How to Crate Train a Dog

Crate training your dog from an early age can save you a lot of time and aggravation while getting your new family member adjusted to the house and house rules. Proper crate training will eliminate unwanted accidents on your floor and furniture, and it will keep puppies from chewing. Crate training can be a process, but if you follow these steps, the effort will pay off.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Select a crate. Crates come in plastic or metal. You don't want your crate to be too big. It should provide just enough room for your dog to turn around.

2. Place the crate in an area where you spend a lot of time, such as a family room. Direct your dog into the crate, but don't force him. If you do, he will become afraid of the crate. Praise him for staying in the crate, then shut the door.

3. Stay in a place where your dog can see you. If she starts whining, don't come to her. She needs to get used to being in the crate, and letting her out only encourages more whining. When she stops whining for 5 or 10 minutes, praise her.

4. Take your dog out of the crate after a certain time, and take him outside. Do this several times throughout the day. This will show him that he shouldn't eliminate in the crate, but rather wait for you to take him outside.

5. Keep your dog in the crate whenever you are not in a room or have to leave the house. The crate keeps the dog confined, and it will teach her about respecting space.

6. Praise your dog whenever he goes into the crate voluntarily. After awhile, the dog will spend time in the crate on his own. This will become his personal space.

Tips & Warnings

• Crate training is not a foolproof way to potty train your dog. You still have to teach him that going outside is the right thing to do. That comes with praise when he does eliminate outside and punishment when he goes inside.
• Always praise your dog when he does something right. Praise will ensure that he keeps doing it.
• Make sure the crate is only big enough for the dog to turn around and lie down. Any bigger and he will use one part to sleep and the other part to eliminate.
• Don't put any sort of blanket or towel in the crate until the dog gets used to it. After the dog starts to treat the space as her own, you can add blankets and toys.

Resources

• Get more hints for training your dog

[CSeida08]

on 3/14/2009 Thanks so much for the great article. I've never had much luck crate training my dogs due to severe anxiety issues on their part. We just got a new addition who, for safety, needs to adjust to it. Your article was quite helpful and encouraging!

[dogservicenet]

on 5/30/2008 One solution to help potty train your dog is The Pet Loo. It's a lifelong cost effective solution, where unlike wee wee pads, it does not pollute our Earth. The Pet Loo has perforated synthetic grass to give your dog the feeling of going on real grass. The perforations create a urine drainage system to allow the urine to flow through a slightly slanted tray, which creates gravity, and therefore pushes the urine thrugh a small hole and into a catch bucket. The catch bucket is then removed at the end of the day by using the handly to pull it out and then the urine gets flushed down the toilet.

It's recommended to clean The Pet Loo daily by pouring warm water over the grass to flush any of the excess urine.

For more information, please visit: www.dogservicenetwork.com/thepetloo/general_info.html