How to Crate Train Your Puppy

Crate training provides your puppy with a safe place to stay while you’re out of the house. This can lower your risk of coming home to find household items or furniture chewed up, especially if your puppy hasn’t mastered obedience training just yet. It can also help you house train your puppy more effectively, since dogs quickly learn not to soil their own crate. In order for this to work, though, your dog will have to learn to get used to being in a crate. Use the following steps on how to crate train a puppy to teach your new fury friend how to be calm and comfortable in this setting.

Preparing for Crate Training

1. Choose a suitable crate. There are several materials to choose from, including plastic, fabric and metal, as well as different sizes. Make sure you get a crate that gives your puppy enough space to turn around, but not too much room beyond that. Otherwise, your puppy can end up soiling part of the crate. If your puppy will be growing much bigger, you can temporarily block off part of a larger crate and adjust it as your puppy grows.
2. Make the crate comfortable. Your puppy’s crate should be a cozy and comfortable place, so put a blanket on the floor of it.
3. Place the crate in a high-traffic area. Puppy separation anxiety can be an issue, especially with younger pups. You can help your puppy adjust to being in a crate by putting it in a part of your home that you and your family tend to use a lot, such as the living room. Having people around can help your puppy feel more at ease inside the crate.
4. Remove the crate door. Take off the door to give your puppy a chance to go in and explore. Most puppies have a curious nature and enjoy sniffing out new surroundings. Leaving the door off can encourage your puppy to check out the crate. You might even find your puppy curled up inside it while taking a nap.

Using the Crate

1. Introduce your puppy to the crate. If your puppy isn’t showing much interest in the crate, you can make it more enticing by putting a few treats just outside of it. As your puppy moves closer to the crate, put a few more small treats inside the crate. You can also put a few in the back part of the crate to encourage your puppy to go all the way inside. Keep in mind that you might have to try this several times before your puppy will feel comfortable approaching and entering the crate.
2. Make the crate part of mealtime. When your puppy is willing to go inside the crate, start serving meals in it. Place your puppy’s bowl of dog food inside the crate to build a positive association between being in the crate and getting something desirable. This makes it easier for your puppy to consider the crate a good place to be, rather than being afraid of it.
3. Put the door back on and close it. When your puppy seems comfortable staying inside the crate to eat, put the door on again and try closing it. At first, you should open it once your dog finishes eating. You can then leave the door closed during mealtime for longer and longer periods of time. This helps your puppy get used to being in the crate with the door closed.
4. Make crating periods longer. If your puppy stays calm in the crate while eating, you can start making crate time longer. You don’t always have to wait for mealtime to crate train either. Instead, you can encourage your puppy to enter it at any time by offering a treat. Start off by sitting close to the crate for a few minutes, then go to a different room for a few minutes. When you come back, open the crate. Leave your puppy in the crate for longer and longer periods of time while you stay in another room.
5. Leave the house. When your puppy can stay calm in the crate for at least a half-hour, start leaving your home while crating. Begin by leaving for a short time, then gradually stay out for longer periods of time. When you’re leaving, do so quietly instead of fussing over your puppy. This will help your puppy stay calm while you’re gone. When you return, greet your puppy calmly rather than making a big deal out of coming home. This can help ease puppy separation anxiety, while going overboard with praise and attention can make it worse. Keep in mind that younger puppies shouldn’t be left in a crate for more than a few hours at a time without having a chance to go potty.

Handling Crate Training Problems With Your Puppy

1. Be patient. It’s important to remember that crate training doesn’t happen overnight. It can take several weeks for your puppy to learn how to stay relaxed while being left in a crate. Don’t try to rush the crate training process, or you could end up making problems such as separation anxiety worse.
2. Be positive. Being positive is just as important as being patient when you’re crate training your puppy. Your goal is to make sure your puppy associates the crate with pleasant experiences, so avoid yelling or punishing your pet, no matter what happens or how long it’s taking for training to work. If your puppy associates the crate with anything bad, you can count on the entire training process taking even longer.
3. Ignore whining. Puppies sometimes whine for attention when they’re in a crate. Rewarding them by giving them the attention they want encourages them to repeat this behavior. Try ignoring your puppy until the whining stops. Your puppy will learn that this behavior won’t result in being let out of the crate or getting attention. If you think whining might mean that your puppy has to go outside, try going out, but make sure there’s no fun or playing involved. Let your puppy go potty, then go right back to crate training.
4. Be cautious when dealing with puppy separation anxiety. This is a behavioral issue that needs careful handling to stop it from getting worse. If your puppy becomes destructive when you leave due to anxiety, using a regular dog crate to prevent this from happening might be tempting. Keep in mind that your puppy might get hurt trying to escape from a crate by clawing or chewing at it, though. Work with a professional dog trainer or animal behavior specialist to help your puppy overcome this problem safely.

If your puppy is having trouble staying calm in a crate, ZENCRATE can help. This puppy separation anxiety crate helps soothe dogs while they’re inside it, so they won’t end up hurting themselves.

Merry Christmas to all my friends! It’s Christmas week and we are super excited about Santa’s arrival. Our Christmas stockings are at the ready and we are crossing our paws that Santa is good to us this year. Did you get your pooch a gift this year? If not, we have you covered!  My baby brother Chio and I have come up with a list of Last minute Christmas gift ideas for your dog. They will be appreciated any time of year!

1. Aqua Kong Floating Water Toy

We love to play in the water and this toy makes it all the more fun. Throw it out on the water for your dog to retrieve. For safety, always make sure that it’s used in water that your dog can comfortably swim in. It also works well in the park!

2. Eco-Lobster by West Paw Design

A soft toy made for eco-friendly dogs owners. It’s made in the USA with eco-friendly IntelliLoft® fabric.  West Paw Design have lots of funky berber soft toys and some really cool Zogoflex Air toys which are “squishy balls designed for obsessive fetchers”!

3. Peanut Butter Little Stars

Organic training treats that have your dogs tummy and nose in mind. They are designed to help with positive reinforcement training and won’t crumble in your pocket. They come in a range of flavors to please all kinds of fussy pups. Check out Wet Noses website for full details.

4. Go! Pet Design US Made Heavy Duty Pet Tent

What dog wouldn’t love a teepee bed to sleep in? If this isn’t your style, Olive have a great selection of organic USA made dog beds for the most pampered of pooches.

5. Green Mini Dog Feeder

Great for keeping puppies occupied for a while, this interactive dog food bowl allows you to scatter bits of kibble in between the blades of grass. It will also slow a dog that has a tendency to wolf down his food.

6. ZenCrate Dog Create for Pets with Anxiety Issues

We couldn't have a list without our most important gift ever, The Zen-crate. I know we talk about it frequently but it's the best invention we know of because we use it daily. A furniture grade crate that will make any dog bark with joy. It helps to give any pup a place of zen in times of stress, it will also look great in your home! Check it out here...

7. The Cat-a-Pult

There’s no need to chase cats with this cool toy! It’s make from puncture resistant material that’s gentle on your dogs teeth and gums. Ruff Dawg have an amazing rage of retrieving and pull toys made in the USA.

8. Box of Doggie Candy

A couple of weeks ago I shared a blog about the dangers of giving your dog people food. Treat your dog to his very own box of candy this year. Bone Bons are artisan grain free dog biscuits that are handmade from scratch. Your dog will love them!

We hope this gives you some inspiration for last minute gifts. If you liked our blog post, please share and give it a paws up! Subscribe to my blog to get the latest posts straight to your inbox. Merry Christmas from Chio and Charger.

Happy holidays furiends! The excitement continues to build in our house this week! We hear Santa is on his way to us with gifts and treats :)

My brother Chio has turned out to be the best pal I could have wished for. He’s my playmate and snuggle buddy all rolled into one. Many people might be thinking of giving a puppy like Chio as a gift this year. Before you do, read my thoughts on why you should not give pets as Christmas gifts.

It’s seems like the perfect gift. You are picturing a cute little puppy under the tree and your loved ones face lighting up with joy. I know you mean well, but giving a pet to someone for Christmas can often end in tragedy. Pets are forever, not just for the holidays. Getting a pet is a huge responsibility and it’s something that a person must commit to themselves. Although you are buying the pet, you are actually forcing upon them a 10 - 20 year commitment of time, money and energy.

If the pet is for your own household, why not wait until the end of January or early February? The chances are, a lot of pets purchased for Christmas will end up in the shelters by then and need a loving furever home.

Here are my top three reasons not to introduce a pet to your home at Christmas:

1. The holiday season is busy enough without adding to your responsibilities. A new puppy or kitten will need to be trained, settled into the home, introduced to any children or other pets. Check out my blog on introducing a new puppy to the home. This is not ideal when you are running around trying to prepare dinner, visit family and keep on top of the chores. This time of year is also full of dangers to a new pet as I discussed in my blog last week. Read Safeguarding your Pet this Holiday Season. It’s best to wait for a less busy time of year, when everyone will have the time to give the new member of the family the attention they deserve.

1. Children get toys for Christmas - and get bored of the toys by January. Introducing a pet at this time of year can give the impression that it’s just another toy to discard when they get bored of it. A new pet is a huge responsibility and children need to be made aware of this outside of the excitement of Christmas.

1. Puppy Mills and disreputable breeders love this time of year. As demand is so high for new pets, pet stores may use these breeders to make sure they have all the latest trendy breeds in store. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how bad puppy mills are. Puppies are born into inhumane and dirty conditions. They are likely to be sick and suffer with abnormalities.

So what can you do instead? Sponsor an animal charity on behalf of the person you are gifting. Any pet lover would appreciate this. Here’s one we found for Southeastern Guide Dogs. They’ll even send you a photo and certificate that you can present to your loved one.

If the pet is for a child within your own home, try giving them something that they need to take care of, with the promise of a pet if they do it well. Foopets are virtual online pets that need food, love, attention and care just like a real pet. They are a great warm-up pet for young children.

That’s in from me this week. If you have any pictures of your pets that you’d like to share, please visit me on Facebook at Charger the Guide Dog. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. If you found this article useful, give it a paws up and share with your friends.

Charger