Crate traning?

Question

I have been doing this for 2 months but i would just like some advice and pointers to make sure that i am doing it right. I want nothing more than my dog to be a happy dog!:)
Thank you sooo much!

Answer 1

Note: PLEASE do not restrict your dog's water after 6pm as the previous poster suggested! Puppies and dogs need to have access to water throughout their waking hours. Take him outside before he goes to bed, and if you need to you can restrict water for the last hour he's awake, but NOT from 6pm until bed time.

Also, if this is a young puppy you do not want to restrict food after 3pm, either. I feed my dogs morning and evening and think that is the best method for all dogs, but large dogs should NEVER be fed one meal a day due to the risk of bloat. (One meal a day is not adequate in most cases, although many people still do it.) Puppies at the age of adoption should eat about 4 times a day and you can narrow it down to two meals a day by the time they are roughly 8 months old.

My response:
Did you train the dog to go into the crate on his/her own rather than just putting him into the crate and closing the door? (The clicker methods for this are so awesome that most dogs will run into their crates on cue. Mine runs upstairs and gets in his when I say, "Go in your room!") It's best done with shaping. I did it while sitting in front of the TV one night. First click when he looks at the crate and give him a treat. Then click for moving toward the crate. Then click for looking inside the crate. And so on until he is inside. Don't close the door at first... let him go in, click, let him come out and give him a treat. Eventually close the door part way, then all the way for just a second, then all the way for 2 seconds and so on.

Always give the treat as soon as possible after clicking.

By doing this you'll have a dog who is happy to go into his crate.

Do you limit the amount of time he has to spend in there? Except for during the night they should not spend more than 4 hours at a time in the crate. I know it's commonly taught that you can leave them in there 10 hours a day while you're at work or school, but that's really a bad idea and often leads to the dog resenting the crate, relieving himself in his crate or having other problems.

Make sure you never use your crate for punishment or time out. That makes it into a miserable place to go and he won't like it as much.

You can use time in the crate to let him be away from people or things he doesn't like, though.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I have a pug (which is undoubtedly the dumbest dog alive) but I love her. She is 6 years old and crate trained. Sometimes it takes a while but eventually she/he will learn. Just let the puppy out at least every two hours during the day and don't feed after 3pm or water after 6pm. A lot of people think crate training is cruel but I think animals are like humans and need a place to call their own. When we turn the lights out and the tv off the dogs go to their crates and lay down waiting for someone to shut the door.

Answer 3

The crate is his bed so make sure he goes potty before bed and put him there. They are natural den animals so from there he should be fine. Its a safe place for him to be when you can not be with him. Other than that you are doing good.

Answer 4

Well, your dog should be trained in less than 2 weeks, consult the breeder there might be a problem.

Answer 5

HOUSETRAINING WITH YOUR CRATE
On average, puppies can hold their bladders one hour for every month they have been alive, plus one hour. For example, if you have a three month old puppy, he can wait 3 + 1 = 4 hours. If you work longer than this, the best solution is to have someone (a neighbour, a relative, a dog walker) come in at an appropriate time to let your dog out.

100 PER CENT SUPERVISION
Supervision is the key to housetraining! While you are at home, your dog must be supervised. Whether you are watching television, making dinner, on the phone or on the computer, your puppy must be watched. While it sounds like an impossible task, it isn’t. Keeping the crate in a social part of the house makes it easier. Using a house lead – a small, thin lead with a little clip on it – also helps immensely. Outside, you put a lead on your dog so you can control him. If the lead is removed after returning home, control is lost. For example, when watching television, have the lead tied to a couch leg. Your dog can have his blanket and toys with him. He’ll feel safe and comfortable. The majority of accidents happen when your pup wanders off and you haven’t noticed. You don’t want him to sneak off into the kitchen and find a puddle a short time later. If your pup is kept from wandering, the possibility of an accident is diminished because he will not eliminate where he is sitting. 100 per cent supervision means ensuring your dog is playing with you, in his crate, outside or on his house lead.

SCHEDULING
In the morning, take your dog outside. He should urinate and possibly have a bowel movement. Spend about five to seven minutes with him and then bring him in. Do not play with him yet. Feed him breakfast, either in the crate or with the lead, and supervise it. If your pup did not have a bowel movement earlier, take him back outside about 15 minutes after he has eaten. Use the lead to keep your pup moving along while outside. Otherwise, he may start sniffing, stopping and playing to avoid the job at hand. You can say “hurry up” and your dog will begin to associate these words with the task at hand. Praise him excessively when he has eliminated. Bring him back in the house and place him in his crate if you are going to work. Continue to supervise him with the crate or the lead if you are home. When returning after being out, go directly to the crate, let him out, praise him and put him back in. Feed him his meal, take him outside 15 minutes after he has eaten, praise him after he eliminates, and bring him back in. Continue to follow the same steps consistently.

While you are home, you should take your pup outside on a regular basis. Even if your pup is in a crate or on a house lead, he still needs the opportunity to eliminate. Also, be careful what you wish for! A pup who barks to go outside may be cute and clever now. However, you must try not to fall into the habit of leaping up every time your dog wants in or out. It is a very submissive gesture on your part. Have your pup wait a moment or two.

Setting up a schedule is also a good idea. If your pup is under four months of age, take him out for five minutes every hour on the hour. If your pup is over four months old, take him out every second hour on the hour. The schedule will help you remember when to take him out. Go out for five minutes only. It provides the opportunity to eliminate even if your pup may not need to go. Take your dog out after active play and also after napping. If an accident occurs, you may have forgotten to take him out .

FEEDING TIME
Having a puppy drink a lot of water and then placing him in his crate is much more unkind than letting him be a bit thirsty for an hour or two. Adult dogs should have access to drinking water at all times. However, this is not the case for untrained pups. Most parents will not allow their children to drink a big glass of water before going to bed. Avoid setting your pup up for failure. Restrict his water intake to three or four drinks daily and make sure you remove the water dish about three hours before bedtime. This will help your dog sleep more comfortably.

If it is a hot evening, supply your pup with a few ice cubes. They will enter your dog’s system at a slower pace. When feeding your pup, provide a high-quality food that is a good source of protein. The food must be concentrated so your puppy’s body doesn’t require much of it. If you feed less, your puppy eliminates less. Food is directly related to how well puppies do in their housetraining.

EXERCISE
It is important that your pup gets a lot of exercise, especially while crate training. You can play fetch, chase or hide and seek in your home. You can call ‘come’ at the same time to provide further training. Anyway you do it, your pup needs to be able to run and play.