The fundamentals of crate training your puppy
When it comes to house training, crate training is commonly agreed to be the most effective and efficient method of house training a puppy. Using a crate makes house training easier and quicker. But what is involved in crate training your puppy?
Crate training basically involves the use of a crate, which actually looks like cages, to temporarily restrict your puppy’s movement to his sleeping space when you’re not able to fully supervise her. Your puppy should be in that crate at all times unless she’s sleeping, eating, going for a potty break outside with you, or playing under supervision.
The crate will serve as your puppy’s den, which is a place where your puppy (or even when he grows up) feels safe and secure, and enjoying spending time in, sleeping, napping, or when she simply needs to be alone. Based on dogs’ natural dislike of soiling their sleeping and chilling out area, your puppy will not want to soil her own resting quarters, so she will hold her pee and poop until she’s let out of the crate.
This is short-term confinement, and the purpose is to inhibit your puppy’s tendency to urinate and defecate in her den, and only eliminate when she’s released from her crate and taken to an appropriate area, e.g. backyard or outdoor area. This is different from confining your puppy for an extended period of time (long term confinement), such as when you’re not at home. The purpose of long-term confinement is totally the opposite of crate training; it is to restrict soiling incidents to a small protected area while you’re not at home.
How to pick a crate?
Picking the right size of crate for your puppy is crucial. If the crate is too big, your puppy will be able to use one end as a bed and one the other as her toilet area. This then defeats the whole purpose of crate training your puppy, and will set back the house-training process for several weeks!
With regard to choosing the crate, choose one crate that’s large enough for your puppy to comfortably stand up, turn around, and lie down. But don’t worry, you don’t have to keep buying new crates as your puppy grows and increase in size. You can save on money if you buy one crate that can serve as your puppy’s den until she grows up.
Buy an adult-size wire crate and block off some of the inside space with dividers while your dog is a puppy. You can use a wire grille or board as dividers. When your puppy needs a larger area as she grows, you can then slide the dividers back to adjust for more space. Alternatively, you can make a crate yourself and replace it with a larger model as your puppy grows.
Making the crate inviting
You can make the crate a welcoming and inviting place for your puppy to go. Try laying a couple of thick blankets or towels on the floor of the crate, and place some toys and a chew inside. The door should be invitingly open at all times, but should be securely closed when your puppy is inside.
Remember: before your puppy is fully house trained, you shouldn’t allow her to move around in the house freely to avoid accidents. If you allow her access to the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself anywhere she likes. And every time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again.
Where to put the crate?
Whenever you’re crate training your puppy, keep the crate close to you. The best place for the crate to be is the hub of the family: usually the kitchen, anywhere family members gather. Keeping your crate puppy close to you not only makes your puppy house breaking process easier, because you can keep tabs on what your puppy is doing, but also helps build the bond between you and your puppy. Your puppy also needs to feel like a part of the family, it’s important that she does not feel isolated in a new environment.

