subject: Crate Training - One Easy Way to Potty Train Your Puppy [print this page] Crate Training - One Easy Way to Potty Train Your Puppy
Potty training your puppy is certainly not an easy task, but crate training can really help tremendously with the process. Crate training gives results, saves your carpet and furniture, and is easy to implement once you and your puppy have become accustomed to it. The reason this method is so effective is because a dog will not soil the same area that he sleeps in, which in this case is his crate. As a result, crate size is important. The crate should be only big enough for him to stand up, lay down and turn around in.
There are also other advantages to crate training besides assisting with potty training. Once your puppy has gotten used to his crate, transportation (for trips to the vet or travel) will be much less stressful for him. You can also leave your puppy in his crate unsupervised for a short while if you aren't able to watch him during that time so that he won't get into trouble or injure himself. Dogs that have been crate trained properly will treat their crate as their "safe haven" and seek it out to relax.
Before you consider crate training your puppy or dog, there are a few things to keep in mind. If your dog came from a shelter or previous owner and has had bad experiences with crates or confinement, he may not take to crate training very well. However, every dog is different, and such a dog may still be able to be crate trained with much patience. Also if your dog has separation anxiety, placing him in the small area of a crate may upset him further. Lastly, many owners abuse this method by confining their puppy for longer than he can hold his bladder or bowels. If a puppy soils his crate, this will set back the training by a lot.
