Using Crate Training Effectively

Owning a pet and caring for it are some of the many pleasures in life. No matter how you feel your pet dog will always be there for you. Many a time when you may feel a little down your dog seems to realise and is there for you with a little lick or cuddle. I have always loved dogs and had them from quite an early age so am quite used to them.

One of the hardest things is to find the best method of dog training. I must admit until I started working at a veterinary office where they used crate training I had always thought of this as being quite a cruel way to try and train a dog. How wrong I was!

For those that are not quite sure what crate training is, it’s a method of traing your dogs by using a crate or cage. They get put into the crate to help keep them safe, to give them somewhere to call their own and to help with house training your dog.

If you use crate training in the proper way it really is an effective way to train dogs, and one of the best ways to potty train. No animal will want to knowingly mess in the area they sleep in, so when you use crate training to potty train your dog you can be sure you have a head start.

So how do you go about potty training? Well the first thing is to get your dog used to his or her crate. You do this by introducing him to his crate slowly and encouraging him to go in with the door left open. Gradually you will increase the time that he spends in the crate.

When he is totally happy in his crate with the door open you then start to shut the door. Make sure you stay in the room the first few times that you do this otherwise he may become agitated and you will undo all the work that you have done. It won’t be long until he is happy to stay in his crate, especially if he has his bed and a few favorite toys in there.

Once you can walk out of the room and leave him in his crate for a period of time, which really does not take long to do, you will be able to enforce the potty training side of things.

All you need to do is to remember to let your potty outside (or wherever you want him to go) as soon as you allow him out of his crate, which will be first thing in the morning and any other times during the day. He will instinctively not mess in the crate, and you must immediately praise him when he performs in the right place. Don’t ever make the mistake of telling him off or shouting at him if he makes a mistake and relieves himself before getting outside, just take him to where he should be and clean up the mess.

When you clear up the mess make sure it is cleaned thoroughly as if not he will soon smell even the smallest scent and just continually want to go in the same place.

With a lot of patience and care you will soon have a dog that is totally potty trained, and with the help of the crate this can be a much easier way to house train your puppy.

Related posts:

1. Using a Crate To Train Your Pup
2. Crate Training Puppies – The Basics – Part 2