Need to go to work but you’re worried about what to do with your new puppy?
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In this video, I’m going to share my top tips to successfully crate train your puppy
so when you leave to go to work you won’t worry about your puppy getting into trouble,
having accidents all over your home or chewing up your furniture
WE don’t want to leave a young puppy with access to their whole house and in most cases
even leaving them in one room can prove to be a grave mistake!
I’ve taught thousands of new puppy owners my crate training techniques to get their
puppies to quickly settle into loving their crate,
and now I want to share these tips with you too!
Michele here with How to Train a Dream dog, the place for online puppy training courses,
for new puppy owners!
Let’s get started with today’s lesson!
Most new puppy owners that reach out to me about new puppy training completely dismiss
using a crate for their puppy.
They tell me their puppy doesn’t need it, they don’t like the idea of their puppy
being in it and they don’t think they will ever use it.
WHOOA!
They must have never seen a baby in a crib, pack n play or baby playpen!
Those are all used to keep babies safe when their parents or caregivers can’t hold them
or when they have to step away for a moment to use the bathroom, switch over the laundry
or grab the mail.
I mean these are all times they would not be able to supervise their child 100% because
they needed to take their attention away for a short bit.
Listen, crates are one of the most important tools you can use when raising a puppy.
Puppies love to explore the world around them..mostly with their mouth
This means your home is fair game!
Cords, carpet, furniture, cabinets, doors, shoes, blankets...you get the picture
These are all things my students have shared with me that their dogs have destroyed when
they didn’t use a crate, to keep their puppy safe, when they were away.
In order to teach your puppy to love their crate we have to make sure we make it the
best place ever!
For this reason, we never use it as a form of punishment…
definitely a place for some downtime, naptime,
and bedtime but never because you want to scold them
In order to make the crate a great place to be, you can start by feeding all meals in
their crate…
just the food, not water.
Leave water out of the crate as this just becomes something fun to play in,
makes a mess when tipped over and leaves them needing to go potty more frequently without
a way to relieve themselves if left in the crate
We never want to encourage a dog to go potty in their crate!
The next best way to make the crate positive, give a higher value treat to your pup each
time they go in it.
Now you’ll want to make sure your pup is well exercised before they go in their crate.
You never want to put a fully charged puppy in their crate with a ton of pent up energy.
They will go stir crazy and won’t settle down in there very well at all.
Using the right size crate is key.
Your crate should only allow your puppy enough room to turn around and lay down, not pace
and jump around in there.
We don’t want our puppies to have enough space to try and potty on one end and sleep
in the other… it’s flat, that’s not going to work
We don’t ever put pee pads in the crate either… if you’ve watched my other training
video on pee pads, you’ll know I don’t use them, ever!
You may need to use the divider your crate came with, if you’re using a metal crate.
Dogs love to find comfy cozy places to rest, it makes them feel safer and secure.
I recommend you cover the crate with a sheet...but here’s the deal
You will need to put something bigger than the crate over the top, like a piece of plywood
or cardboard, this way when you put the sheet over the top of the crate it won’t touch
the sides
Your puppy won’t be able to pull the sheet inside the crate!
Also only cover the front and sides and leave the back open, and put the crate up against
the wall,
This is for best airflow... and so your pup doesn’t see a bunch of things that can get
them overexcited while in the crate
You can help your puppy settle into their crate even better by playing calming music
for dogs, using a heartbeat dog and by diffusing pure lavender,
you can use a DAP or dog appeasing pheromones such as Adaptil, this is like a scent the
mother dog gives off to calm her pups, I’ll put a link below to all the products I mention
in this video
Now this may be the hardest advice to follow but I want you to hear me out on this one…
Don’t put any bedding in their crate... until you know they can be trusted,
for most puppies this isn’t until they are past the teething stage, past the adolescent
chewing stage that kicks in around 8 to 10 months.
My rule of thumb is no bedding under a year Here’s why…
Most puppies want to potty on their bed while in the crate or chew on their bed.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this video, dogs can get into a lot of things that need
to be surgically removed and bedding is one of them!
The only things I put in a dog’s crate are hard chew toys like Nylabones, that can’t
be pulled apart, destroyed or ingested.
Trust me when I say this…
When I worked at the Vet’s office we saw more bowel obstruction surgeries because new
puppies ate bedding left in their crate.
Owners felt more terrible that their puppy had to have surgery than if they hadn’t
put anything in the crate in the first place.
You can also keep your puppy busy with a Frozen Filled Kong, this is a great teething toy
as well as a busy toy to keep them occupied when you leave.
You should be periodically putting your pup in their crate throughout the day even when
you are home.
1- it helps them settle down,
and 2 it teaches them they can go in the crate whether you’re there or not,
3- it helps them learn they don’t go in the crate only when you leave
It just makes crate training less stressful and gets them used to it a whole lot faster.
You may only be able to keep your puppy in their crate for small increments of time to
start, but gradually increase the time they are in there…
and whatever you do…
DO NOT LET THEM OUT OF THE CRATE when they are crying, whining, barking, throwing a temper
tantrum or anything similar.
Your puppy will quickly learn that if they cry you’ll come running and let them out.
This is not how we teach puppies to love their crate.
So...the next time you leave to go to work,
don’t make a big deal about it, don’t say things like “I’m sorry, don’t worry,
I’ll be back, It’s ok, I won’t be gone long” this only increases their anxiety
DO calmly put them in their crate, after they’ve been exercised, with a busy toy like the Kong
or a Nylabone I mentioned before,
close the door, cover the crate, turn on the calming music and head out the door.
Now your puppy may need to be let out for a potty break during the day or maybe even
a few times depending on their age.
The rule of thumb is 1 hour for each month of age...that’s about how long they can
hold it.
If you can’t make it home, have a friend or family member come let your puppy out.
There are dog walking services that offer this service as well.
Ok, don’t forget to check out my other videos on puppy training, you’re going to learn
a lot!
Make sure you subscribe to my channel and don’t forget to grab the FREE Puppy Training
Starter Kit, remember the link is below.
If you like this video, please let me know by hitting the like button, and share it with
another new puppy owner so they can learn to crate their puppy too.
In the comments below tell me where you keep your crate!