How do you crate train a puppy?

Question

In a few weeks I am getting a maltipoo for my daughter, I first of all need to potty train him and next I need to crate train him. Any suggestions

Answer 1

Dogs will grow fond of being in a cage. Its like their own personal space. I had a golden retriever who loved his cage. I started by putting a favorite toy or a small treat in the cage to get him to go in there while telling him cage. After a few days i would just say cage and he would happily go in his cage. Do not use his/her cage as a punishment. It will confuse the dog. As for potty training I would bring my puppy out every hour or so to get him used to being outside and let him know that that is where he was supposed to potty. The puppy shouldnt potty in his cage if you are away. He/she wont want to sit in his/her own mess while you arent home. Good Luck

Answer 2

What an excellent and responsible question! I have crate trained all my dogs for many years and have never regretted the decision. Here is a link that provides a very good introduction to crate training...http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Crate training should begin from the time you get the puppy home. I usually have two...one in the kitchen and one beside my bed. I like the type that are all metal with no plastic. Your routine for the first few weeks will be to play with the puppy and then put him in the crate to sleep. When he gets up, immediately take him outside to do his business and then play or eat and then back to the crate. Always give him a treat when he goes in the crate so that it is a good thing. Never use the crate as a punishment. The crate should be his private area so kids should not pull him out of there or bother him when he is in there. Dogs like this...it is their own private den. Also, buy a crate big enough for his full size and block off part of it (I use cardboard across the width). That way he will not pee in it. If he is peeing then reduce the size he has available. He doesn't need much, just enough to cuddle up in. Fill it with toys and a warm towel or blanket. I like to take a toy or blanket with me to pick up the new dog and I rub it on the mother so it has her scent.
Good luck with your new sweetie and I hope this helps.

Answer 3

The crate training and potty training can go hand-in-hand.

First, you need to make it a rule that the crate is the dog's "safe place". Never use the crate as punishment. This is where the dog should sleep, have its meals & treats (so it associates the crate with yummy stuff), and where it can go to be by itself. Keep other animals and family members out of the crate; it's the dog's private space; no one else's.

Keep in mind that young puppies have no conscious control over their bowels or bladders until they're about 4 months old. So, if your dog is young than that, he might have "accidents".

If the dog is in its crate, and whines to get outside to go potty, you MUST let it out. If you keep the dog in its crate longer than it can hold its waste, you'll over-ride it's instinct to keep its crate clean, and will be training it to eliminate inside the crate.

To potty train the dog, put the dog on a regular feeding schedule (so it gets its food at the same time each day); this will help to "program" its body to eliminate around the same time each day. Don't leave food or treats out for the dog throughout the day; if it eats all day, it will poop all day. But have fresh water available for it at all times.

Take it outside about 10-15 minutes after each meal, right when it gets up in the morning, and immediately after it wakes up from a nap. These are the times when the dog will generally have to go potty, and if you can take it outside at these opportune moments, it will be easier to train it. Stay with the dog until it's gone potty outside and then praise it a lot.

If the dog makes a mess in the house, do not hit the dog or shove its face into its mess. This does nothing but teach the dog to fear you. Instead, clean up the mess, calmly and firmly tell the dog "no potty in the house", and then IGNORE the dog.

Remember, too, that dogs live "in the moment", so if you start yelling at the dog for a mess it made 10 minutes ago, it won't understand what you're upset about. Only correct the dog the minute the "accident" occurs.

Dogs will usually walk around in tight circles with their nose to the ground just before they squat to go potty. If you see this behavior when the dog is in the house, immediately take the dog outside. This will teach the dog to associate its feeling that it needs to go potty with going outside... and it will start to let you know when it needs to out (by whining or by going to the door.)

Good luck.

Answer 4

I crate trained my boxer from day one. It was hard at first since he was just a puppy and used to sleeping in a pack. They will cry the first night or tow. Beware!! So I put tons of blankets in there for him to cuddle with and a stuffed toy. He crate is his favorite place to go now. It was NEVER used as a punishment. He goes there when he wants to nap, when my daughter is bugging him, when the house is to crowded...all the time.
Also in crate training your puppy will potty train much faster. My little guy was trained within a week or two (and he was six weeks old). GIven - he could NOT hold it for more then 4 or 5 hours. But he let you know when he needed to go out ... its just if I happened to be home at the time...or not asleep.
I dont agree with paper training. It just seems like more of a hassel then actually teaching them anything. Praise works very well. Praise him for going to the bathroom outside in a happy voice and scold him (dont hit) when he does in the house. Also. Make outside about potty time for a while. I know that maybe tough. But you dont want him to go outside and play and forget to go to the bathroom...which they do sometimes if you make outside fun. Once they get a little older and understnad you can then begin outside fun.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

wd2crv and osu_fanz offer nice advice; introduce the crate immediately, as a pleasant place for puppy. And the former's proffered link is excellent, which I will repeat in the source area at the bottom.
I stress the importance of NOT leaving a collar on a dog or puppy who is crated, because the collar can get stuck in the bars of the crate, and cause choking.
Also the sphincters controlling the bladder and anus aren't so well developed in puppies yet, so they must be be allowed out to relieve themselves frequently. Of course, you need to have lots of time to interact with, train, and just play with your puppy.
A time guide for duration in crate:
9-10 Weeks ... Approx. 30-60 minutes

11-14 Weeks ... Approx. 1-3 hours

15-16 Weeks ... Approx. 3-4 hours
It is not advised to keep a dog in a crate for than 6 hours, other than overnight for bedtime.
Here is wd2crv's excellent link in the source section:

Answer 6

I am a dog trainer from Petco and I must say that the best way to crate train a dog is to not make a big deal about it. In other words, when you are about to go to the grocery don't act differently and say things like "Aww it's gonna be OK we will be right back" because the dog will know something is wrong and get upset. Otherwise, you should just act nonchalant and put the dog in its cage. The same goes for when you come home. Do not act overly excited when you get back home. Wait til you take your dog outside to go to the bathroom to act excited. I hope this helps. Just remember: Don't make it a big deal or else it will become a big deal. (Dogs can sense more than you think)

Answer 7

Put your pup in the crate at night, let him play arround the crate, things like that. He needs to know that the crate is a safe place to be and a place to sleep. If he barks at night while he is in the crate, play some clasical music near him. It will make him feel like he is not alone, and relax him. And of course never use the crate as punishment

Answer 8

I agree with crate training from day one. I have had dogs all of my life & just decided to crate train with my last new pup (now 6 years old). I started her out in a crate from day one. The night I brougth her home we played until she was tuckered & wanted to sleep. I put her crate in the living room & sat down next to it while she fell asleep in it. Never had a problem since.

On the other hand, a relative of mine brought her sister at the same time. Had her for 2 weeks & saw how easy my crate training was going & decided to buy a crate for her pup. Her pup never slept one night in the crate, she hated it, cried & whined for hours on end & refused to even set foot in the thing.

I think it is important for you pup never to know any other way in your home for it to be successful.

Answer 9

check out this website. It gives step by step information on crate training.

Never use the crate as punishment. It should be a place that your dog feels safe and relaxed.

Answer 10

you just need to be firm with him. use the double click technique - anytime he does anything good you just do a double clicking noise followed by a treat. Eventually you can dispose with the treat. As far as crate training - you just need to put him there and don't give in to his whinning. After a while he'll get the message. It's not cruel - trust me. I have a dog who now thinks of her crate as her castle and won't let anyone come near it!!! it's her home!!!