Bringing home a puppy is a very happy and exciting time full of love and completely adorable moments. Watching them eat and play and the funny ways they fall asleep just fills you up with warm fuzzies, right!
Okay, let’s be real and acknowledge all the fun, like the first time they chew your shoes, eat a sock, pee on the carpet, dig out your plants, leave footprints on your furniture, run out the door, bark in the crate etc. It’s our job to train our puppy all these things: what to chew, where to potty, where to sleep, and all their good manners. It doesn’t take long before your puppy leaves you feeling overwhelmed and tired of it all.
I tell owners all the time that during puppyhood, your number one most favourite training tool should be… THE CRATE! The crate does 2 things directly in your favour:
1) Trains your puppy for you and
2) Gives you a well-deserved break!
So, how does the crate train the puppy for you? Let’s see what it can do:
- Teaches your dog to not potty in the house
- Teaches your dog to calm down and relax
- Teaches confidence and prevents separation anxiety
The crate teaches your pup the skills to prevent the top 3 behaviour issues we see in dogs! All while you go to work, or run errands, or take a bubble bath! This is why I am so surprised when owners don’t get a crate from day #1. If you bring home your puppy and start the crate training from the beginning, you will have great success. But if you are just getting a crate when your puppy is 6 months old or even 1 year, it’s okay- you can crate train at any time! Here are some tips on how to crate train your puppy:
First, you will want to make your dog’s association with the crate a positive one and the best
way to do that is with food. Keep this simple and feed your puppy their meals in the crate.
Every time they go into the crate, they should get some food or a small treat so they love going into their crate.
If we go ahead and get a little deeper with our dog’s natural instincts, we know that dogs like to rest in a small dark and cozy den. Let’s use this knowledge to our advantage and make the
crate similar to a den. The crate should be just a bit bigger than your puppy so they have just
enough room to stand and turn around. You can make the crate or the room darker and you
can of course add a bed or blanket in the crate to make it cozy. Who wouldn’t want to take
multiple naps everyday in a small cozy bed designed just for them!
The size of the crate is very important when it comes to house training. I see owners get a big crate for their little puppy because they don’t like the idea of their dog in a “tiny cage” and they want them to have more room. What I have observed is quite frankly, dogs don’t want more space, and if you give them a larger crate than they need, they do not learn house training. When a puppy is in a smaller crate, they learn to hold it until they can go outside for potty time because they don’t want to soil the space they have to sleep in. If they have more space, they will soil one side of their crate, and sleep on the other side. More work for you to clean it up and no training here! Size matters in this case!
With all this talk of the crate, it’s important to say here that the time your dog is out of the crate needs to be enriching so that when time comes to go back to their crate for a treat and a nap, they feel fulfilled and satisfied and will readily calm in the crate. When you take your dog out of their crate, you should always let them have time to potty outside and when they do, make sure it’s very positive and they get a reward! The rest of the time out of the crate can be filled with exercise, training such as leash skills, some exploring, some socializing, whatever you want to do with your puppy –BUT always keep your dog supervised with you.
Puppies need lots of sleep and rest during the day is important. With a daily routine, your dog will learn the crate is rest time and it’s a time to be calm. Practicing being calm everyday is very good for our dogs as they grow up. They learn what I call the ‘off switch’ so that you can have a fun and playful puppy but when the time comes, they know how to calm down.
Another big behaviour issue we see with our dogs is separation anxiety. This is when your dog is very upset when you leave them, whether it be to go to work or to simply go to the bathroom.
When we have an adorable puppy following us around all the time, we get joy from the cuteness and companionship - BUT we need to make sure we aren’t conditioning a dog who cannot be alone and develops separation anxiety. Another reason why the crate is such a great training tool! When your puppy has time alone in their crate often, they learn that being alone is okay. They develop confidence and it helps to prevent issues in the future.
The time your puppy is out of the crate needs to be supervised so you can train them. Truth is, you need to be watching them and teaching them how you’d like them to behave. Until you’ve had time and the dog is mature enough to fully understand the lessons, you need to be supervising them when they’re out of the crate. If you don’t see them, you need to assume they are doing something that you don’t like. It’s better to never let them start doing a bad habit like eating shoes or digging plants which can be very reinforcing.
So, if you’re bringing home a puppy and you want to effectively house train them, have an easy lifestyle, save a lot of stress and cleaning, and train a well behaved calm and confident dog, then your number one training tool that you need is … A CRATE!
If you are looking for more info and help with training your puppy, check out my Puppy Package! It starts with a 2 hour home visit where we set up your goals and training plan that works perfectly for you and your puppy’s lifestyle. This is followed by 8 more sessions where we practice and advance your training as your puppy matures and grows. Contact me if you’re interested - I’m here to help! CLICK HERE to CONTACT ME.
Happy training!
Aly
Dog trainer, Animal behaviourist Whitby, ON