Crate Training Puppies: How to Avoid Accidents

Before you bring a puppy into your house, you need to prepare. One of the best ways to house train a puppy is by crate training. Crate training involves preparing a safe place where your puppy can be confined, so that he will not have accidents in the house. The crate is only a tool to curb accidents; you cannot use it as a babysitter for a puppy. If you do not have a few weeks to devote to the techniques, crate training will probably not be successful.

The first step is buying the right size crate or kennel. You should buy a size where your pet will not be too cramped, but not so big that he can use one end as a bathroom and comfortably lay down at the other end. For a puppy that will eventually grow into a large dog you may need two sizes of crate. Dogs are taught while they are with their mothers not to soil the place where they sleep, so there is already a good foundation for your puppy to avoid soiling his crate. Once you have the right size crate you need to put something with your scent in the crate along with a safe toy. A tee shirt or towel that is not freshly laundered works great. The toy should be something specifically made for puppies and not have any small parts that can be chewed off or anything that he might choke on.

When you first bring the puppy home, take him to the area of the yard you want him to use for elimination. You will need to consistently use this same place for a few weeks; the smell of his own waste will trigger the idea that this is the proper place for elimination. After fifteen minutes or so, take him inside and start crate training. Lure him into the crate with a treat and sit in front of the crate with the door open. You can allow him to leave and explore a little but, after ten minutes, lure him back to the crate. While you are doing these steps, you should begin to get him used to your terms for these behaviors, such as "go out" and "in kennel". Use the same words every time. After he has been in and out of the crate several times over an hour, take him back outside to the elimination spot and give him about fifteen minutes to perform.

If he performs, give him treats and praise and allow him to play outside for a short time. If he does not perform take him back inside, lure him into the crate, and try again in thirty minutes. Once he has eliminated outside, allow him limited freedom to explore a few rooms of your house while keeping an eye on him. After an hour or so take him back outside to give him a chance to eliminate and then lure him back into the crate. This time shut the door but do not leave him alone. This is a perfect time give him something to keep him busy, a toy with a little peanut butter works great. You should start to increase the time he is in the crate, you can briefly leave the room, but come back frequently and reassure him he has not been abandoned. For the first few days, your puppy should go outside every two to four hours. You can go the full four hours at night, but any longer and you are risking an accident in his crate, which can undo all the training you have worked on.

When your puppy has an accident and he will, just clean it up, say no briefly and calmly, and take him outside to the elimination area. Do not punish the puppy, you'll only encourage him to have his accidents in a hidden place. If he is successful outside gave him lavish praise and treats and some freedom. If he is not successful, take him back inside to his crate. An accident usually indicates he is either spending too much time outside the crate or he is not going outside often enough. You need to adjust your technique accordingly. The whole point of crate training is that he will instinctually avoid soiling the crate. Time in the crate is how he learns to hold the urge and develop bladder and bowel control.

It may take several days to a few weeks to train the puppy. During this time, he will need to go out frequently and requires lots of positive reinforcement and attention. If you cannot spare at least seven to ten days of full time attention by you or someone else, you will probably not be able to appropriately socialize the puppy or properly house train him. You can not start leaving a puppy home alone all day after only two or three days training.

During the first few weeks of crate training, a puppy can easily feel isolated or abandoned. It is important that he not be left alone for long periods of time until he has gotten used to the new surroundings. At night, it is best to keep the crate next to your bed. He needs to be able to hear you and know he is not alone. If your puppy whines at night, put your fingers on the crate and allow him to sniff and lick your fingers. He may whine for a few nights, but do not give in and let him out of the crate.

When you take the puppy out during the night and first thing in the morning, it is best to carry him out to the elimination area. Allowing him to walk freely or be leashed means he may stop somewhere on the way to relieve himself. You should do this for several weeks to two months. When you are comfortable that he understands the concept of eliminating outside and he can go an entire night without going out, you can allow him more freedom and let him walk freely or be led outside on a leash.

If you think the puppy is whining because he has to go out, carry him right outside and allow him a chance to eliminate. Do not engage in play or allow him any freedom. Take him back inside after five or ten minutes. If he performs, put him back in the crate and firmly, but calmly say "no whining", and then ignore him. If he does not perform, put him back in the crate for thirty minutes or so and try again. Once you are sure he is not whining to go out you should ignore the puppy, but remember four hours is the limit he can spend in his crate without going outside, so set an alarm to make sure you don't sleep longer than four hours.

After the first couple of days, you can gradually increase the time the puppy spends in the crate and you can begin to leave him alone for longer periods of time. You should gradually work up to the point where you can leave the puppy in his crate for a few hours without your company. Most puppies, younger than six months, cannot be left alone all day. You or someone else needs to give them exercise, attention, and a chance to go outside at least every three to four hours. Keep in mind that puppies frequently need to go out after they eat and drink, so do not feed your or give water to the puppy and then immediately confine him for four hours. You will probably come home to an accident and undo all your hard work.

The crate should not be used as a punishment. You should not force your puppy into the crate, but instead lure him with a treat. If the puppy is very wild or keeps demonstrating improper chewing behaviors, you can put him in his crate. You should ignore him for minute or two until he calms down and then, praise him, give him a treat and let him out again. Do not yell at the puppy or demonstrate rough behavior while using the crate. You want the puppy to view the crate as a safe place where he can go to be alone, not a place where he is being punished.

Even older puppies and dogs should not be confined to a crate all day. The time limit as your puppy ages, can be increased to four to six hours. If you need to leave a dog or older puppy longer than that, you should confine them in a larger area. A small room where they have access to their crate, but are not locked inside the crate would be ideal.

Within several days to a few weeks you should be able to successfully train your puppy, but keep in mind that several things can cause setbacks. A puppy that is ill will need to be taken out more frequently and may have trouble sticking to the house training. Also any changes in diet, giving a puppy rich table scraps, or shots at the vet can cause intestinal problems that might require more frequent trips outside. Be aware that some puppies purchased from pet stores, who may be more used to living with the scent and presence of waste, can be very hard to train. They may be more likely to go to the bathroom almost anywhere. A pet store puppy may require more attention, more frequent trips outside, and it may take them much longer to accept being left alone in the crate.

With proper crate training techniques you should be able to train a puppy in one to three weeks. It is essential to follow accepted crate training techniques and not to give in to a whining puppy. While it may seem cruel to leave a whining puppy in a crate, keep in mind that a dog's natural instinct is to seek a den-like environment. If you give your puppy plenty of attention, affection, and praise, while he is out of the crate, he will eventually come to accept the crate as a safe place and even enjoy his time there.

Sources:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/crate_training.html

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

http://www.puppys-place.com/crate_training_your_puppy.html