Crate Training How To
Crate training new puppies starting the day we bring them home at 8 weeks old is the single most important training we can do for our young dog! Crate training early and also maintaining a consistent crating routing is how we prevent man made issues like separation anxiety Yes! Separation Anxiety is 100% a man made behavioural issues! It’s an addiction to ‘togetherness’ when dogs are not taught how to be calm and confident when ALONE and how to take direct from human leadership through crate training. This is how you can successfully crate train your puppy and stave off preventable issues like separation anxiety!
1. Day 1! When you bring your puppy home start following the 2:1 rule which means begin a consistent routine of crating the puppy for 2 hours for every 1 hour of SUPERVISED and STRUCTURED time out of the crate. Puppies need an incredible amount of rest to recover from their time out of the crate, process the things they learn, and to prevent becoming overtired hooligans that tear around like maniacs right before crashing. 😜 We want to catch puppy BEFORE this happens, put him to bed in the crate to rest and recover rather than allowing him to start practicing the bad habit of out of control behaviour. Believe me... this only gets worse if puppy grows up without strict management 😉.
2. As puppies grow in months, they can typically do 1 more hour in the crate then they are months in age. So, if your puppy is 2 months (8weeks) old then they can do up to 3 hours in the crate before needing a potty break which means you’ll be setting the alarm for every three hours through the night to take puppy out to potty to prevent accidents in the crate. NO PEE PADS!!! Using pee pads TEACHES your puppy to potty in the house which becomes an issue later on when you want to break this nasty habit. Get up and take puppy outside!
3. When puppy is out of the crate for that 1 hour of supervised and structured time make sure you take him out to potty immediately and then again every 20 minutes until it’s time to go back into the crate. Puppies have a very fast digestive system so whatever they drink or eat will usually go through them within 20-30 minutes of consumption. If they do have an accident in the house, don’t make a big deal about it. This is HUMAN error. Take puppy out to potty, clean up the mess and then reduce the amount of space you are giving the puppy, take him out more often to potty, and make sure you are supervising the puppy at all times.
4. DON’T TAKE A WHINING/CRYING PUPPY OUT OF THE CRATE!!!! (Assuming all their needs are met and they are completely fine and just being demanding!) Doing this teaches the puppy how to control their humans by throwing temper tantrums. Wait until you get a calm and patient moment from the puppy BEFORE bringing them out. This teaches puppy that calm and polite behaviour equals inclusion in human activities.
5.Don’t give up crating just because the puppy is house trained or reached adulthood. Remember, crating is a lifestyle training exercise that prevents major behavioural issues like separation anxiety because it gives the dog a safe and calm place to practice being independent from humans and crating is a skill that most dogs need to practice everyday to keep that skill set ‘in shape’. For maximum success, dogs should always be crated whenever they are home alone, at night, or when we humans are unable to supervise. The crate is a tool that gives us extra options to help our dog and to help ourselves. Quitting the crate shouldn’t be looked at as graduating into adulthood or as a form of success... quitting the crate is limiting your options and means of helping the dog, inviting major behavioural issues to affect the dog, and removing a very important piece of structure and routine that keeps dogs balanced and stable. ❤️ the crate! 😉