The Advantages of Using a Crate:

A crate does three very important things,  First, it will make the house breaking process go a little more smoothly by teaching the puppy where to go to relieve himself.  By using its own natural instincts the puppy will not urinate or defecate where he sleeps, provided you do your part.  Secondly, it will relieve the stress of being alone while you are away at work.  Third, it will get you through the teething stage when your puppy will want to chew on everything.

Why Even Use a Crate:

A few reasons that pop into my mind are...my puppy's own safety, my home, all its contents and last, but not least, my sanity.  A puppy comes into this world not knowing what we as humans expect of it.  Right or wrong, we teach them everything they learn.  Let's make it positive!!

About House Breaking:

There is no magic to house breaking - it's really only common sense and an understanding of your dog.  House breaking consists of a few very important rules, which are:
1) Putting your puppy an a daily schedule when you feed and water him.

The following is a suggested schedule:

7:00am     Get up and take the puppy outside to go the the bathroom.  Bring the puppy in and put his food and water down for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, take the food and eater away.

7:45am     Take the puppy outside again.

While getting ready for work the puppy should be in is crate sense you cannot watch him.  You should take the puppy out at least three times before leaving for work so he can empty his system.

9:00am     Put the puppy in his crate and leave for work.  Leave no food or water in the crate while you are gone.  Remember what goes in must come out.  So, if you leave food and water in the crate, you are making it harder for your puppy to learn the rules of house breaking.

If you come home at 3:00pm or even 5:30pm, use your same schedule that you used for your morning feeding.

Never feed past 7:30pm.  Between 7:30 and the time you go to bed, you should take the puppy out a lot.  Then when you crate your puppy, he can sleep all night without having to go to the bathroom.

NEVER LEAVE FOOD & WATER DOWN ALL THE TIME.
REMEMBER:  FOOD + WATER =  GOT TO GO!!!

Remember, it's best to take up food and water at 7:30 pm.  During the course of the evening, after playtime, you should give the puppy a little water to wet his whistle.  Do not let him drink lots of water.  If he goes into his crate with a full bladder, he will have an accident during the night (or if your lucky, he'll whine to be let out).  Always take the puppy out just before you go to bed.  The more you can take him outside, the faster he learns where to go.  Help him to not make a mistake.

2)  Know the key times your puppy needs to go outside.  They are 20-30 minutes after you feed him; every time he wakes up and any time you are playing.  Remember, activity stimulates going to the bathroom.  If you are watching your puppy while he is outside the crate and he starts to sniff the floor while walking around in a small circle, simply pick him up and take him outside.  This is a sign that you should really pay attention to!  If your puppy has an accident in the house, it is YOUR fault, not his, because you were not doing your part.

3)  Puppies urinate a lot.  If you take him outside and he gets distracted nd does not urinate, bring him back inside.  Put him in his crate for about 20 minutes and then take him back outside again.  It's better safe than sorry.

4)  When you take the puppy outside, take him to the same spot every time.  Praise the puppy after it goes to the bathroom.  Doing both of these will help him understand what is expected of him.

Rules of Using a Crate:

1)  VERY IMPORTANT:  If you can not physically keep your eyes on your puppy, he should be in his crate just like if you had children and couldn't watch them, they would be in a playpen.

2)  Do not put his crate where he is isolated from you.  Dogs are pack animals and you are his pack.  Even though he is in the crate, it makes it much easier if he can see and hear you.

3)  Remove any type of collar or harness while your puppy is crated for safety reasons.

4)  NEVER use a crate as punishment.  This is your dog's room, so make it a positive place.

5)  When you first crate your puppy, more than likely it will cry, bark and howl on the hopes of you letting him out.  DON'T DO IT!!!  This is typical puppy behavior.  If you go to comfort him, all you are doing is making it harder for him to get used to the new situation.  All of this behavior will go away in a few days, once he gets the hang of things.

For the times when you are home with the puppy, you should still crate him.  By this we mean one hour in and one hour out.  By doing this, he sees the crate as a positive place and not just a place where he goes when you are not at home.  As he gets older, he can have more time out of the crate.  Most people make the mistake of leaving the puppy out too soon.  This causes problems, so be patient!

What To Do If the Puppy Chews On Your Things:

1)  Chewing is a very natural instinct.  All we have to do is show them what they are allowed to chew on.  This goes back to what we covered earlier.  If the puppy is out of the crate, you MUST watch him at all times.  If he goes to chew on something other than his toys, you will be there to direct him to what is allowable to chew.  If your puppy chews on the wrong thing, again it is YOUR fault for not paying attention.  Sounds like raising a child, doesn't it?  Always be fair in how you handle the situation.

2)  It is important to give the puppy a selection of toys made up of different textures.  By this we mean a soft toy, a hard toy, and a toy he can chew up, such as a hoof or rawhide bone.

3)  If the puppy tries to chew on the wrong thing and you can not direct him back to his toys, simply put him in his crate for about 30 minutes without scolding.  Then bring him back out and reintroduce him to his toys.  This usually works.

4)  A crate is a cheap price to pay in exchange for the safety of your new puppy and your home.

Source:  Orlando Humane Society

Delta's Story & Snapshots  l  Top 20 Breeds  l  Doggie Info.  l  About Breeds
Dining & Fun w/ Fido  l  Delta's Calendar  l  Pet Links l "Family of Friends"
Submit Pet Photos  l  E-mail Delta  l  Rescue/Adoption  l  Custom Pet Pages
Home

Deltapages.com

Site Design & Marketing By :  3clx