time. They should have plenty of playtime, exercise, and cuddles before they’re made to go back to the crate.
Looking for more training and care tips? Check out our other resources:
5 Easy Steps to Help Your Dog Adjust To People Wearing Masks
Source: The Spruce Pets