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Once you have a crate, begin your puppy training in using it right away. Some puppies are just naturals and pick up the den idea the moment they see it. Set it down on the floor, open the door and watch the pup toggle right in to check it out. If there’s a comfy blanket with some interesting toys inside the crate, a pup may stay a while all on its own.

Other puppies need more coaching. Here is where your patience comes in handy. The best crate training is a slow, positive experience and doesn’t happen overnight. It may take a few days, weeks, or even months before your puppy feels completely comfortable in its new digs.

This depends mostly on how determined and confident you feel about having your puppy sleep in a crate. If you’re unsure, your puppy will also be skeptical. If you don’t give up on the training, your puppy will learn to accept the crate faster.

There Are Two Important Rules Of Crate Training:

1) Don’t place your puppy’s crate in the garage or in a room where it can’t see you. The puppy will feel abandoned, and will bark or howl until you show up again, making it an extremely long night, as well as delaying the crate training process.

During the daytime, put the crate in the room where you spend the most amount of time. Come nighttime, move it into your bedroom. That way your puppy will feel secure that you’re nearby. If it whimpers during the night, it probably means potty time. Take your puppy outside without playing with it, and it will go to the bathroom and go right back to sleep in its crate.

2) Don’t let your puppy out of the crate when it’s barking or whining. This just rewards the pup for behavior you don’t want. Under no circumstances should you rescue the puppy, because this just teaches it that if it shrieks long enough it will get its way. Wait until your puppy is quiet before letting it out. Once he starts to calm down and stops making noise, then let it out of the crate.

Tip: How To Handle Crate-Haters

There should be no barking in dog crates. If your dog continues to bark in its crate, go back to the basics and repeat the crate training steps. Your puppy may also need a bit more mental stimulation. If so, try increasing your pup’s exercise so it’s pleasantly fatigued before crate time.

For barking puppies 4 months and older, sometimes you just have to ignore the noise. Pups have more opinions as they get older, and if you know that your puppy is nearly crate trained, isn’t hungry, or doesn’t have to go to the bathroom, it’s best to ignore him. The goal is to teach your puppy that a crate is a pleasant place to be.

Now if your puppy has a hard time whenever you leave the house; runs from room to room looking for you; or cries, whines or barks until you return, it will probably do the same thing if you put it inside a crate.

To make your puppy feel more at ease during your absence, try leaving for a short time, around 5 to 10 minutes. This way, your puppy quickly learns that you’re coming back. Other puppies may just bark for a few minutes when you leave, but they’ll eventually quiet down.

Going Crate Shopping

Once available in only two styles and one color wire or molded plastic in basic beige pet carrier crates nowadays come in a variety of materials and colors, and in several basic types. There are advantages and disadvantages to each model, depending upon how you want to use your crate.

Plastic Carriers, The Most Popular

The plastic models have ventilation on each end and is the only one of the crate types that airlines accept for transporting a dog. It gives the dog the most protection from anything dangerous that may be falling inside, and keeps the dog warm during cold weather.

When you purchase a crate, it usually comes disassembled in three big pieces: a top and bottom section, and a metal door with a locking device. You’ll also receive a small plastic bag containing all the screws needed to put the carrier together. Don’t worry it’s easy to do. You don’t need any special tools and the sides snap together within minutes.

Plastic crates range in price, depending upon the precise design. Although the doors on most of these models open on one side, some styles have doors you can open on either the right or the left sides, and some have different types of locks. Other crates may have wheels on the bottom for easy transport, or may have sloped sides designed to fit into a car a little easier.

Important Tip: When choosing a plastic crate, look for a model that is labeled Airline Approved by the manufacturer because it indicates the strongest, sturdiest design.

Wire Carriers

Resembling cages, wire crates have a metal or plastic pan on the bottom that you can remove for easy cleaning. Although wire carriers are okay for dogs, they may not be the best choice for puppies. The spaces between the wire bars look small, but a puppy of most breeds might get a toe or foot caught between the bars or in the space between the bottom pan and the bar.

Wire carriers are great to use during the summer because the greater ventilation allows air to flow through to keep your dog cooler. If it’s hot and you’re using it outdoors while camping or picnicking, be sure to place a shade cloth or sheet across the top to keep your dog nice and cool. You can also purchase an electric clip-on fan to help cool your dog.

Some wire models collapse and fold flat for easy transporting. If you’re using a wire crate in your car, find a model that fits your car the best, with doors either on the sides or on the front, or with a square or a slanted top. The top of a wire crate isn’t solid, so some dogs may feel a little vulnerable, especially to those showing dog behavior such as little insecure. You may want to consider covering it with a sheet or large towel.

Aside from giving your pup the opportunity to avoid temptation of trouble and destruction around the house when you are not looking, its crate is also a practical piece of dog furniture to have around the house. It doubles as a dog bed, and makes a good hiding spot for puppies to stash their favorite toys.

Or, if you’re having cleaning or repair work done in your home, putting your puppy in a crate ensures you avoid worrying that your pup may get underfoot, become injured, or escape if a worker leaves the door or gate open.

First used by airlines to contain pets while traveling, pet carrier crates are indispensable if you want to take your puppy along while traveling or on vacation. Scott and Diane Joris, from Miami, Florida, don’t even think about leaving home without their canine companion, Buddy, and of course Buddy’s crate.

The minute we put him inside his crate, he just goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up until we walk off the plane. Scott says. Her small crate fits right on the floor underneath the seat, and it’s so easy to take her with me.

Stanley Anderson, a Labrador Retriever breeder from Miami, Florida as well, suggests using a crate for your dog while riding in the car, too. In the event of an accident, a loose dog in the car becomes a projectile and can be easily injured. It can also escape and either be killed by oncoming traffic or disappear in strange surroundings, never to be found again, Stanley says.

There are other good reasons to use a crate. At some time during its life, your dog may have to go to the veterinarian and may need to remain in a crate for several hours, or even overnight, while receiving medical treatment.

For some dogs, going to the veterinarian is stressful enough without having to experience sudden confinement. If your puppy is already crate-savvy, it has a better chance of feeling more at home, even during an emergency.

Here is another reason to crate train your puppy: During a natural disaster, such as a fire, earthquake, hurricane, tornado or flood, a crate may be a necessity and the only safe refuge your dog may have.

There have been hundreds of reports of house dogs’ behavior during one of these disasters. The ones that were properly crate trained were quick to seek safety in their crates, while the others would aimlessly run around with stress, often getting injured or even killed by falling debris.

And lastly, as you all have heard already, a crate also doubles as a housetraining skill builder. Housetraining a puppy is much easier if you use a crate. Puppies usually won’t soil where they sleep, so once you let them out of the crate you’ll know it’s time to take them outside to eliminate.

Aside from giving your pup the opportunity to avoid temptation of trouble and destruction around the house when you are not looking, its crate is also a practical piece of dog furniture to have around the house. It doubles as a dog bed, and makes a good hiding spot for puppies to stash their favorite toys.

Or, if you’re having cleaning or repair work done in your home, putting your puppy in a crate ensures you avoid worrying that your pup may get underfoot, become injured, or escape if a worker leaves the door or gate open.

First used by airlines to contain pets while traveling, pet carrier crates are indispensable if you want to take your puppy along while traveling or on vacation. Scott and Diane Joris, from Miami, Florida, don’t even think about leaving home without their canine companion, Buddy, and of course Buddy’s crate.

The minute we put him inside his crate, he just goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up until we walk off the plane. Scott says. Her small crate fits right on the floor underneath the seat, and it’s so easy to take her with me.

Stanley Anderson, a Labrador Retriever breeder from Miami, Florida as well, suggests using a crate for your dog while riding in the car, too. In the event of an accident, a loose dog in the car becomes a projectile and can be easily injured. It can also escape and either be killed by oncoming traffic or disappear in strange surroundings, never to be found again, Stanley says.

There are other good reasons to use a crate. At some time during its life, your dog may have to go to the veterinarian and may need to remain in a crate for several hours, or even overnight, while receiving medical treatment.

For some dogs, going to the veterinarian is stressful enough without having to experience sudden confinement. If your puppy is already crate-savvy, it has a better chance of feeling more at home, even during an emergency.

Here is another reason to crate train your puppy: During a natural disaster, such as a fire, earthquake, hurricane, tornado or flood, a crate may be a necessity and the only safe refuge your dog may have.

There have been hundreds of reports of house dogs’ behavior during one of these disasters. The ones that were properly crate trained were quick to seek safety in their crates, while the others would aimlessly run around with stress, often getting injured or even killed by falling debris.

And lastly, as you all have heard already, a crate also doubles as a housetraining skill builder. Housetraining a puppy is much easier if you use a crate. Puppies usually won’t soil where they sleep, so once you let them out of the crate you’ll know it’s time to take them outside to eliminate.

Michelle King, of Reseda, California, thought Crystal, her 6-month-old Golden Retriever, looked so cute snuggled into the pillows on her son’s bed. She was asleep, so I left her alone and took a shower, Michelle remembers. When I came back to the bedroom, there was stuffing scattered everywhere. Crystal had chewed up the bedding and even had a piece of fabric hanging from ear to ear.

A friend suggested that Michelle try putting her puppy into a crate, a dog training tool which is often a large open sturdy box, when she couldn’t keep an eye on her. I resisted because I didn’t want to confine Crystal, and I didn’t think that she would cause any more damage. But I was wrong, she says. When my pup chomped off chunks of mattress one evening soon after, I bought a crate that same day. I wasn’t thrilled about using it, but Crystal’s crime sprees were becoming too expensive.

At first glance, putting your puppy into the small, confined space of a crate may seem cruel, but it’s actually one of the kindest things you can do for your dog. Marcus Thompson, a German Shepherd trainer and breeder from Vermont, makes the following connection between dogs and their wolf ancestors:

Wolves and dogs are den animals that feel protected and comfortable when they’re sleeping in a covered area. The den provides security and a calming effect, Marcus says. Besides the bed or the couch, many dogs naturally choose places to sleep in the house that closely resemble a den or crate, such as beneath a desk or dining table, behind the drapes, or in an alcove.

Who’s The Boss?

Also known as a hard-sided pet carrier, a crate is a great training aid that helps you establish who’s in charge. You decide when to put your puppy in the crate and when to take it out, so your puppy learns that you’re the leader. This makes learning other skills easier because your puppy knows it can trust you.

As a destruction-proof zone, a crate gives your puppy a safe place to call its own and to stay out of mischief. Young dogs have a boundless supply of energy and are naturally curious. Left unsupervised, it only takes a few minutes for them to discover the joys (and dangers) of chewing, digging or trashcan raiding.

If you’re unable to keep an eye on your puppy, it’s better to put it into a crate for an hour or so, than to be angry if your little darling gnaws on an antique chair leg or destroys your best pair of shoes.

Does this sound like you and your dog? You ve had him since he was a puppy. He is a sweet dog, eager to please, and enjoys being around you and your whole family.

But lately, you ve notice that he s become destructive around the house whenever he s left alone, even for just a few hours. You come home and the house looks like it was hit by a tornado papers scattered everywhere, the trash can was knocked down, and your clothes were chewed into shreds.

Your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety, a problem common with many puppies and dogs. Separation anxiety is a panic disorder exhibited by a dog in the absence of his owner. It is the fear of being left alone that result in unwanted, destructive dog behaviors.

Dogs are social creatures. As puppies it is natural for them to get dependent and attached to their mother and littermates. This type of attachment is transferred on to you, his owner, when the puppy enters your life. This attachment results in distress whenever the dog is left alone in the house, which is the most common cause of separation anxiety.

Signs Of Separation Anxiety

Your dog is suffering from separation anxiety if he displays the following signs: Destructiveness; excessive crying, barking, howling, whining, house soiling, pacing, depression, self mutilation, excessive salivation, hyperactivity, and scratching or chewing at walls, doors, windows, furniture, and other objects.

Causes Of Separation Anxiety

There are many causes for separation anxiety in dogs. Some were developed with experiences they had before the dog ever became part of your family, such as loss or abandonment of previous owner.

Below are six other causes of separation anxiety in dogs:

1. A traumatic experience such as an injury, thunderstorm, or an alarm system going off that happened while you were gone. 2. A loss or addition of a family member. 3. Premature separation from its mother and littermates. 4. Having a new pet in the house and spending a lot of time with that new pet and less time with him. 5. A sudden change in schedule, lifestyle, or environment. 6. Changes that occur in older dogs, both physiologically and mentally, that results from aging.

Separation anxiety occurs when dogs feel frightened and distressed at the absence of their owner. This type of attachment problem can be mild or severe. A mild case is often exhibited when the dog is pacing, over-grooming, and panting, whereas a severe case of separation anxiety can be quite a challenge for the owner. The dog soils the house, cries nonstop, barks or howls, and destroys furniture and other objects around the house. Often times, some dog behavior associated with separation anxiety start to show after being left alone for only ten or fifteen minutes.

Dogs that are more at risk of developing separation anxiety are those rescued from shelters, were living on the streets, or were locked inside a crate or kennel most of their lives. And because this behavior only occurs when the dog is left alone, there s really nothing you can do to stop him from destroying your home or irritating the neighbors every time you leave the house. However, you can teach your dog not to be scared or panic during your absence.

Here are five ways that can help.

1. Some dogs feel comfortable being confined to a small space such as a crate or a small gated area of the house, while others feel comfortable safely out in the backyard. If your dog starts to feel agitated when crated, take him out and do not try to force it because it can only make matters worse.

2. In some cases, confining your dog to a small area where he has viewing access to the outside world is enough to make him feel comfortable and eliminate separation anxiety. You can place his crate or bed in front of a sliding glass door or a clear window.

3. Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety because of boredom. Find a job that your dog can do. Teach him how to play Find it a game that he can play by himself. To play this game, you must hide his favorite bones or stuffed treats where he can find them. To keep him busy, use three or five bones or treats (depending on how long you ll be gone).

4. Another way to fight boredom is to provide your dog with plenty of toys. Rotate the toys so he will not get tired of playing with them. Playing, chewing, chasing, and hunting for his toys or treats has the power to cause your dog utilize his natural canine instincts while keeping him occupied for hours.

5. Leave the television on or play a soft, relaxing music. Researches have shown that soft, classical music relaxes dogs. Pick something that you listen to when you are at home, so your pet doesn t relate the music to your absence.

There are several ways to soothe separation anxiety in your dog in order to help him feel more secure while you are away. For the fastest results possible, apply the following practical tips in carrying out dog training:

1. Having a new puppy or a new adult dog is an enjoyable experience. It is so easy to give the new member of the family tons of love and attention. But spending all of your time with your new dog can create negative consequences, especially when you return to your normal schedule where you are out of the house all day.

Give your new dog a lot of attention, but also get him use to being alone, even when you re at home. Getting him used to your absence should be done gradually so it doesn t create a traumatic experience.

Start by going to a different room and closing the door behind you, leaving your dog by himself in another room. Do this several times every day. Next, leave him alone in the house for five minutes, then fifteen, and so on, until he is comfortable enough to be left alone for several hours at a time.

2. Being home alone should be a good experience for your dog. This can be done by linking a positive association with that of you being away. Give your dog a new toy before you leave the house. Provide him with different toys when you are home so he doesn t associate the toys with you going out and leaving him. Another strategy is to give him his favorite snack or a hollow bone filled with tasty treats that will take the dog a while to finish. These are two pleasant activities that your dog can engage in that will relieve him of the feelings of anxiety and fear.

3. Sometimes it is necessary to confine your dog when you re not home. If you must do this, be sure to create a positive association with that room. Make him feel that he is going to a fun place. Do not put your dog in a crate because this will only increase his feelings of loneliness. Instead, pick a safe room where he feels secure. And when you are home, make it a point to spend some time and play with him in that room so he can associate the area with fun.

4. Do not make the act of leaving the house a big deal and do not feel guilty about it. Ignore your dog for about ten minutes before you leave the house, and then another ten minutes upon returning home. This eliminates the excitement of you going away and coming back.

5. Another way to ease your dog s feeling of distress is by giving him enough exercise, especially before you leave the house. Taking him out for a jog or a brisk walk will make your dog feel relaxed and tired, ready for a long nap while you are gone.

When is the best time to start puppy training? Dog experts and trainers alike all agree that puppy training and socialization should start as early as possible. If you or any other new puppy owner is under the notion that training should not begin until the dog is about five to six months old, you should discard that theory completely from your mind.

Through decades of research it has been concluded that training should begin the moment your dog steps foot in the house. Most puppies are purchased or adopted when they are six to seven weeks old, however, they can start early training and become socialized as young as two to three weeks. Their minds are like sponges, just waiting to absorb stimuli and information.

Especially For Big Dogs…

Early training should be initiated for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, puppies that will grow to be bigger sized dogs need this early training to prevent them from becoming a burden to the family, and not only for bad behavior, but also due to the problems it can cause from the dog’s size.

There is nothing worse than having an untrained, obnoxious 75 pound dog jumping up on you and other people without the ability to stop. By the time these dogs are seven to nine months of age, they will be too strong for most family members to handle.

Learning Is Effortless At Such An Early Age…

What is even better, is that puppies who experience training at a very early age can learn with very little effort. Any dog that was initiated with behavior and socialization skills rarely grow up to have biting problems or other issues that need major corrections.

I can personally attest to this information. Being the proud owner of six dogs, four of which were born right here at home, the experiences I have had with dog training will last a lifetime.

The four dogs that have been in my home since the day they were born demonstrated absolutely no behavior problems growing up. However, my other two dogs were adopted at the same time and were each approximately 7 months old.

Needless to say, it was quite a rough learning experience for both the dogs and myself. It took twice the effort and time to get them at the same learning skill level and behavior respect that my other four dogs were showing, and at the same age on average.

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