Using a Crate for Puppy Training

Sylvie Leochko

When most people see a puppy, their heart melts and they start yearning to get one. They see how cute the puppy is, how playful and how affectionate it is but what about the basic dog training that it requires?

What am I talking about? Well, for starters, your new puppy will need to learn a few things such as: becoming potty trained, to walk on a leash, to go to sleep at night without howling and certainly not to chew everything in site, including you.

Like a baby, a puppy has a lot to learn and limits are one these things. First of all, your puppy has no intention to displease you so when you see it has an accident on your carpet or on the floor; it is not its fault. Why? Simply because its bladder is so small and the muscles responsible for helping to control it or his bowels are not strong enough to do it yet. As it grows bigger and older, you will see the difference.

As for howling at night don?t forget that your puppy is missing the presence of its mother, it feels lonely and needs to cuddle up. As it will grow up, and that he starts feeling comfortable and at home, this behavior will come to an end.

And what about chewing? Well, he is basically teething. Also don?t forget that it is how it learned to play with its mother and siblings. Humans are more sensitive and so are their belongings so once again, basic dog training is required.

What can you do to train your dog in the best and most efficient way possible? Well, ask any veterinarian, dog breeders or experienced dog owners, using a crate is the solution.

Several people think that putting a dog in a cage is cruel and selfish but what they do not know is that later on, even the dog itself will enjoy it. It will become a safe and comfortable place where it can relax and sleep just like a doghouse.

Also, your puppy will not always be in its crate as it will be only at night and when you are gone to work or any other event where your dog will be left alone. At first your puppy may not like it, but believe me only time and patience will prove you the opposite.

Before purchasing a crate, you should consider a few things. For example, some crates are made of metal and are foldable and others are made of plastic and have a handle to carry it around if small enough.

The plastic one may be better for air travel or in some cases; car travel depending on its size but the fact that the view is limited due to the solid panels is one disadvantage as your puppy will feel lonelier. Also, if your puppy has an accident in it, the bad smells tend to seek in its surface due to a lack of aeration plus not having a removable tray, the cleaning is more difficult to do.

The metal crate tends to be bigger, especially if you have a bigger dog like a labrador retriever which makes it more difficult to find a space for it. They are solid, foldable which makes it easier when traveling and your puppy has a great view which helps against loneliness.

Also, a metal crate has a removable tray which makes cleaning a lot easier. Since it has great air circulation, the bad smells only follow the dirty newspapers in the garbage.

Another thing that you should not about crate training is that it helps the dog training of your puppy in several areas. For example, at night, it solves the problem of finding little accidents on your floor by stepping in them. Also since a dog does not want to sleep where he relieves itself, your puppy will try its best to control its bladder and bowel movements which will help to develop these muscles as well.

Don't buy a crate too large for your puppy but make it large enough to accommodate your puppy when it will be fully grown.

When you are preparing the crate, make it inviting and as comfortable as possible for your puppy. Cover the bottom with newspapers if desired, put a blanket or basket in the opposite end and your new puppy's home is ready.

To help you with the howling, as more than likely it will happen for a while, you can also take a clock that ticks loudly to remind him of its mother?s heartbeat and a hot water bag filled with hot water to allow him to cuddle against something that reminds it of the softness and warmth of its mother.

Another thing to do to help it feel less lonely, is to put either a radio, some music or the television set on so it can hear noise and voices in the background. Another thing that can help to prevent it from peeing in his crate is to control his water intake by removing its bowl at 8 p.m. or approximately 2 hours prior to your time going to bed. This advice was given to me by my dog's veterinarian.

And last but not least, chewing will be controlled by keeping your puppy out of trouble. This way you will prevent him from being harmed by chewing electrical wires or simply from your frustration of having to replace damaged goods.

My name is Sylvie Leochko. If you wish to learn more about dog training or labrador retrievers as they are great service pets as well as wonderful with children, I invite you to visit the following sites: http://dogtraining.findoutnow.org/ and http://labrador-retrievers.findoutnow.org/