CRATE TRAINING YOUR MAJESTUEUX KENNEL PUPPY
Now, some of you may think this is a ghastly practice…fancy locking your dog up in a crate!!!! This, my friends is the best thing you could do for your dog to ensure his/her safety and it is a very effective tool, to toilet train your dog.
Your pup is already putting themselves in a crate through the day to sleep and are lock in one at night in the house for safety.
All of our dogs are locked in crates to eat. If a crate is left open I will guarantee you will find a dog in it. They love the security a crate provides.
You need to make sure the crate provides a pleasurable experience for your puppy so make sure to put some toys and or food in there for the pup the first few times that you place your pup in it – this will make it a positive experience – also be sure to leave the door open the first few times so that the pup can come and go and therefore wont associate the “lock up” with going into the crate. Once you see your pup willingly go into the crate you can proceed to closing the door for short intervals of varying length, eventually stretching it out to whatever length of time suits you.
To utilise the crate for toilet training be sure that it is not too big; it should be just large enough for your puppy to stand, turn around and lay down – excess room will simply make it easy for the pup to relive itself in the corner and not mess where it sleeps/rests. This is why you will need to invest in at least 2 size crates over the pups’ lifetime (some crate come with a divider that can be adjusted).
The following schedule is a guide as to when it is likely your puppy will need to relieve itself and as such you should bring it to the area that you wish for this to occur and wait till it does:
• After sleep
• After resting
• After food
• After play
…And most importantly, if your puppy is going around in circles with its nose to the ground, you had better be quick to react!!!!
As mentioned earlier it is very likely (unless the conditioning has been completed by the breeder) that your puppy will protest; vigorously, when you first lock it up in the crate – this is time for you to go to another room or part of the house where you can’t hear the pup and the pup can’t hear you – in the beginning try to check on the pup periodically without him/her knowing you are doing this. If the pup is quiet, seize the opportunity to go and let it out for a brief play and praise session. If the pup is protesting, as mentioned earlier DO NOT GO TO THE PUP, until it is quiet!!
You need to keep in mind that every time you go to the pup when it is protesting it will add at least another 2-3 sessions of the “controlled crying” so to speak to the overall exercise – so avoid it at all costs! If you follow the rules and only go to the pup when it is quiet, life will be much easier.
So, a few days of these crate sessions and the crate will become your pups’ safe place and will willingly enter when you need it to – this is likely to translate to other entry type exercises like the car, trailer etc because your pup won’t have any aversion to entering a small space for fear of being locked up. Even if your pup has mastered the crate experience it is important to follow the same process with the car, trailer or other to ensure the whole process goes smoothly.
Now, some of you may think this is a ghastly practice…fancy locking your dog up in a crate!!!! This, my friends is the best thing you could do for your dog to ensure his/her safety and it is a very effective tool, to toilet train your dog.
Your pup is already putting themselves in a crate through the day to sleep and are lock in one at night in the house for safety.
All of our dogs are locked in crates to eat. If a crate is left open I will guarantee you will find a dog in it. They love the security a crate provides.
You need to make sure the crate provides a pleasurable experience for your puppy so make sure to put some toys and or food in there for the pup the first few times that you place your pup in it – this will make it a positive experience – also be sure to leave the door open the first few times so that the pup can come and go and therefore wont associate the “lock up” with going into the crate. Once you see your pup willingly go into the crate you can proceed to closing the door for short intervals of varying length, eventually stretching it out to whatever length of time suits you.
To utilise the crate for toilet training be sure that it is not too big; it should be just large enough for your puppy to stand, turn around and lay down – excess room will simply make it easy for the pup to relive itself in the corner and not mess where it sleeps/rests. This is why you will need to invest in at least 2 size crates over the pups’ lifetime (some crate come with a divider that can be adjusted).
The following schedule is a guide as to when it is likely your puppy will need to relieve itself and as such you should bring it to the area that you wish for this to occur and wait till it does:
• After sleep
• After resting
• After food
• After play
…And most importantly, if your puppy is going around in circles with its nose to the ground, you had better be quick to react!!!!
As mentioned earlier it is very likely (unless the conditioning has been completed by the breeder) that your puppy will protest; vigorously, when you first lock it up in the crate – this is time for you to go to another room or part of the house where you can’t hear the pup and the pup can’t hear you – in the beginning try to check on the pup periodically without him/her knowing you are doing this. If the pup is quiet, seize the opportunity to go and let it out for a brief play and praise session. If the pup is protesting, as mentioned earlier DO NOT GO TO THE PUP, until it is quiet!!
You need to keep in mind that every time you go to the pup when it is protesting it will add at least another 2-3 sessions of the “controlled crying” so to speak to the overall exercise – so avoid it at all costs! If you follow the rules and only go to the pup when it is quiet, life will be much easier.
So, a few days of these crate sessions and the crate will become your pups’ safe place and will willingly enter when you need it to – this is likely to translate to other entry type exercises like the car, trailer etc because your pup won’t have any aversion to entering a small space for fear of being locked up. Even if your pup has mastered the crate experience it is important to follow the same process with the car, trailer or other to ensure the whole process goes smoothly.
