All the puppy crate training advice you need!

Do you have questions about crate training a puppy?  Do you have vague doubts about whether it’s ‘cruel’ or not?  Are you looking for a straightforward ‘how-to’ guide on puppy crate training (or dog crate training)?

If so, this guide to crate training puppies is for your!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years of raising puppies, it’s that crate training a puppy is one of the best decisions you can make.

In fact, crate training a dog of any age is the best way to ensure that your four-legged friend is a pleasure to have around and that your home stays clean and sweet smelling.  So, on that note …crate training a puppy, here we come!  A dog crate is an amazingly versatile piece of equipment.  It’ll help you and little Fido in more ways than you might think.  Crate training a puppy can:

• Help you housebreak your puppy (protect your carpets)
• Keep him safe when you’re not around to supervise (keep the veterinary bills down)
• Keep him out of trouble (protect your furniture, rugs, shoes and every wire in your house).
• Keep him safe when traveling in the car or by air (put your mind at rest).

Crate Training Puppies………….let’s get started

When you think Fido’s ready to spend some time with the door closed start with very short periods and work up.  Here are some more rules of crate training and a couple of pointers to make this part of crate training a puppy a bit less stress full for you both:

Take a potty break first.

Make sure Fido has been outside to ‘do his business’ before you crate him, even for short periods.  This way when he starts fussing right away you know he doesn’t have an urgent need to ‘go’ and cuts down on chances he’ll eliminate in the crate, which defeats the purpose of crate training as an aid to housebreaking.

Put his favorite toy I with him.

It’s a good idea to have a special toy for Fido to play with only when he’s in his crate.  Make sure it’s something he really likes and is safe (no loose parts etc.)  It’ll stave off boredom and help him forget he’s not outside running around.  If you have an old T-shirt or something similar that you don’t mind getting ruined (it’s possible it’ll get peed on, poooed on or chewed beyond recognition) you could put that in the crate too.  Fido will feel happier and be reassured if he can ‘smell’ you right next to him.

Don’t shut him in and then leave the room.

Young puppies want to be with their people at all times and if you disappear from sight he’ll be scared, and you don’t want him to make those kinds of associations with his crate.

Ignore initial ‘fussing’.

Crate training a puppy is not going to be all smooth sailing.  Almost all puppies will fuss and cy and first few times they’re confined to their crates.  Remember, they want to be right next to you at all times.  If you take little Fido out as soon he starts whining I can guarantee he’ll when even louder and longer next time.  Anyone who’s raised children will know all about this phenomenon!  Stay close by but ignore the racket and don’t make the contact.

There’s one caveat here.  Occasionally you’ll find a puppy that is particularly highly strung and nervous who may suffer from severe separation anxiety when put in his crate.

If your puppy appears ‘hysterical’(whining, barking, scratching, throwing himself around, has a bowel movement or is panting heavily) it’s best to let him out and consult your veterinarian or an experienced dog trained for advice on him best to handle that.  It may be that he has a tendency towards anxious behavior such as separation anxiety.

But don’t be fooled to easily.  Fido may act like a crazy dog for a few minutes but then settle down to the occasional whine.  If he’s generally not an anxious, highly nervous dog he’s unlikely to develop raging anxiety issues because of his crate.

The freedom bell rings!

Wait for quiet before letting him out.

Whether your puppy is in his crate for 5mins or 30mins never open the door and let him out while he’s crying and complaining.  Wait for a lull first or he’ll think he’s getting out because he’s making such a fuss.

Don’t fuss over him when time is up.

When it’s time for Fido to come out of his crate open the door and put on his leash without making a big fuss of him.  Take him outside right away so he can ‘potty’ in his usually spot, then it’s time for play and lots of loving!  If you give him a big welcome the minute his paws hit the kitchen floor it’ll make him desperate to get out the whole time he’s crated.

When you begin crate training a puppy you’ll need to start with short periods of crating and work your way up.  Here’s a general guide to the length of time your puppy can spend in his crate.

9-10 weeks old – 30mins.

11-14 weeks old – 1 – 3 hours

15-18 weeks old – 3 – 4 hours

18 weeks plus 4 – 6 hours

The exception to this over night crating:

Try to put your puppy in his crate beside your bed at night, or at least somewhere you can hear him (although you may wish you couldn’t hear him at 2am).  Remember, he’s still a baby and as such will need to go out to ‘potty; at least once during the night.

Crate training a puppy at night time is easier if your make sure he’s had a potty break and hasn’t had access to drinking water after, say 8pm.  That way he’ll most likely go to sleep for several hours before needing to go out.  Don’t ignore his crying at that point as he won’t be able to hold it in and if forced to potty in his crate it’ll make housebreaking him much more difficult.

What if he ‘goes’ in his crate?

As I explained earlier, crate training a puppy works because dogs are den animals by nature and will try very hard not to mess where they sleep.  If little Fido regularly eliminates in his dog crate the answer may lie in the following check list-

• Is he too young (less than 8 weeks old) and has no bladder/bowel control?
• Did you forget to give him a potty break before you put him in his crate?
• Did he drink a lot of water immediately before being crated?
• Could he have worms or an upset tummy due to a change in diet or stress?
• Could he have a medical problem such as a urine infection?

No matter what reason your pup has for messing in his crate, do be certain to clean the crate thoroughly, so that the scent of his ‘accident’ doesn’t encourage him to get in the habit of re-soiling over and over.

The best type of cleaners to use when you’re crate training a puppy, are the enzymatic ones, which totally break down and destroy the odors associated with urinating, feces and vomit.  Nature’s Miracles is the one I would personally recommend, we use it a lot!

There are also a host of other dog urine cleaning products on the market, click here to see a full list of the ones that we recommend.

Safety issues when crate training puppies and dogs

Now, one of the reasons for crate training a puppy is that it helps to keep him safe-but there are a few things you need to do to make sure he stays that way.

1. Don’t ever leave a chain, prong, training or slip collar on little Fido when you put him in his crate.  It’s quite possible it could get caught up on something and then he’ll panic, the result of that could be tragic.
2. Don’t leave your puppy crated in a hot room, in sunlight (even indoors) or outside in direct sun.  It doesn’t take much for a puppy or dog to overheat, and again the results could be tragic.

When you’re crate training a puppy in hot weather, be especially careful with short nosed breeds (otherwise known as brachycephalic breeds) as they tend to have more difficulty with the heat.  Something similar applies to heavy, thick-coated breeds such as Shetland Sheepdogs, Husky’s etc.

1. A puppy or dog that is crated can tend to feel cornered if approached or teased.  Even an even-tempered, docile dog can react with growling or snapping if he feels threatened.  Never allow children to tease Fido while he’s in his crate or push their fingers through the doors or wire panels.

His crate is meant to be your puppy’s safe haven and as such he has a right to some peace and quiet and to feel safe when he’s inside.

Which Crate? What size?

When crate training a puppy you have 2 basic types of crate to choose from.

The fiberglass crate

This type is made up of three pieces of molded fiberglass or heavy-duty plastic; the top half, the bottom half, and the metal/wire door.  The top and bottom half are joined together with screws or plastic fasteners which makes it easy to take apart for cleaning or storage.

This kind of dog crate provides a securely, enclosed space which resembles the natural den.  It’s strong and durable and is the only crate recommended (or allowed) to be used for dogs who travel by air.  Its main drawbacks are that it does limit little Fido’s view of what’s going on around him and can get hot inside on a warm day.

The wire crate

This type of crate is made up of wire panels and has a plastic pan that fits inside as a floor.  Some models fold down for storage. When you’re crate training a puppy these crates provide good ventilation and allow Fido to see what’s happening in the outside world, but they can be so open as to be quite ‘un-den like’.

If your puppy craves more seclusion but you have a wire crate, throw an old blanket or table-cloth over it.  Don’t use your best stuff though, even if it looks better, as that little chewing machine will probably nibble on (even devour) whatever piece of blanket he can grab.

Crate Size

No matter which type of crate you choose, the SIZE is the most important thing.  When you’re crate training a puppy, you’re taking advantage of his natural instincts not to mess in his den (a small, confined space), this is the key!  If you give them a big, spacious crate with lots of room for toys, bowls, and blankets and so on, it totally defeats the purpose.

You need the crate to be just big enough for your puppy to stand up, sit down, turn around and lie down in, without touching the sides.  If it’s any bigger, chances are good that Fido will designate part of it as a sleeping area, and part as a bathroom-not what you want.

Introducing the Crate

Fido will most likely not have spent much time in a crate before he comes to live with you (except perhaps being shipped by air from the breeder) so crate training will be new to him.

When you’re crate training a puppy it makes the whole process a bit easier.  If you let little Fido get used to the crate, and feel comfortable around it, before he has to spend much time actually inside it.

Something worth mentioning here is that you should never use the crate as punishment. Fido needs to think of his crate as a safe, happy place where the gets the chance to chew on his very favorite toys!  Putting him in his crate as a punishment or when you’re angry with him will undo all the hard work you invested in the first place.

Here are some basic rules of crate training and a few ideas for ways in which you can help Fido get accustomed to his new crate and learn that it’s a fun place to spend time :

• Open access

When you begin crate training, leave the crate door open and throw some really tasty treats inside, all the way to the back.  Puppy curiosity will get the better of your little fur ball sooner or later and he’ll venture inside to claim them.

• Feed him inside

Give Fido his meals inside the crate (with the door open).  This way he learned to associate one of his favorite things (food!) with his crate.  If he seems scared at first try feeding him right outside the crate door a couple of times then try it inside again.

• Play Hide and Seek

Make crate training a puppy fun by playing this game.  Put a tasty treat or special toy inside his crate and then encourage Fido to ‘find’ it.  Using a happy, friendly voice say something along the lines of “where’s your goodie?  Let’s find it?”

Follow the search with praise, such as “Oh, there it is.  It’s in your crate (or bed, house whatever you want to call it).  What a good boy, you found it!”

1. Start at ideal age.
   The best time to begin house training a puppy is when she is 7 to 8 weeks old.  At this age, you can teach your puppy where to eliminate before she has established her own preferences.  But don’t worry if your puppy is older when you start house training, she will still learn, though it may take a little longer.
2. Six to eight times a day, take your puppy outdoors to eliminate.
   Choose an appropriate spot to take your puppy immediately after she wakes up, after play sessions and 15 to 30 minutes after meals.  If you take your puppy to the same spot every day, previous odors will stimulate her to urinate or defecate.  Be sure to pick up fecal material immediately as parasite eggs are often present in the material and can cause reinfestation.  Many puppies need 15 to 20 minutes of moving around and sniffing before they eliminate.  Stay with your puppy the entire time.  House training problems can result if you’re unsure whether your puppy actually eliminated and you let her return to the house too soon.  And remember your puppy needs to focus on the job at hand, so don’t play with her until she has eliminated.
3. Use a key phrase while your puppy eliminates.
   If you repeat the same phrase (e.g. go potty, take care of business) every time your puppy eliminates outdoors, she will learn this phrase means it’s the right time and place to eliminate.
4. Once your puppy eliminates outdoors, immediately reward her.
   Reward your puppy by praising her, giving her a treat, or playing with her.  But remember reward needs to be given immediately.  Your puppy will not learn to eliminate outdoors if the reward comes when she returns to the house.  Instead your puppy will think she is being rewarded for coming into the house.
5. Supervise your puppy indoors as well as outdoors.
   Find a room in your house that allows you to watch your puppy as much as possible.  This will help you catch her if she starts to eliminate indoors.
6. When you leave home, put your puppy in a crate.
   If you can’t keep continuous watch on your puppy, leave her in a small puppy proof area, such as a crate.  If the crate is large enough to accommodate your puppy as an adult, partition it to avoid having your puppy soil in one end and sleep in the other.  And remember, young puppies’ bladder and bowel capacities are limited, so let your puppy out at least every 2-4 hours.
7. Don’t punish after the fact.
   If your puppy has an accident in the house, don’t go get her and rub her nose in it.  This doesn’t do any good because the misbehavior has already occurred.  Instead, try to catch your puppy is getting ready to soil in the house, don’t swat at her.  Instead, stomp your foot, shake a can filled with pennies or startle her by yelling, “outside!”  Your puppy will likely stop what she is doing and you can take her out to eliminate.
8. Don’t leave food out all day.
   Feed your puppy at set times every day, and remove the food bowl after 20 minutes.  This will create regular intervals at which your puppy will need to eliminate.
9. Thoroughly clean areas where your puppy has eliminated in the house.
   Your veterinarian can recommend a safe, effective product that removes both stain and odor.  It is important to clean a soiled area completely or your puppy may return to the spot to soil it again.
10. Stick with the training program.
    Most puppies can be successfully house trained by 14 to 20 weeks of age.  But a Pet may take longer

• It is very important to establish routine healthcare at an early age. By doing so you can prevent disease, prolong the life of your dog and improve your dog’s quality of life.
• It is extremely important to find a veterinarian that you trust.
• Make sure that you give your puppy all of its vaccinations. These vaccinations produce immunity to distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Puppies receive a series of these shots until they reach the proper degree of immunity, around three or four months old. Your dog will require annual booster shots and will also need regular rabies shots.
• DO NOT take your puppy to pet shops, malls, or to visit friends or family until it has had all its shots. A young puppy is very susceptible to all germs and diseases. Remember there are sick dogs at your vets office. Handling of your puppy by people other than your veterinarian or his assistant is not advisable. When a puppy has not had all of its shots or the shots have not been given properly, will expose the puppy to all kinds of disease. These disease can sometime be deadly to the puppy.
• One infection disease is the Parvovirus. This virus is infected through the feces of infected dogs. The virus begins to be shed just before clinical sighs develop and continues for about ten days, Susceptible dogs become infected by ingesting the virus. Subsequently, the virus is carried to the intestine where it invades the intestinal wall causes inflammation. The clinical signs of this virus is vomiting and diarrhea. The diarrhea often has a strong smell, may contain lots of mucus and may or may not contain blood.
• Additionally, affected dogs often exhibit a lack of appetite, marked listlessness and depression, and fever, Not all dogs my show every clinical sign, but vomiting and diarrhea are the most common and consistent signs. Young puppies less than five months of age are usually the most severely affected and the most difficult to treat. Proper vaccinations can help prevent the infection of this deadly disease.

This is a central nervous system disorder caused by a low blood sugar. It occurs mainly in toy breeds between six and twelve weeks of age. Often it is precipitated by stress. The first signs are those of listlessness and depression. They are followed by muscular weakness, tremors, (especially in the facial area), and later convulsions, coma and death. The entire sequence is not always seen. The puppy may simply appear to be depressed or he may be weak, wobbly and jerky or he may be found in a coma. Hypoglycemia can occur without warning when a puppy is placed in a new home or while being shipped. It might appear after a puppy misses a meal, chills, becomes exhausted after too much playing or has a digestive upset.
TREATMENT MUST BE STARTED AT ONCE. If the puppy is awake, give him Karo syrup, honey, or sugar in water by mouth. He will begin to improve in 30 minutes. When he is unconscious he will have to be given a dextrose solution intravenously. A vet should be called at once.
PREVENT RECURRENT ATTACKS BY FEEDING A HIGH QUALITY DIET AND ADD TO IT SUGAR, SYRUP, OR HONEY. ALSO GIVE IT NUTRI-CAL AT LEAST TWO OR THREE TIMES A DAY. SEE THAT THE PUPPY EATS OFTEN AND RECIEVES A DAILY VITAMIN. OWNERS OF TOY PUPPIES SHOULD NOT OVERTIRE THEM OR ALLOW THEM TO CHILL.

• Make sure that your new puppy has plenty of fresh food and water at all times.
• MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PUPPY EATS.
• Choose a food that is high in nutrients as puppies grow rapidly. At times during their rapid growth and development – until around 4 to 6 months of age – puppies require up to two or three times the amount of most nutrients and calories per pound of body weight compared to their needs as an adult dog.
• Do not make a sudden or drastic change in food or lifestyle as this causes STRESS. STRESS CAN BE DEADLY.
• Keep a good high calorie food supplement such as NUTRI-CAL in your puppies system as small breeds are prone to HYPOGLYCEMIA.

• Do not allow your puppy or steps or near steps or stairs or on furniture unattended. They could fall and get hurt.
• Do not leave a collar on your puppy unless you are in the immediate area and can watch it closely.
• Keep drapery and blind cords away from your puppy as it can get tangled up in them and can hang them.
• Remember electrical cords can kill a puppy if it chews them!
• Never give a puppy rawhide bones, if they are chewed down to a small size your puppy
  may try to ingest them with grave consequences

Acetaminophen, antifreeze and other car fluids, bleach and cleaning fluids, boric acid, deodorants, deodorizers, detergents, de-icing salts, disinfectants, drain cleaners, furniture polish, gasoline, hair colorings, week killers, insecticides, kerosene, matches, mothballs, nail polish and remover, paint, prescription and non-prescription medicine, rat poison, rubbing alcohol, shoe polish, sleeping pills, snail or slug bait, turpentine, windshield-wiper fluid

If your dog has come in contact with any of these times, some symptoms of possible poisoning are:

• vomiting
• diarrhea
• difficult breathing
• abnormal urine
• salivation
• weakness

You should contact your veterinarian or poison control center immediately.

These foods may cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and/or diarrhea:
Wild Cherry, almond, apricot, balsam pear, Japanese plum

May cause varied reactions:
Yeast dough, coffee grounds, macadamia nuts, tomato and potato leaves and stems, avocados, onions and onion powder, grapes, raisins, chocolate, pear and peach kernels, mushrooms(if also toxic to humans) rhubarb, spinach, alcohol