How to Crate Train a Puppy

Once you've picked out your new little friend, you have to bring him home and train him. One of the best methods to use for puppies is crate training. Proper crate training can allow you to quickly housebreak your puppy and avoid most of the accidents. Most dogs will not soil their sleeping area, so crate training can help your dog quickly develop bladder and bowel control.

The first day you bring your puppy home you should also buy a crate. Make sure you buy the right size crate for your puppy. If it is too large, the puppy may simply use one end for its bathroom area. You should line the crate with an old towel or part of a blanket, preferably one that has your scent on it.

When you first bring the puppy home take him to the area in the yard where you want him to eliminate. You will continue to bring him back to this same spot for several weeks. Allow him a few minutes, if he performs give him a treat, praise him, and allow him a few minutes to play outside.

If the puppy does not perform, take him in the house and put him in the crate, but don't leave him alone. Take him outside in thirty minutes and try again. When your puppy has successfully eliminated outside allow him to explore some areas of the house. After 30 to 45 minutes lure the puppy back to the crate with treats and confine the puppy in the crate. It is better to move the crate as you move from room to room or at least stay in sight so the puppy does not feel abandoned. Your dog will probably need to eliminate about every two hours, so do not give him prolonged freedom in your house until he is trained. If the puppy had an accident outside the crate simply clean it up. Do not punish the dog, instead decrease the time period he spends out of the crate and increase the frequency of trips to the outside elimination area.

It may take several days to a few weeks to train your puppy. During this time you will have to take the puppy out frequently, including during the night, to avoid accidents in the house or in his crate. You should be able to gradually increase the time the puppy spends out of his crate and the time between trips outside to the elimination area until eventually your puppy will be trained.

In the first few weeks during crate training a puppy can easily feel abandoned or isolated. This is the reason you line the crate with something that has your scent. The anxiety from isolation can lead to accidents or other incorrect behavior such as chewing. For at least the first few weeks you should not leave a puppy home alone. You also should not leave the puppy in a room by himself or in the crate for extended periods. After you put the puppy in the crate stay in the room for a few minutes. When you first start leaving the puppy alone in a room, go back to the crate every few minutes and praise the puppy. You can gradually increase the time the puppy is alone until he can spend a few hours alone in his crate.

You should never force your puppy into his crate but rather lure him with treats. You should not use the crate as punishment. If the puppy is particularly rambunctious or won't stop a bad behavior such as chewing, it is all right to briefly place a misbehaving puppy in the crate and ignore him until he settles down, but only for a minute or two. A puppy or older dog should not be left alone all day in a crate. That is too much time in a confined space. The limit as he gets older should be three to five hours. If you need to leave a dog alone longer than that, they should be confined in a larger area.

If your puppy whines while in the crate you should ignore him for the most part. Unless it has been at least an hour since he went out, do not give in and let him out of the crate. If you think he may need to go outside, take him out to the elimination area and give him a brief chance to perform. If he does not perform do not allow him any freedom, but take him right back inside to his crate and ignore him until he stops whining.

It can be difficult to tell whether a puppy is whining to be let out of the crate or whining to go outside. You have to use your own judgement, but after the first week or so your puppy should have started to control his bladder and bowel urges, and ignoring the whining should not lead to accidents. Keep in mid that a puppy that is ill can have trouble with house training and should be taken out more frequently. Also any changes in diet or getting shots at the vet can create digestive problems that might mean more frequent trips outside.

Puppies bought from pet stores that have been allowed to live with the scent and presence of animal waste can be extremely hard to crate train. You may need to spend more time socializing a pet store puppy, take them out more frequently, and give them extra attention. A puppy from the pet store can also be more vulnerable to isolation and abandonment issues so be prepared for training to take longer and require more interaction from you.

These crate-training methods should work for most puppies in a matter of weeks. And, although you may think it's cruel to confine a puppy to a crate, keep in mind that dogs instinctually crave a den like environment. If crate training is done properly, most dogs will come to view their crates as a safe haven and enjoy the time they spend there.