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TRAINING
Why Crate Training is Recommended for Pets
Canines prefer the security of a small space to call their own. In nature, canines always live in dens, where they cannot be attacked or bothered and are able to relax fully. This instinctive desire for a secure den is the basis behind training pet dogs to sleep in a crate, and using the crate as a training aid. Once a pet owner has overcome their own prejudice against caging their dog and accepted the sound reasoning behind crate training, both owner and dog can begin to enjoy its benefits.
Choose a size that allows the adult dog just enough room to stand up and turn around. For a puppy, the decision must be made whether to start with a smaller crate and replace it occasionally as the dog grows, or to buy a larger crate and fit it with a box or some other means to block off the back part of the crate to make the area available to the puppy smaller at first. The need to keep the size snug fitting is important if the crate will be used to help in housetraining.
When you introduce your dog to its new crate, leave the door open and allow the dog to explore the interior at will. Placing food or a favorite object inside will encourage it to step in. After the dog has entered and exited the crate a few times and is comfortable with this new object, close the door when the dog enters and keep it confined for only a few seconds before opening the door again. Over several days, gradually increase the time the dog is left inside with the door closed. Eventually your adult dog can be confined for up to four to six hours at a time, and longer on occasion. If the crate also will serve as the dog's bed, it can be left crated throughout the night. Puppies under six months of age, however, simply cannot wait more than a short time before eliminating. The generally accepted rule of thumb for keeping a puppy confined by any means is one hour for each month of age, up to six months. That means that an eight week old puppy must be allowed to empty its bladder at least every two hours - and more frequently if engaged in play. Puppies must eliminate after eating, after drinking, and as soon as they wake up from sleeping. Keeping a puppy confined for longer than it can wait to eliminate will ruin your housetraining program and make it difficult to train your puppy not to eliminate in the house.
When you let the dog out of its crate, do it unceremoniously. Releasing the dog should not be a major production. The dog should not come to feel that you think you are doing it a great favor when you release it from the crate, creating a false impression that the crate is undesirable. Both you and your dog should think of it as a safe haven, not as a prison. Use the soothing effect of the crate to convey to your dog that it is bedtime. Many dogs will learn to go directly to their crates when they are ready to call it a day. Often the use of a crate will convince a restless dog to stop howling at the moon or barking at every little sound, allowing their owners to sleep through the night undisturbed. Some dogs are fed their meals in their crates. Finicky eaters are made to concentrate on the food that is offered and, as a result, overcome their eating problems. For the owners of more than one dog, the crate serves as a way to regulate the food intake of each dog. If dogs in the same household have different diets, crate feeding is almost essential. It can also make mealtimes less stressful if you have a dominant dog that tries to keep the others in the household away from the food bowls.
Housebreaking is made easier when the wise owner relies on the help of a crate. Until a dog is dependably housetrained, it should not be given the opportunity to make a mistake. A healthy dog will not soil its den - the place where it sleeps. Any time you cannot keep a close watch on a puppy, or a newly acquired dog, take the dog out for an ample opportunity to eliminate and then put it in its crate to avoid house soiling. When the dog eliminates at the proper time and at the proper place you have chosen in the yard, reward it. With the assistance of a crate, housetraining can be almost painless for you and your new dog or puppy.

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		TRAINING Why Crate Training is Recommended for Pets Canines prefer the security of a small space to call their own. In nature, canines always live in dens, where they cannot be attacked or bothered and are able to relax fully. This instinctive desire for a secure den is the basis behind training pet dogs to sleep in a crate, and using the crate as a training aid. Once a pet owner has overcome their own prejudice against caging their dog and accepted the sound reasoning behind crate training, both owner and dog can begin to enjoy its benefits. Choose a size that allows the adult dog just enough room to stand up and turn around. For a puppy, the decision must be made whether to start with a smaller crate and replace it occasionally as the dog grows, or to buy a larger crate and fit it with a box or some other means to block off the back part of the crate to make the area available to the puppy smaller at first. The need to keep the size snug fitting is important if the crate will be used to help in housetraining. When you introduce your dog to its new crate, leave the door open and allow the dog to explore the interior at will. Placing food or a favorite object inside will encourage it to step in. After the dog has entered and exited the crate a few times and is comfortable with this new object, close the door when the dog enters and keep it confined for only a few seconds before opening the door again. Over several days, gradually increase the time the dog is left inside with the door closed. Eventually your adult dog can be confined for up to four to six hours at a time, and longer on occasion. If the crate also will serve as the dog's bed, it can be left crated throughout the night. Puppies under six months of age, however, simply cannot wait more than a short time before eliminating. The generally accepted rule of thumb for keeping a puppy confined by any means is one hour for each month of age, up to six months. That means that an eight week old puppy must be allowed to empty its bladder at least every two hours - and more frequently if engaged in play. Puppies must eliminate after eating, after drinking, and as soon as they wake up from sleeping. Keeping a puppy confined for longer than it can wait to eliminate will ruin your housetraining program and make it difficult to train your puppy not to eliminate in the house. When you let the dog out of its crate, do it unceremoniously. Releasing the dog should not be a major production. The dog should not come to feel that you think you are doing it a great favor when you release it from the crate, creating a false impression that the crate is undesirable. Both you and your dog should think of it as a safe haven, not as a prison. Use the soothing effect of the crate to convey to your dog that it is bedtime. Many dogs will learn to go directly to their crates when they are ready to call it a day. Often the use of a crate will convince a restless dog to stop howling at the moon or barking at every little sound, allowing their owners to sleep through the night undisturbed. Some dogs are fed their meals in their crates. Finicky eaters are made to concentrate on the food that is offered and, as a result, overcome their eating problems. For the owners of more than one dog, the crate serves as a way to regulate the food intake of each dog. If dogs in the same household have different diets, crate feeding is almost essential. It can also make mealtimes less stressful if you have a dominant dog that tries to keep the others in the household away from the food bowls. *Housebreaking is made easier* when the wise owner relies on the help of a crate. Until a dog is dependably housetrained, it should not be given the opportunity to make a mistake. A healthy dog will not soil its den - the place where it sleeps. Any time you cannot keep a close watch on a puppy, or a newly acquired dog, take the dog out for an ample opportunity to eliminate and then put it in its crate to avoid house soiling. When the dog eliminates at the proper time and at the proper place you have chosen in the yard, reward it. With the assistance of a crate, housetraining can be almost painless for you and your new dog or puppy.