What does it mean to "crate train" your puppy?

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Hi I might be getting a puppy soon, and some people said a good way to potty train it is to crate train it....I was wondering what exactly this is....Please help, and any other tips on potty training would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S.-The puppy is 2 months old.
P.P.S.S. Also, when can I train it to go outside? It's a cockapoo, if that makes a difference. THANK YOU!

Answer
Read my article on crate training:

Crate training is one of the best things that you can do for your dog. It is also a great way to start off on the right foot for obedience training. You have to prepare yourself far more than you have to prepare your dog for this training. To most people, the crate conjures up ideas of a jail or punishment for your dog. The most difficult part of this training is to help owners realize the difference in the dogâs point of view.

We have to realize that a dog looks at a crate as a safe comfortable place to rest and not as a jail. Crate training is the way to go!

Scientists and doctors and animal rights groups have studied crate training for years. The one thing that they can all agree on is that it is NOT inhumane or cruel to your dog. Actually just the opposite applies. A crate provides a den or a hiding spot where the dog feels secure. It also provides a place where he can sleep, rest, or hide toys. Dogs live their lives by using their instincts, and having a den is one of these instincts.

The biggest hurdle that you will encounter when crate training, is the crying. It is true that when your dog is crying he is trying to tell you something. What the dog is telling you is that he is bored and maybe lonely. There are several ways to get past the crying stage of this, but first you have to understand what is happening.

Dogs are pack animals. Generally they do not like to be by them selves. When they are separated from the pack (you and your family), they start to get anxious. Remember, that a pack of dogs sleep in a den usually, not just one. So this new concept, just like every new concept, takes a little time to get used to. HAVE PATIENCE. It is up to you to make the crate positive. Never make the crate the place that the dog goes after he has been corrected. This needs to be a fun happy place for the dog. There are two basic types of crates. One is made of plastic or fiberglass and has slotted holes on the sides and a metal door on one end. This type of crate is thought to give the dog more of a sense of security. It is darker and has less ventilation.

The other style is the metal crate. It is made of metal bars, has plenty of light and ventilation. This gives the dog less of a security sense, but more interaction with what is going on around it. You should keep in mind the size that your dog will grow to and buy for that size. Any smaller and you will have to buy more than one crate. Any larger and your dog will be able to go to the bathroom in one end of the crate and still sleep at the other and this will inhibit house breaking.

The crate should be in a high traffic area during the day, so that the dog has social contact. Dogs thrive off of contact. Take it slow. Put your dog in the kennel for minutes at first.

1. Lure him in with a treat and leave the door open. When he gets comfortable with this, let him eat a meal in the crate, putting the bowl in the back of the crate and closing the door.

2. After he becomes totally comfortable with this, close the door and lock it.

3. Make it as comfortable as you can for the dog, not for you. Some dogs like fluffy pillows and blankets, some dogs just eat them and end up being fine with nothing in the crate but a toy. 4. Never take the dog out of the kennel when they throw a fit. Instead, wait until they calm down, and make the exit a positive association. If you give in to the dog, you will be reinforcing a behavior that the dog will associate crying and barking with being let out and he will do this until it is corrected.


The first night that you begin crate training, expect that he will whine and whimper. It is simply telling you that it wants attention. You will eventually learn the difference between a cry for attention and a cry to go to the bathroom. If you follow a schedule for feeding and going out, then it will be much easier to time when you take the dog out.

How long should you crate train a dog?

Gary

I have 10 month old Morkie. My wife and I leave him in the crate whenever we can't supervise him. We both feel that he will destroy the place unattended. I asked my vet and trainers at petsmart the same question and they told me that you can leave him in the crate as long as you want because the dog will associate the crate as his "home". On the other hand I have people who tell me that leaving a dog crated can cause mental issues. Not sure what to do.

Answer
crates are meant as a training tool and not where a dog lives ... so for when a pup is a pup and in puppy chew stuff apart stage, and while housebreaking, but when a dog is trained, there is no reason to remove the crate entirely but just remove the door ... i crated my dog till her first birthday but by the 8th month i could put her in, close the door but not latch, and she would still be in the crate when i got home ... but when she turned 1 the door came off ... why do you think your pup would destroy stuff, it is almost full grown ??? if the dog is destructive outside the crate, it requires training outside the crate but by a year old puppies are usually out of their destructive phases and are housebroken ... if your dog is both, try closing the door and no latching and see what happens ...

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Is it OK to crate an adult dog?

DD_838

I own a 10 month old puggle and a 13 month chihuahua. Whenever I go out my puggle damages something. I have no idea why. I was wondering if it would be OK to buy a large crate and keep him in it while I am gone. I usually never leave for more than 6 hours, with an average of 2. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?

Just a note: He has never been in a crate before so, I am afraid it will traumatize him.
Thanks for all the great answers so far.
I was also wondering, should I put my chihuahua in there with him? It seems odd to have 1 dog in the crate and the other running around the house while I am gone.

Answer
My dogs are crated at night and when we go out. Bindi is 2 and Max 5 or 6. Crating an adult is fine.

Just make make sure that you introduce the dog to the crate. The following was written for puppies, but applies to adults as well.

When looking for a crate you want one that is big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. You don't want it so big that he can lay in one end and use the other end as a bathroom. If he can do this trust me he will. There are all kinds of different styles of crates: the two most common are wire and plastic. But they come in mesh, wicker, all sorts of different materials now. I would recommend choosing either a wire or plastic one, especially for puppies that like to chew. Here are some pros and cons of plastic and wire crates.

Plastic: These come in several sizes so can accommodate nearly every size of dog. They also give a more den like feeling to the dog and have less of a cage look. The disadvantage to these crates is that you may need to buy more than one to accommodate a growing puppy, and they take up more room if you want to store them even though they usually will come apart in halves for storage. There are also some newer plastic crates that will fold up similar to a wire crate.

Wire: Like the plastic crate these also come in a variety of sizes. They do look more like cages though, something that can be fixed by purchasing a cover for it. A cover will also help some dogs feel more secure in a wire crate. The advantage of these is that you can buy a size to fit your dog when it is full grown. Wire crates have dividers available for purchase so that you can make the crate fit your puppy. These also have a storage advantage in that most fold up very neatly and can be stored easily.

Next you will need to introduce your puppy to its crate. Just sticking the puppy in there without a positive introduction can be very stressful for the pup. I like to bring a new puppy home on a day off, and try to pick it up as soon as possible in the morning. This way I have all day to introduce the puppy to the crate so that by bedtime the puppy will feel pretty comfortable with its crate and shouldn't fuss to much.

Start by showing the puppy the crate and let him explore it. Next show your puppy a treat and then toss it inside. When your puppy goes in to get the treat praise him excitedly. Repeat this a few times and then end this session. If your pup won't go all the way in the crate to get the treat try throwing it closer to the door, or even outside the door and then gradually toss it farther back, until the pup goes all the way in.

After an hour or two have another session with crate. If your pup went all the way in the last time start there, if not start at the point you left off. After a couple times of going in the crate and coming right back out you can shut the door. But let the pup out after a second or two. Repeat this gradually increasing the amount of time the pup is in the crate. If you do this several times the first day by the time your ready for bed your pup should be pretty comfortable with the crate. I also like to repeat this process for a day or two after the pup comes home.

Also remember that whenever your dog is crated you need to remove any type of collar, even a buckle collar can catch on a crate and strangle a dog.

http://www.tiaspetplace.com/housetraining_your_puppy_or_dog.htm

What Size Crate for Dog?

unvoicedol

What size crate is recommended for a Standard Poodle?
What are the measurements?

Thanks!

Answer
Generally a large size crate would work, I was just looking this up the other day b/c we are considering getting a standard poodle soon as well. If you go to petsmart.com and look at the crates, it will tell you the size of dog they will accomodate, and if you know about how tall and big your dog will be as a full grown dog, you can match up the sizes of the crates with your dog. :)

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