Crate Training Puppies

Puppies are one of the cutest things on earth. Well, babies also give a tough competition. Nevertheless, there is one thing common in babies and puppies. Just when you think they are settled and you can sneak in a quick nap, they create a ruckus. There goes your sleeping or resting session for a toss. Now what do you do? Well, you can do one thing, which is being resorted to by many dog owners. Crate Training is the name of the game. Crate training for puppies is being carried out by many dog owners, so that they have peace of mind for some time. Basically crate training puppies is nothing but conditioning them to stay put in their crate. A crate is an enclosure made of plastic, wood, metal or a combination of these materials. It is supposed to provide a safe short term confinement area with regards to house breaking, travel, illness, protecting household goods and so on. Crate training is a major issue amongst dog owners. So here are few tips for crate training a puppy at night.

Tips for Crate Training Puppies

To begin with, let me tell you that training a puppy to go and settle in a crate is not an inhuman act. If it was, why would the parents teach their babies to settle in their cradle? So there is nothing wrong with crate training. So now let's start off. After you get the crate, here is what you can do -

Introduction to the Crate
To make the puppy know that there is a crate, keep it in an area where the family spends maximum time. Take the puppy to the crate, talking in a happy and loving tone. To avoid scaring off the puppy, it will be good to keep a soft towel or blanket over the crate. The next thing would be to entice your beloved puppy to enter the crate, by dropping in small goodies around the crate initially. Then keep them just at the door and then inside the crate. It is natural if the dog refuses to go in the crate, but whatever happens, never force your little thing to go into the crate. Keep on tossing treats in the crate. If your puppy does not respond positively to goodies, try throwing a toy. This is like conditioning, it might take a few hours or days together. So be patient. But once your pup walks in the crate, praise it and give it a nice pat. This is a very important trick and tip to encourage the lil' one to enter the crate. While doing all this, remember to have a shorter training session or crate training schedule and do not rush into things. Dog training is a gradual process.

Meals in the Crate
Once you introduce your puppy to the crate, carry out another strategy. Give your 'kiddo' his or her meal near the crate. This will develop a good association of the crate in the psyche of the dog. If your pet has already started entering the crate, then keep the dish way at the end of the crate. On the other hand, if the puppy is yet to enter the crate, keep the food, just about inside the door. Now after doing this for a while, close the door while the dog is eating. Gradually, increase the time to about 10 minutes past the time the dog finishes his food. If you have increased the time gradually, then the puppy should not whine. In case the puppy whines, do not let it out. It will understand that it can get out of the crate by crying. Repeat this process a few times in a day.

It's Bed Time
Puppies do need to go to the loo at night. So at onset, it is better to have the crate in your bedroom or nearby. This will tell you if the puppy is whining to be let outside. Further, to make the puppy feel safe and prevent the puppy from crying and barking, put some toys in there. This works well, especially at night. Even if the puppy whines because of the crate, do not get it on your bed. In case of older dogs also you can have the crate in your bedroom or close by. But the reason is that they should not feel isolated, rather than the elimination part. You can ask the puppy to go in the crate anytime, once it is nicely used to it. But never command the puppy to go in there as a punishment. Your dog will be obedient to you only if you are good to it.

Crate training puppies is not a very big deal once the puppy gets comfortable with the idea of the crate. However, you need to be really gentle and talk to the chap in a loving manner. Only then it will listen to your commands. Let the puppy have a good feeling about the crate.

I am sure now that you would agree that training the dog to stay in the crate is not an act of cruelty, but a training needed for convenience. It also avoids messing up of the house. So the next time you get a crate to train your dog, I hope these tips will be useful to you!