Welcome back to the Greenfield Puppies Dog Blog! Today we are going to talk about how to crate train your puppy, a widely used method of housebreaking your dog. Crate training your puppy is a good idea for a number of reasons, one of which being his or her safety. Given the fact that in a normal American home both adults work, the puppy may be left alone for extended periods of time. The fact is, crate training is good to housebreak, and safely confine your dog when you are absent from the home. Here are some tips you will need on how to effectively use this method of training.

• First off, you must select a crate. Keep in mind you want it to be big enough for your dog, but too much space will entice the puppy to go potty in a corner of the crate and lay at the other end. You may need to go with a small crate when the puppy is young, then up size as the dog gets older if you still choose to use the crate when the dog is grown.
• Never use a crate as a punishment. You want your puppy to associate the crate with a comfortable and safe place, like a den, that way a dog is less likely to defile it by having accidents. A puppy who associates the crate with a place they are put to punish can suffer anxiety while in the crate.
• You must be aware that a puppy under 4 months old will probably not be able to hold it for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time, and that is pushing it. When a dog is full grown, they can usually hold it for about 6 hours, you can control the water intake of your dog, helping with the need to eliminate. There is nothing wrong with cutting the water off overnight, but make sure they have access to water during the day. It is very important for a dog to stay hydrated.
• Use treats if necessary to get the dog in the crate. If they associate it with a reward, it will be a pleasant thing for them. Try to put the crate in an are of the house that has alot of activity, and make sure that some of the dog’s favorite toys are nearby. It may also be a good idea to put a worn old tee shirt in the crate to make the dog more comfortable, that way your scent is present.
• Keep in mind that while you don’t want to use the crate as a place of confinement, you should use it when you are home as well as away. If you only use it when you are gone, the puppy will associate it with you being gone, which is not what you want.

I hope we have given you some good tips on how to start to crate train your dog. Just remember to be patient with the puppy and realize it is something new to them, and if you make it a positive experience filled with laughs and smiles, they will accept it.

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