Crate training tip - make sure you use the crate when you are home
Article Source: examiner.com
Article by: Jeff Millman
I frequently get calls from potential clients that have young puppies. Many people know the importance of using a crate, but don’t use it properly.
The benefits of using a crate are many:
* You can prevent destruction
* You can speed up housetraining
* You can decrease the chances for separation anxiety
So many people use the crate when they are at work, but keep the puppy out of the crate all night when they are home.
This is a mistake.
If your puppy is only in the crate during the day when you are at work, you run the risk of having an older dog that is not used to being away from you. At the worst he could get separation anxiety, or he might just be a frustrated older dog, or frustrated puppy.
What happens if you have a few friends over and your puppy has never been in the crate in the evening, especially with the commotion of guests? If you put your puppy in the crate without without prior practice, he might bark or whine and be a big distraction to you and your guests.
It is important that you are able to get a break from your puppy for real life activities. If your puppy never learns to be in the crate in the evening, you are limiting your ability to lower the inevitable stress associated with having a puppy.
It is also impossible to watch a puppy every moment when you are home. If you don’t use the crate, he might learn to be destructive when you are out of the room. The more bad habits your puppy learns now, the more work for you later to “unteach” those bad habits.
Puppies can be wonderful, fun, cute little furballs that are nothing but fun. But, they can also be (and usually are) a tremendous amount of work. Put yourself and your puppy in a situation where he learns to be calm and comfortable in the crate at all times during the day. If you spend “quality time” with your puppy when he is out of the crate and train him, exercise him and work with him, he will most likely be tired and sleepy in the crate anyway.
Tags: crate training