Crate Training Puppies

jeff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:14:19 +0000

So you've finally took the step in letting your little puppy stay in your house and you're ready to crate him or her! This article will be giving you all the information you need to know when crate training puppies.

Good Sized Crate

When it comes to crate training puppies it is a must that one has a crate big enough for their furry little friend. I tend to go with a crate this is at least double the dog's body size. The reason being behind this is so he/she can have plenty of room to play and lie down.

Keep It Clean

As part of the process to crate training puppies, it will be normal for them to take care of their business in the crate at first. Need not to worry too much about this, because before long the pup will think of this crate as his home. When dealing with the beginning stages of crate training your dog, be sure to check up frequently for possible messups that the dog may have provoked. I like to set my timer to check at about every 2-3 hours, because you just never know when you're dealing with pups!

Allow Time Out

It is important to allow your puppy to get some exercise away from his crate. This is to prevent him or her from getting stiff legged or for any other health problems to occure. If possible, allow your pup to have free time away from his crate for about 6 hours per day.

Over Time Overcome

As time goes on your puppy should be getting use to his crate. At about 3-4 weeks, they usually seem to comprehend that it's more of their home or protection place rather than somewhere to use the bathroom. For some puppies the process of development can come faster. Whether or not if it takes 3 weeks or 3 months, please be patient as all dogs are different

Conclusion

I hope this article was able to give you a good understanding on Crate Training Puppies as it is in important part in the process of house training. If you already own a pup then and haven't trained him for the crates, then do so quick and you will have a much more house savvy dog!

4 Steps to Housebreak Your Dog

jeff — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 05:01:56 +0000

Ask any dog owner what is the most important thing that their new dog learns and 9 out of 10 will say that they want their dog to be housetrained. The problem is that there are more dogs that are not housebroken than are. The reason for that is because many dog owners are not patient enough to train their dogs, so they give up.

Dogs actually do want to please their owners. They are pack animals and because you are the one that provides food and shelter you are the alpha dog; you are the pack leader. But you have to think like a dog and work with them. Housebreaking can be done in four simple steps as follows:

1) Restrict the area that your dog is allowed to freely roam in. This should be no more than the area that you can keep watch over. By limiting the area to what you can supervise you will be able to closely monitor your dog.

2) Be diligent about taking your dog out as you should. Puppies will need to go out more often than older dogs. Always be ready to immediately take the pet outdoors when he wakes up. This is a time that you count on that he will look for a spot to ‘go’. Dogs also ‘go’ after eating, drinking, and exercise. Once again, older dogs can wait much longer than puppies.

3) When you take the dog out be sure to say whatever word or phrase you want him to associate with the deed. Just keep in mind that you may be saying this in public at some point in time so make it something that is not embarrassing. Taking your dog to the same place each time helps him to associate the spot with the deed. Do not play with your dog during these trips outdoors. He needs to understand that the trip has a purpose. When he finishes you should lavish praise on him, let him know he did good.

4) Repeat until your dog gets the idea and begins signaling to you that he needs to go out. If your dog makes a mess indoors it means that you were not monitoring as closely as you should have been. Never punish your dog for accidents. Simply continue with the training and expect that there will be a few accidents along the way. Some dogs continue to have occasional accidents but others will do anything not to ‘go’ indoors.

Many small breed owners find that the use of puppy pads works for their dogs. Rather than taking their little dog out the dog simply messes on the pad and it is disposed of. This also works for dogs that are left alone for long periods of time.