How to Crate Train a Pug
Pug puppies are known to be stubborn, difficult to train and manipulative. While not particularly destructive, they're also known for being extremely difficult to house train. Crate training your pug puppy not only provides a safe place for your pug puppy to rest, play and sleep, it will help minimize house-training difficulties. Crate training draws upon your pug puppy's instincts to avoid eliminating where it sleeps.
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Instructions
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Obtain a crate of an appropriate size for your pug puppy. Pugs are 10 to 14 inches high at the shoulder. An adult pug will need a crate that is 16 to 18 inches tall. However, your pug puppy needs a crate suited to its current size. Your puppy needs only enough space to stand up, turn around and lie down. Purchasing a crate with a divider is the most economical choice.
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Set the crate up in a room your pug puppy spends a lot of time in. Pugs are curious and good natured. Allow it to use its curiosity to poke around the crate at will. Once the puppy is no longer fascinated with it, move to the next step.
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Start feeding your pug puppy its dinner in the crate so your pug will associate the crate with good things. All pugs love to eat. At first, place its bowl right inside the door and move it a bit further back every day. Feed the puppy dinner in the back of the crate every night for a week.
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Shut the door while your puppy is in the crate eating dinner. Open the door after it's finished eating and only if it is quiet. Never, ever open the door if your puppy is whining or crying. Do this every night for a week.
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Start placing your pug puppy in the crate and closing the door. Feed your puppy treats through the door. Gradually increase the time between each treat. When your puppy is waiting 5 minutes between every treat, move on.
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Place your puppy in the crate and shut it in. Give it a special toy or bone. Leave the puppy alone for 10 minutes. Increase this time by 1 minute a day until your puppy can stay alone, in the crate, with you in the room for 30 minutes.
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Place your puppy in its crate. Leave the room. After 5 minutes, come back and let your pug puppy out. Increase this time by 1 minute a day until your puppy stays alone by itself without whining or barking for 30 minutes. After that, increase the time by 5 or 10 minutes until your puppy can stay alone for 2 hours.
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Don't leave your puppy in its crate for too long. Pugs are very social and if left alone for too long, they will be unhappy and destructive. A puppy can only stay in a crate for 1 hour per month of life.
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Use the crate as a housebreaking tool. When you can't have your eye directly on your pug puppy, put it in its crate. This includes at night and when you leave the house. Let the puppy out of its crate and take it directly outside upon arrival home of an evening and upon rising in the morning. Your puppy instinctively won't eliminate in its crate and as such, the crate prevents accidents, training your pug to wait.
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Tips & Warnings
Never leave your pug puppy in a crate longer than 3 hours at the most. A good rule of thumb suggests that a puppy can be crated for only as many hours as it is months old.
References
- Photo Credit Santa Pugs image by wingsinmoonlight from Fotolia.com
