Practical Potty Training For Puppies (2) Why A Dog Crate Makes Housetraining Easy

Practical Potty Training For Puppies (2): Why A Dog Crate Makes Housetraining Easy

All dogs are born with the instinct to keep their beds clean and as soon as their legs are strong enough to support them, puppies will toddle away from their littermates to relieve themselves. Before that, momma dog stimulated the puppies to relieve themselves and cleaned up after them.

Using a crate as a training tool takes advantage of the puppy's instinct to keep its bed clean, and helps the puppy develop bowel and bladder control because the pup will make an effort to hold it when he's all relaxed in his cozy den.

Several types of crates are available for puppy owners. Some, like the soft-sided fabric carriers, are strictly for traveling. However, the plastic or wire crates can be used both for traveling and for housetraining. Plastic crates have a wire door and are usually made of two pieces – a top and a bottom that fastens together with bolts. Wire crates look more like a cage and are open all around.

The kind of crate to use is a personal preference. Plastic crates provide more security for the puppy; open wire crates allow more air flow. Wire crates often fold up for storage and make a compact (although heavy) bundle, whereas the plastic ones are quite bulky, but lightweight. Weigh the pros and cons of each and choose the crate that will fit your lifestyle and puppy best.

Choose a crate that is big enough for your pup but not big enough for an adult-sized dog. Make sure your puppy has enough room to lie down, get comfortable and move around, but no more. If the crate is too big, your puppy will be able to relieve himself in a back corner and still have enough space to get away from it.

Remember, the purpose of the crate is to capitalize on your dog's instinct to keep its bed clean. If you already have a crate, and it's big enough for a full-grown standard sized breed, use a piece of cardboard or a thin plank of wood to section it off so that your puppy doesn't have access to the entire crate.

Introducing your pup to the crate is not difficult. Simply open the crate door, propping it open so it won't swing closed accidentally, then toss a treat or toy inside. Encourage your dog to go get the treat or toy with a personalized command, which you'll want to continue using.

For instance, say, “Sweetie, go to bed!” When the dog goes inside, praise “Good Dog!” Do this several times throughout the day. At feeding time, place your dog's food bowl inside the crate so that it must enter the crate to eat. After two or three days of this routine, begin closing the door behind your pup as it's eating and open the door when he is done.

Once your dog is comfortable staying in a closed crate, you can begin using it at night. Place the crate in your bedroom so the dog can hear you, smell you, and to close to you all night. This is eight hours of closeness you couldn't find time for any other way. With your dog close to you, you can also hear it should it become restless and need to go outside.

BONUS : Practical Potty Training For Puppies (3): How To Teach Your Pup Exactly When & Where You Want It To Go Potty

Although a dog crate is a wonderful training tool, that's not all there is to housetraining your puppy. You also want to teach your dog where you want it to relieve itself and a command that he will respond to in order to go potty, something that will get to do his business when you ask, and more importantly, where you ask.

You can begin teaching both of these concepts right away. Take your pup to the place where you wish it to relieve itself. Let him sniff and circle but do not interact with the dog. This is not the time to play games. Instead, let your puppy concentrate on what it should be doing.

After your dog has begun to relieve itself, tell it softly (so as not to interrupt), “Go Potty! Go Potty!” (You can use whatever vocabulary you like.) When the dog has completed his business, praise even more, “Good Boy... Go Potty.. Yes!”

Take your pup to this spot each time the dog needs to go, and repeat the process every time, for as long as the process takes. For some dogs this may mean several weeks of going outside before it understands that this is the potty spot.

You cannot simply send the dog outside alone. If you do, how do you know whether the dog has actually relieved himself? It may come inside and immediately use the bathroom on the carpet, or worse yet, sneak off down the hall and go under the bed. If the dog goes outside alone, you cannot teach it a command, either, nor can you praise it.

During walks, if you come to a spot where it would not be annoying to other people, such as a vacant lot or specified doggie potty area, tell your dog that it can relieve itself here, too. When your dog does, praise it and of course clean up after it. A big part of responsible dog ownership is choosing wisely where your dog should relieve itself. Don't allow your dog to soil your neighbor's front lawn or the lawn in front of a business.

It's important to practice housetraining in varied locations. Don't make the mistake of having your dog relieve itself only in your backyard. Some dogs take this message so seriously that they will not relieve themselves on walks. Should you ever travel with your dog, he may try to go without relieving himself for too long.

As your pup learns the routine, begin asking him if it needs to go outside as you walk toward the door, “Do you need to go outside to potty? Potty? Potty outside? Good dog!” When you use words your dog understands in a happy tone, he should begin bouncing and dancing toward the door. When he does, praise enthusiastically!

By doing this, your dog will learn to let you know when it has to go outside. On the day your pup comes to you, making eye contact, bouncing and dancing... pay attention! He's finally saying, “Hey, I have to go potty, I need to go potty! Please take me to my potty spot!”