CRATE TRAINING
"Crate Training, House Breaking and Potty Training"
By Lyn Richards

When Crate Training,  please remember that repetition is necessary.  Your puppy will not understand what you want unless you repeatedly show him/her the desired behavior MANY times.

If your dog has separation anxiety or is fearful when left in the crate, start with the Crate Acclimation article below!

Keep in mind also that your puppy does not know what is expected and must be shown the proper place to eliminate, and when.

Your best potty training friend is your crate. When you cannot watch your puppy, use a crate. Think of the crate the same way you think of a playpen for a human child.  Even if you are only leaving the room for a "minute," either take the puppy with you or use the crate. After all, you would not leave a toddler in the house alone "for just a minute" would you?

Crate training can be fun for the puppy if you make it a POSITIVE experience. The DEN is an integral part of the wild dogs upbringing and safety zone. The same thing applies to the "crate". Giving the pup special "treats" is a great way to introduce him to his crate. The only time the puppy receives these special treats is when he is in the crate; the treats become associated with the crate.

Use the crate wisely. Don't crate only when you are leaving the house. Place the puppy in the crate while you are home as well. Use it as a "safe" zone, or for "time outs". (thus keeping your sanity)

By crating when you are home AND while you are gone, the puppy becomes comfortable in the crate and not worried that you will not return, or that you are leaving him/her alone. This helps to eliminate separation anxiety later in life.

Most puppies will not soil their "den."  The first couple of tries you might have some accidents, but don't be discouraged.  An easy way to avoid accidents in the night for the first few weeks is by following this routine:

1. set your alarm for about 3 hrs after your normal bed time. When the alarm goes off, get up immediately, go to the crate and CARRY the pup outside (I do this in my robe, with my shoes kept by the door to the outside). Place him on the ground and encourage him to eliminate. PRAISE when he does, and bring him back to the crate. Go back to bed.

2. Set your alarm for another 3 hrs, and get back to sleep. When the alarm goes off repeat part one.

3. After about a week of the above routine, IF it has been successful (no crate messing) then you can set the alarm for halfway through your sleep time. Follow the remainder of part one. When you arise in the morning, TAKE the pup outside BEFORE you do anything else. Feed the pup and then crate. Follow your regular waking routine, then walk the pup one more time before going off to work.

4. Repeat the feeding, walking and crating at lunch time. Pups from the ages of 2 to 4 months CANNOT control their elimination for much more than 4 hours, so if you cannot return home at lunch time, arrange for someone to do this for you at lunch.

If the CRATE is too large, the pup can easily soil on one side and sleep on the other. The way to prevent this is to  buy a crate that will accommodate your pet when it is fully grown.  Then get a box that will fit inside the back of the crate. The box should be large enough that there is only room for the puppy to stand and lie down comfortably.

As the puppy grows, provide more room by putting in a smaller box, or cutting down the size.  When the puppy reliably asks to be put outside to eliminate, remove the box so the puppy can use the whole crate.

If the puppy messes the crate, replace the box size to the point at which the puppy was reliable, and just give the pup a little more time to learn.  In conjunction with crate training, potty training starts immediately.

Whenever you remove the puppy from the crate or just want the puppy to "go potty," take the dog to the door that will always be used to "go outside." Use the SAME door throughout the training period.

On the handle of this door, tie a bell to a string, dropping it even with the height of the puppy's nose.  When you bring the puppy to the door, lure the puppy to touch the bell with either it's nose or paw, (using a treat) causing the bell to ring.

After the puppy rings the bell, give it the treat, (use a SMALL piece of meat or dried liver) and say "OUTSIDE" in a happy tone of voice.  Take the puppy outside on leash.

Reminder: During housebreaking DO NOT allow the pup outside to eliminate alone or loose in the yard. Yes, that means in the rain, snow, whatever: YOU GO OUTSIDE ALSO. Give the puppy plenty of time. Don't rush or you will be sorry.  When the puppy urinates or defecates, praise the puppy with "Good Outside" and again, give the puppy a tiny, tiny treat.

Continue to wait. When the puppy poops, again praise the puppy with "Good Outside" and give a treat. Go back inside, stop at the door again, and treat once again. If the puppy does not "potty" even after staying outside 15 minutes, return back inside, place the puppy back into the crate, wait 15 minutes and start again from the beginning.

If done religiously, this training process should take only about 2 weeks for the puppy to understand. This method will work with any dog, regardless of age. If you adopt a dog from a shelter or a rescue program, follow the same routine.  Remember, even though the dog is older or even an adult, he still does not know the rules of your home, and may not have ever BEEN in a house. Be PATIENT and this method WILL work.

Take it slow and easy...be PATIENT....and have FUN with your dog!

here are some nice portable, lightweight crates to consider...Eezi-Crates

Lyn Richards, copyright 1998
2375 State Rd 13 N
Jacksonville, FL 32259
PH/FAX 904-287-8824 FAX: 904-287-6176 

Write to a crate training convert........ Deb Smith, Zeus and Rugers' mom

N'zymes donates 3% of all proceeds of sales thru this link to Great Dane Rescue, Inc

CRATE ACCLIMATION
"Getting Your Dog Used to a Crate: Includes Soft Crates"
By Lyn Richards

If you are planning to place a pup or older dog in a crate (especially a soft crate), and it has never been crated before, you would be wise to follow an acclimation process before ever locking or zipping the dog into the crate and walking away.

The acclimation process requires you to be with your dog while placing him in a crate. This allows you to stop a dog from chewing/pawing a soft crate or frantically digging at a wire or fiberglass crate. A verbal "NO" will stop the digging or pawing, then you can offer him a toy to distract him.

(BTW I do not recommend wire crates. This is because my own dogs, and many others have had accidents while in them. These include damaging toes when the foot gets caught between the pan and the wires, happy tails slapping the wires and breaking open, leaving blood on the walls everywhere and doors and corners not securing properly and the dog pushing out, causing injuries.)

Start by placing your crate in the living room, or another frequently used room, which is occupied most of the time. Leave the door open, and place all your pups toys inside the crate (at least half way in) on top of his blankies or dog bed. If he wants a toy, he'll have to at least climb into the crate a bit and retrieve it. Move the toys further back day by day, till they are in the rear. After a few hours, or sometimes a day or two (depending on the dog), you'll notice he goes into the crate to lie down...eventually to fall asleep.

Once the dog becomes comfortable enough to nap in the crate, wait a few days, then zip him into the crate, or close the door. Gentle wake your dog with your voice. Once he awakens, open the door, praise him and release.

Continue this process, letting the door stay closed a bit longer each time, before releasing. Eventually, you will be able to stay in the room, with the door closed, and he will lie there quietly until he falls asleep.

Now you can begin leaving the room while he is napping, and awaken him by voice from OUTSIDE the room. Re-enter the room, and release. At this point you can begin crating the dog and leaving the room while he is awake, and extending the time you are out of the room.

Once this is comfortable for your dog, leave the house, (use your normal "leaving" ritual, including picking up keys, grabbing lunch from the fridge, whatever) and then return immediately. Move on to leaving himfor longer and longer periods of time (3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 1/2 an hour, and so on), until you do not hear any barking or crying at any point.

This is the time to drive out of the yard, around the block, and come back in to check on him. He should be fine, but if he is stressed, go back a few steps and move forward again. Follwoing this progression should very quickly lead to a competely comfy, crate trained pup, in no time flat!

Good luck, and if you need any clarification, you can email me or phone me at 904-287-8824 FAX: 904-287-6176 !