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While puppies can bring endless happiness and joy to a person’s life, they can get into a lot of mischief when left home alone. The last thing a new dog owner wants is to come home and find chewed furniture, soiled carpet, or damaged belongings. It’s important to take the time to train your dog while it is young, in order to easily avoid these problems. Crate training is a popular and effective method for training a young puppy.

What is Crate Training?

Crate training is simply teaching a dog to willingly use a crate, and it’s much easier than you might think. Dogs who are crate trained are able to use their crate as a happy, safe place and go in and out of their crates calmly and without force. This can help with house-training and helping your dog learn the rules of a new home.

Why Crate Training?

There are many benefits of crate training for puppies; mostly importantly to help them become comfortable when they need to be inside their crate. Many dog owners claim their dogs love their crates, and enjoy spending time relaxing or playing with a toy in their crates. Crates can reduce anxiety and provide a safe, positive place for dogs to go if they become overwhelmed or stressed. Crate training can also help make sure your dog doesn’t soil the furniture or carpet while you’re away, as dogs do not want to soil their own beds. Another great reason to crate train is to make sure your puppy stays safe when you can’t be there to watch it.

Steps for Crate Training a Puppy

The first step to crate training your puppy is to choose an appropriate crate. It’s important that the crate is well ventilated and large enough for the dog to have space to stand or move around comfortably. Remember, your puppy is growing rapidly, so think about the size your dog will be when it is fully-grown. While your puppy is still young, you can use a divider to make its dog crate smaller. If the crate is too large, the puppy may have extra space to use the crate as a bathroom without soiling its bed. Dividers are available at most pet stores.

Next, introduce your puppy’s crate as a welcoming and happy place. Line the crate with blankets, add some toys and make sure it’s in a room with dim lighting to make the crate more den-like. Begin allowing your puppy to use the crate for 5-10 minute increments, for naps or to wind down. Gradually increase the time the puppy uses the crate. It’s a good idea to allow your puppy to sleep in its crate overnight. Your puppy may whine and cry a little at first, but will eventually get used to the crate. Give your puppy a treat for using its crate.

The most important part of crate training is to take your dog outside to use the bathroom each time you take it out of the crate. The puppy will begin to learn to wait until after crate time to eliminate. Give your puppy a treat each time it uses the bathroom outside.

Quick Tips for Crate Training

• Give your puppy a treat each time he uses his crate to help it build a positive association with the crate.
• Never use your dog’s crate as a punishment or place for time-out, as the puppy will begin to see the crate as a negative place.
• Make sure to take your puppy out of its crate at regular intervals throughout the day to play, use the bathroom and eat. Never leave your dog in a crate all day.
• Crate train your puppy while it is still young, but allow it to become comfortable in a new home first. Nine to ten weeks old is an ideal age to train a puppy.

Remember, crate training takes time, and it’s important to stay patient with your puppy to make sure the training is a positive experience. Eventually, the crate will be a warm and welcoming place for your puppy to rest and relax. Once your puppy is crate trained, you will be able to enjoy watching your puppy grow without having to worry about damage to furniture, carpets or other items in the house.