When it comes to crate training, a lot of people might think of the crate as a place to go when the puppy is being punished. This is not true, as the crate is like a safe haven for your puppy to go, and once the puppy is used to the crate it will be his favorite spot to go to.
Most puppies love to spend time in crates, but you should not let the puppy spend countless hours in the crate as he will also need to get out around the house to play and go outside to potty. The crate is the place for the puppy when he is confused or scared.
As you are teaching your puppy to get used to his crate, you have to make sure that you do not let him out if he is barking or going crazy. Wait until the puppy calms down before you let him out. Before you know it your puppy will greatly appreciate the crate.
So if you are planning on buying or getting a puppy, you should have already invested in a crate. This is to assure that the puppy knows exactly where it is when you first introduce the puppy into your home. The best places to place your crate are anywhere there is not heavy traffic, such as right in front of a bathroom.
When you bring the puppy home, you should put him inside the house and allow him to start searching for the crate. Leave the door to the crate open, and the puppy should start to wander in and out of it. You can also put a toy or dog treat inside the crate, to give your puppy extra incentive to enter. Once he goes inside praise him, and let him know that he is doing the right thing.
Once your puppy starts going into the crate by itself, you should reward it. You can do this by giving him a dog treat or a new kind of puppy toy to mess around with. This is when you know that your puppy is getting used to the crate.
The next step is getting the puppy used to the crate when the door is closed. This is the final step to crate train your puppy, and you should not let the puppy out if they start to whine, which they will in most cases. The puppy must be completely calm before you let the puppy out of the crate.
Even though it may take some time, crate training is great for your puppy. You can use the crate when you need to leave, when you have family over, or for when your puppy has a medical condition such as diarrhea. If you use a bit of patience and never use the crate for punishment, your puppy should catch on to the crate pretty quick.
