- You feel like you're doing everything right
when it comes to potty training your puppy in a crate,
but the crate training part just isn't working
and every time you go to get your puppy,
you never know what kind of mess
there will be waiting for you.
In this video, I'm gonna tell you
about the most common mistakes that people make
with their crate training that lead
to puppies having accidents in their crate.
I'm Ken Steepe, this is Hippy Shake.
Welcome back to McCann Dogs.
(guitar strumming) (dog barking)
Every single week at our training facility,
we help more than 500 dog owners, who are just like you,
to overcome their dog training challenges.
So if this is your first time on our YouTube channel,
make sure you hit that subscribe button
so that I can help you
to have a well-behaved four-legged family member.
Now, this episode is all about potty-training problems
when you're trying to crate train your puppy.
This is episode two, so if you're having
other crate-training issues
and you feel like crate training isn't working,
then check out the first episode of this series.
We want our puppies to be comfortable in their crate,
but if you're having potty-training issues
and your puppy keeps having accidents,
it's important to do things like remove their bedding,
whether it's a bed or a towel or whatever,
from their crate.
Puppies will sometimes go pee or poop
on that bedding or on that towel,
and then, they'll sort of scrunch it up to the side
so that they can still sleep comfortably.
Now, this won't be forever.
This is just while we deal with this potty-training issue.
We're going to remove the bedding from the puppy's crate
if they continue to have accidents.
Remove other things like pee pads, as well.
It creates a bit of a conflicting message for puppies,
and we're gonna show them exactly how
they can very quickly potty train
by giving them very clear boundaries,
so by taking them outside, for example.
And if you're using puppy-pad training in your house,
there's probably lots of videos on YouTube
that talk about progressively moving it closer
to an exterior door, for example.
But let's make sure, for now, that all of the other things
in our puppy's crate have been removed
if they're having problems with potty training.
Next, we need to look at how much room
our puppy has in their crate.
Now, a lot of us will buy a crate for the puppy's lifetime.
We're gonna buy it big enough for them to grow into,
but the problem there is that
when your puppy's really little,
there might be too much room available
for them to go have an accident in one corner
and then sleep soundly or lie down and be comfortable
and dry in another corner of the crate.
Something that you can do is,
especially for those of you who have a wire crate
for your puppy, you can get a divider.
Now, I know there's probably some plastic crates out there
that you can get a divider for,
but you may need to look at doing something
like creating bulk in one end of your plastic puppy's crate.
Make sure that you really have a good look
at how much room your puppy has.
They need to be able to stand up, lie down,
and turn around quite comfortably in their crate,
but if you're giving them too much more room than that,
then they may feel like there's lots of opportunities
to go pee in one side and sleep on the other.
I'm gonna use Hippy Shake as my demonstration dog,
and I want her to feel like there's a bit of a consequence
if she has an accident in her crate.
And you can see here, I pour an entire cup of water
in one end of the crate, and she's still able to relax
comfortably in the other end of the crate.
So make sure that that crate has the appropriate amount
of space for your puppy,
especially when you're having potty-training problems.
Another option is going on a buy-and-sell website
and grabbing your crate from there really inexpensively.
Now, people are often selling crates,
because they feel like they don't need to use them anymore,
or maybe their puppy has grown out of it.
So you can definitely check that out
while your puppy is this size.
And just a quick search on a local buy-and-sell website,
and I found all sorts of puppy crate options.
We want our puppy's crate to be somewhere
that they can be safe and comfortable
and to help us with their potty-training process,
and we don't wanna have to be supervising them
when they're in there.
However, when you're working on crate training,
especially if you're having potty-training problems
with your puppy, it's a great idea that,
if they're in their crate and you're able to supervise them,
that you do keep an eye on them,
that you really listen for them
to maybe start making noise
that they might need to go outside.
Now, this may seem a little inconvenient,
but moving your puppy's crate around
to wherever you are in the living space
is gonna be really helpful.
After your playtime or your training session
or when they wanna have a rest,
moving your puppy, maybe beside you in the living room
while you hang out in there, is gonna allow you to hear them
make noise and let you know when they need to go out,
maybe they begin to stir.
Now, if your puppy just all of a sudden decides
to go potty in their crate,
that's also gonna allow you to capture that moment
and use your voice with an oops or an uh-uh or something,
some verbal marker to let them know
that that's not what you want.
At that point, you can take them outside
and praise them for going in a place
that you do want them to go,
but that moment that you're able to catch them in the act
and mark that moment is gonna be really helpful
if they do have an accident.
That just reminded me that after a training session
and after playtime, those are really important times
to take your puppy out to go potty.
Those are pretty common times for puppies to have accidents.
And any time you're about to put your puppy
into their crate, make sure you take them outside.
That way, you're not putting your puppy away in their kennel
or in their crate with a full bladder.
That goes for nighttime, too.
Now, anytime we have a puppy in the house
who's potty training or crate training,
we will always bring them up to our bedroom
in their crate at night.
Maybe that means having another crate in your home,
or maybe it means lugging that crate
upstairs when it's bedtime,
but believe me, it's worth it,
especially if you're having potty-training issues.
If we feel like our puppy's really struggling
or uncomfortable when they're beside the bed,
then sometimes we'll elevate that crate.
If it's a small enough crate and puppy,
you can even put them on maybe your nightstand
or something like that, or at least bring them up
to where they can see you or hear you in their crate.
Now, it's gonna be really important,
because a lot of people complain that overnight,
I have problems with my puppy having accidents.
At nighttime, and hopefully, you're a light enough sleeper,
you'll hear your puppy start to fuss
or let you know that they need to go out,
and this is a really important thing
about being able to rehearse the good stuff,
to really make your puppy feel
like they do have an opportunity,
if they have to go, they need to hold it a little bit,
but they do have an opportunity to go outside.
Your crate is such an important management tool
for your puppy training, especially when it comes to
your puppy potty-training process.
Try saying that three times fast.
But if you're looking for more crate-training specifics
and how to teach your puppy to love their crate,
check out the card above me,
and it will really help your puppy to learn
to love their crate and feel comfortable in there.
If you're having other potty-training challenges
with your puppy, check out that playlist beside me.
It will cover several different aspects
of puppy potty-training
and some of the mistakes that people make.
Now, if this is your first time on the channel,
make sure you hit that subscribe button.
We publish new videos every single week to help you
to have a well-behaved four-legged family member.
On that note, I'm Ken, happy training.