One question that most pet owners have is how long do I leave my puppy in a puppy crate? This is a common question among new puppy owners. You might be asking yourself if a puppy should have spent more than a couple of days in a crate before you let them out, and some people even recommend that they be left in there longer. This article will show you how to crate train your puppy and take him from being just curious about the crate to being happily spending time inside and even hunting it out as their favorite spot of relaxation. The methods described in this article will be working directly with your puppy’s natural instinct to hunt and gather, working with their natural curiosity and protective instincts to accomplish this goal.
The key to crate training puppies starts by understanding the nature of your dog. We dogs are very social animals that need constant attention and interaction to thrive. A puppy crated in your home is like your new baby that needs constant attention and stimulation. You can keep a puppy crated in your home all day long, but they are not going to develop the social skills and habits of a dog that spends most of his or her time in a crate.
It does not take long to learn what times your puppy should be crated. You can set a puppy-proof area where your dog can be crated for three hours straight. When they get to this three hour point, it is highly likely that your dog will start whining and trying to go out, sniffing around, whining louder, and generally looking for attention. You will want to make sure that you are crating your puppy for the proper amount of time based on your dog’s development.
After three hours have passed, set another crate time. This time let your puppy have some alone time and he or she will be able to associate the crate with being alone. As the puppy grows, you can move to crate twice a day instead of every few days.
Step two is to encourage your puppy to enter his crate. Begin by putting your puppy in the crate and gently leading him in. If you catch your puppy making noise or trying to tear the door down, immediately say “NO!” and quickly grab the doggy treat inside. Praise your puppy consistently as he or she progresses in his or her crate training.
Step three is to consistently place your puppy in his crate no matter how long you are having him or her in there. Be sure to take him out every thirty minutes to an hour. Be sure to also give your puppy lots of praise when he or she successfully goes into his crate. When the puppy starts to dread the crate, start removing him from it for short periods of time. Once he or she finally become comfortable with being in the crate, you can slowly remove him from it completely.
Step four is to always start leaving the crate door open when you are getting ready to leave the house. This is very important because dogs don’t have very good memories. Your dog doesn’t want you to leave and if he senses that you are about to leave he may try to go into his crate. Be prepared and have your door open before you leave so that your dog can smell you and make a mental picture of you leaving.
Step five is to begin training your puppy to go to elimination at the same time each day. Be sure to keep a look-out for his elimination spot so that you don’t confuse him with other dogs. Start by placing a food or treat and direct supervision on your puppy while he is doing his elimination. After he’s done eliminating, quickly put the food away and direct supervision ends.
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