Dog

Crate training puppies makes all other puppy training steps much easier - it forms a good foundation. When you are crate training puppies you are also making sure that you establish yourself as the leader in your puppies eyes.

When you decide you are going to crate train your puppy you need to make sure that you buy the correct size crate - he needs to be able to stand up in it (at adult size) and move around. The metal crates are the best.

One thing that you need to make sure of is that you buy the right size crate for your puppy. He must have enough room to stand up and to move around. The metal crates with a door at one side are the best ones to go for - they are nice and strong.

If you go about crate training puppies in the correct way, they will think of their crate as their own special space and be only too happy to be in it. My dog often goes and lies in her crate for a bit of peace and quiet when the family visit!

When he is totally relaxed with this you need to move onto the next stage which is closing the door for a few seconds. So when his attention is on the treat, close the door whilst praising him quietly. No more than 20 seconds though. Let him out and give him a pat, no praise, just a little pat. Repeat this often and gradually increase the length of time the crate is closed. Don’t do it for so long that he gets upset though.

Continue this for a few days, then gradually leave him in there when you are not in the room, but only for a few minutes - he will soon get used to being in there. When you go back into the room, don’t make a fuss, simply walk over to him and open the crate. After about 3 days you will be able to leave him for an hour or so.

Your puppy will soon get so used to his crate, and he will feel secure in there, knowing that you always come back.

People often ask why they should be thinking about crate training puppies. This is partly done because they feel safe in the crate, and also when a puppy is left alone they can start to misbehave by digging, chewing or similar. When he is in his crate he already thinks of this as a safe place so will not start to feel anxious. He will simply rest and play with any toy you have put in there until you come back to let him out.

Don’t ever make his crate into a prison or use it as a punishment, and do not take him out of his crate if he is crying or misbehaving - he will think this is what he has to do to be let out. At the time you open his door he must be being good.

Make sure to visit crate training puppies for house training and learning the basics.