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Crate Training for your Puppy
Crate Training for your Puppy by Dy Witt
Teaching your puppy crate training is the first and best
step in his life. It makes all the other steps in his
training go so much smoother, much like a solid foundation
makes for a superior wall. Establishing you as the Alpha
member of his "pack" is one very good reason for starting
your puppy in a crate when he is very young.
Another reason for crate training is that dogs love
predictability. To know what is going to happen in any
given situation makes him happy, and more apt to be the
best-behaved dog he can possibly be.
A strong crate is the very basis of good puppy training. A
wire crate with a lock is the best kind. Make sure it is
large enough for him to stand up and turn around. But not
so large that he can roam and wander around. A too-large
crate will inhibit house breaking. A crate that is just the
right size will be perceived as his "nest", where puppies
never "go potty". They will learn to hold it if you don't
make a prison out of it.
Never leave a puppy under 8 weeks longer than one hour in
his crate. He will soil it, after struggling and suffering
as long as he can.
Put a nice pad in there with a bone. Start with placing a
tasty treat in there, he will go in and get it. Do this
several times without closing the door, let him come in and
out freely for an hour or so. Praise him highly each time
he goes in, make it all very pleasant.
Then when his attention is on his treat, close the door.
Praise him quietly, "What a good boy, it's ok, such a good
boy!" In 10 or 20 seconds, no longer, let him out without a
word, no praise, just a pat. Do this for increasingly
longer intervals, but do not give him a chance to get upset.
You can do this several times the first day.
Make sure every training session ends on a happy note, this
is crucial.
Once he sees the crate is his own private territory, he will
go in there on his own, expecting treats and your attention.
When he does, say, "Wanna crate?" with a happy face while
getting his treats. Start leaving the room while he is in
there for 2 minutes and onward, gradually. When you return,
don't make a fuss, just walk over and open the crate. In 3
days he will be officially crate-trained, ready to be left
alone for an hour, no longer at first. Leave him gradually
longer, slowly and carefully.
Q. Why do I want a crate for my puppy?
A. Because they love it is the best reason. They feel very
safe and secure in there. Here are some more:
When you leave a puppy alone, he always has some measure of
separation anxiety. This leads him to any behavior that
brings him comfort, which is chewing, digging, or when it is
severe, voiding his bowels. When placed in a crate, he
feels safe because nothing can get to him, nothing can harm
him. He will sleep and chew and wait for you to return.
Crate training is the first step in being able to leave him
overnight at the vet. Without it he will cry the entire
time, feeling lost and abandoned. With crate training, he
is sure you will return, you always do. Of course the vet's
office is strange and will cause him some anxiety, but
nothing like the pure terror he will feel without experience
in being locked in.
NOTE: About crate-training, do not make a prison of his
crate. Do not use it as punishment. Do not leave him there
for more than 2 hours, just time for a long puppy nap and
some chew time. After that he will cry. Do not remove him
while he is crying. This will make him think he has to cry
to get out. No matter what, make sure he is being good when
you open the door. He will learn he has to be quiet to get
out.
Do not make a fuss when you are letting him out, just
quietly open the door and take him out to potty. When he
potties, praise him to high heaven! Dogs naturally do not
go where they nest, but sometimes it happens. Do not scold,
just clean it out with a bland face. He will learn the
lesson. If possible, try to clean it while he is outside so
he returns to a clean crate.
In 25 years of training dogs, I have never seen any one
thing more critical for a dog's well-being than good crate
training.
If you want to read more about Dy's training techniques, go to
www.DogTraining15MinsADay.com
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