Chapter 1
IN THIS LESSON
Should the crate be in my bedroom overnight? Why should I crate train? Where should this “crate” go?
When we “crate train” a puppy, we use a heavy duty, well made crate. One that is very closely related to a rock or boulder, ie. indestructible!
If you don’t want to purchase the specific crate linked on our products page – no worries! Simply make sure there's enough room for a pup to turn around and lay down comfortably. There should also be a removable pan in the bottom, preferably under a grate floor that sits atop, which can be lined with puppy pads. This makes for easy removal and cleanup of inevitable “potty accidents." They will have accidents in the crate, so make sure you allow grace for your sweet new baby. After all, we relate training of our wonderful puppies back to potty training a 6 month old baby. Expecting perfection is not possible or fair to your precious new addition!
More on potty training at the lesson titled, “Potty Training.”
Should the crate be in your bedroom overnight? Where should it go? I would place the crate somewhere central to the home or even in a quiet/peaceful space like a laundry room where you can open or shut the door as needed. They will cry the first few nights — very normal. If given treats every time, they quickly love it and realize how safe it makes them feel. Dogs are pack animals, also “cave animals,” meaning a quiet, safe space is a good thing. (Once taught this!)
Every time one of our puppies is placed into the crate, we reward the pup with a small treat. This shows them the crate is not a scary place to be, but actually a fun area for them. They just don't know it yet!
Every night, I line the removable pan with puppy pads. I put my puppies to bed as late as I possibly can, likely around 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. and leave them to sleep all night until I wake up in the morning, which is usually anytime between 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. I usually expect puppies to have accidents in their crate if following this method. I have talked at length with other breeders who feel that it is wiser to wake up in the middle of the night, say maybe 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m. to let puppies outside to potty. I will honestly say that I do not have the time or energy to follow this method. I also don't believe it works any “better” or faster than my first method spoken of above.
I make sure that every time they go into the crate they have a snuggly object that they seem attached to. This can be a blanket with the scent of mama or a littermate or even a pet safe stuffed animal. I send you home with a blanket for every pup! The easiest object I have used thus far is a heavy duty towel that is strong and smells like their littermates. They typically do not destroy this object because they love it.
It’s also very beneficial to give them a hard Nylabone or Bully Stick in the crate, so they have something to teethe on. My go to choices are linked on our product page. The stuffed Bully Sticks seem to be the most effective to me! Use these bones at your own discretion. I am in no way affiliated with the products I promote, they are simply what I use to most effectively train dogs.