How to Crate Train Your Pit Bull
Crate training your pit bull is a good idea not only for housebreaking purposes, but also to give you a place to safely keep him when you are away from home. Pit bulls are highly intelligent dogs who tend to get in trouble when left unattended because they can get bored quickly. Crates are also handy when traveling to keep your pet safe in a vehicle. Once your pit bull is properly trained, the crate will become an area of safety that he considers his own.
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Instructions
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Choose a crate that is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in. He will need to be able to stretch out for sleeping as well.
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Place the crate in an area where people in your home spend the most time. Your pit bull should feel like he is part of the family, rather than being crated in an empty room. Place bedding such as newspapers or puppy pads in the crate to protect your floor and give him a soft spot to lay.
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Feed your pit bull in his crate. This will cause him to see it as his special spot rather than a bad place.
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Remove the food from the crate after feeding is over and wait 10 to 15 minutes before removing him from the crate.
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Take him outside to the designated area for bathroom breaks and issue a command, such as "go potty." Offer praise if he does eliminate and bring him back indoors for some supervised play time. If he does not eliminate, place him back in the crate for 15 minutes before trying again.
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Continue taking your pit bull out once an hour and issuing the bathroom command each time. When elimination occurs, reward him with praise and play time. If it does not, he will need to return to the crate. This is not a punishment, do not tell him he is a bad dog. This simply teaches him that eliminating outdoors will lead to a reward while not eliminating does not.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the same door each time you take your pit bull out to eliminate. This will be the door he chooses to use when he learns to let you know he must potty.
Do not let your pit out of the crate when he is whining. This will just encourage him to whine more when he is crated.
Provide your pit bull with at least one toy in his crate to alleviate boredom. Talk to him often as well.
Never leave your dog crated alone for more than eight hours at a time.
Do not use the crate as punishment. He needs to see the crate as a good spot.
References
- Photo Credit Pit image by Mark D. Farthing from Fotolia.com
