Many new puppy owners are introduced to crates by breeders who endorse them as the easiest route to housetraining a pup. Most dogs instinctively avoid soiling their sleeping quarters. Even very young pups will travel to the furthest reaches of the whelping box to eliminate. A puppy who is been bedded down in fairly spacious quarters like the laundry room can sleep in one corner and relieve himself a fair distance away. But the crate is his bed and that's it. Owners who couple crate usage with discretion and a planned program usually find that pups are housetrained rather quickly and easily. The usual method is to confine the dog to the crate at night, taking him outdoors the very first thing in the morning and praising him when he relieves himself outdoors. The pup may also be crated when you can't keep an eye on him.

At the point when pups lose their milk teeth and acquire their adult set, they feel the need to chew. If a pup must be left on his own while you're away, he can be crated and given a safe chewy and you'll know that when you return your furniture will still be intact.

Crates must be used humanely. It's unfair to keep a dog crated for an entire day while you're off at work and illogical to expect a puppy to hold it for that length of time. However, if you or someone else could come in during the day to let the dog out to relieve itself and some exercise, the program will be more successful.

Begin a crate routine right from the start. Place the pup in his crate at night and for one to two hour intervals during the day. Give him a chew toy for distraction. As he matures, you will probably find that if the door is left open, he will wander into his crate for a snooze. Dogs recognize the crate as a den where they can rest quietly and safely.

Never use the crate as a place to put the dog for punishment. It should seem like a perfectly normal part of his life, not a form of banishment from his family.