Benefits to crating:
1. Providing a place of safety and security for the dog.
2. Prevention of costly damage (due to chewing and
eliminating).
3. Help with the training of proper chewing and eliminating.
4. An improved relationship with the owner and the dog (fewer
problems means less discipline and less frustration for both the
dog and the owner).
5. Aids in preparing the dog for travel or boarding.
6. Prepares the dog for “forced bed rest” in case of
illness or injury.
Who should be crated?
1. Suitable for puppies, adolescents and adult dogs (adult dogs
with cases of separation anxiety should not be crated without
seeking professional help from a behaviorist).
2. Puppies or dogs that are not housebroken.
3. Puppies or dogs that are destructive when left home alone and
cannot safely be left outdoors.
House Training
If you follow this basic program carefully, your
puppy should be obeying the house rules in a short period of time
with minimum wear and tear on all concerned. Naturally it is easier
to train the pup to use the out-of-doors in warm weather, though
nothing is to be gained in the winter by teaching it to use paper
inside if your ultimate goal is outdoor elimination. You will only
have to start all over and it is possible your pup will not be
reliably housebroken. The only equipment needed is a crate,
obtainable from Halbert's, Wal-Mart or a catalog (this should be in
a size your adult dog will be able to use) and a collar and leash,
obtainable from Halbert's, the Canine College, Wal-Mart, or a
catalog. This should be in a size appropriate to the current size
of your pup.
A word about crates, they are a blessing to you
and your dog, they are not cruel. Yes, they can be misused, but
there are many instances where a crate would have saved an awful
amount of damage to the home and a lot of heartache when the dog
has to be "gotten rid of" because it was simply being a dog. There
are several styles but basically two kinds, plastic and wire. Some
dogs prefer one to the other, though they don't always feel
strongly about it. Get whichever you can afford or like best. The
plastic can get too hot even indoors so is not appropriate for
bracheocephalic dogs.
You should begin housetraining as soon as the
pup moves in with you at a minimum of seven weeks of age. A pup any
younger should not be away from its littermates and mother.
Remember that very young pups have little control over their bodily
functions——when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!!
STEP ONE: Scheduling—the "trick" of
successful housebreaking is to make a schedule and STICK TO IT. As
you adapt the following schedule to your routine, keep in mind that
a young puppy should not be expected to last more than six to eight
hours at night without a potty break or for more than three or four
hours any other time. Individuals vary, your pup may require even
more frequent outings than suggested. Remain flexible until you
discover what his needs are. You may find that your pup gets along
well on three feedings a day instead of the four outlined in the
plan. Adjust according to your schedule of work etc. You can easily
eliminate a meal without affecting the exercise-confinement
routine. In fact, somewhere around twelve weeks or so you will be
down to two meals a day for many puppies.
Stick to your schedule even on the weekends.
This means no more sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday. At least get
up and potty the pup, reward him and put him back in his crate
until you get up for real! Otherwise you will be teaching him bad
crate habits. If you want to play with your pup or show him off
between scheduled outings, take him out to potty first, then walk
him again every 20 minutes or so until he is returned to his
crate.
To help the pup understand the purpose of the
outside time, walk him on his collar and leash to the same area
each time. NEVER just put him outside, ALWAYS WALK HIM ON COLLAR
AND LEASH, PRAISE LAVISHLY AND COME IN IMMEDIATELY!!!! Always go
out the same door.
Find and use a “potty” word. I use
“hurry-up” because when it's cold and rainy, that's
exactly what I want the little monster to do. He will shortly know
what is meant and as an adult will do his best to oblige, a
blessing when traveling. Bear in mind that young puppies have very
distractible minds, keep the kids and other pets inside until your
mission is accomplished. Otherwise, Baby will forget he has to go
until he is back inside and on the carpet. Bet this has already
happened at least once. It is not deliberate malice on puppy's
part. This was YOUR mistake. Potty time is separate from walk time.
By all means go for walks, the more the better. For potty training
purposes, they MUST be separate events if you expect your pup to
catch on in this lifetime. Reward the puppy for using it outside
with a "cookie" and lavish praise. Reward the puppy for going into
its crate ("kennel up") also with a cookie. Leave some safe toys in
the crate, do not leave food in the crate. Be sure water is
available to the puppy every time he comes out of the crate. You
may or may not wish to leave water in the crate. Some puppies play
in it and total their bedding.
STEP TWO: Correction and praise—there will
be accidents from time to time. They will usually be your fault. If
you catch him in the act, scold him and take him outside to the
potty place. If you discover the accident after the fact, just
clean it up and resolve to monitor the puppy more closely. A lot of
verbal praise is called for when the pup does well and treats are
always welcome. Your puppy will respond to the treats and praise
much more quickly than he will to scolding. Always remember, he is
just a baby and doesn't know the rules yet.
STEP THREE: Working toward the run of the
house...As the pup catches on, he'll relieve himself efficiently
outdoors and stay dry while in his crate and during playtime. He
will start indicating that he needs to go out. This can be, and
often is, very subtle!! He may stop what he is doing, get a funny
expression on his face and start toward the door (this is why you
always use the same door, he cannot possibly remember several ways
out in time) and then squat and go. You must watch him carefully
and help him be successful when he indicates. Pick him up and carry
him outside quickly and praise him to the skies.
After a few accident free weeks, try leaving him
alone in the kitchen outside his crate, starting with a few minutes
at a time and after puppy-proofing the room. Of course, barricade
the entrance so he STAYS in the kitchen! If his good behavior
continues, gradually increase his out of the crate time, both when
you are in and out of the room. Always praise the pup when you
return and find the room the way you left it. This doesn't mean you
go off the store for a couple of hours and expect him to have
behaved the whole period of time! You would surely not go off and
leave a two year old human baby to his own devices. Crate him when
you leave the house, being sure to have pottied him before you do
so. If you are going to be totally distracted such as cooking
dinner or taking a shower (or on the phone!), CRATE HIM!! A private
client had her seven month old puppy do over $500 worth of damage
while she took a quick shower. Remember, prevention is better than
scolding your baby after the fact, he has NO concept of what set
you off and you will be damaging his faith in you.
If your pup slips up, return to a tight schedule
for a few days. You will be gradually working toward complete
freedom of the house. Or as complete as you wish, you may wish to
have some areas off limits. For a few months you will need to keep
doors closed or install some baby gates. Remember, praise, reward,
and prevention will have a much better effect than punishment.
Continue to accompany your pet on the potty breaks for several
months to ensure that he has done what he was sent to do. If for
some reason, such as distractions (leaves blowing, butterflies,
birds, squirrels, etc.), he doesn't do the job, back to the crate
for a short period, and then try again. You must be extremely
watchful during this training period. After a period of a week or
two or three (depending on your puppy's aptitude and your
consistency) he may walk to the door, stand there for a moment and
then unload. He tried to tell you, you just didn't notice or
weren't fast enough. Again, this is why you use the same door, he
won't have time to try and figure out which exit to use.
It only feels like this training period will
last forever, the results will last a lifetime and are well worth
the trouble and nuisance. One more thing- do NOT feed free choice!!
You will have no hope of establishing a routine for elimination.
Also, if pup has trouble staying dry overnight, do not feed or
water after 6 PM (or as close to it as your personal schedule
allows). Remember not to play so hard that puppy will badly need
water. If you do, water lightly, no tanking up.
Well, you've read all this and it doesn't help
since you are at work all day! OK...plan B. Much of what
you’ve just read is still applicable to your situation. After
all, you are home SOME of the time! When you are not, if you have a
safe place outdoors for your puppy, that would make it a lot
easier, making sure he has ample protection from the elements and
an un-dump-able source of water. If this is not the case, dedicate
a room as the puppy room. Tile floors are a must. This generally
means the kitchen, bathroom or utility room. Those few souls with
uncluttered garages can use them. Confine your puppy to a
relatively small area of the room, covering the floor with papers.
As he gets a little older, you can make his area larger and shrink
the area covered in papers. Setting a portion of his play area
aside, with cement blocks for instance, as a potty place will help
him keep neat. If you can come home at lunch or have a trusted
friend that can come by to potty him outside you will find he is
more likely to try to hold it until he is allowed out. As he
matures, hopefully he will be trying very hard to stay neat and
clean. Do not let his area be so large that he can pretend it's ok
to potty in there.
If you have a very small dog that will not be
able to go outdoors when the weather is inclement, you might want
to consider paper training or training him to use a large cat box
with papers. There is a product made for indoor use that is very
absorbent. Check the pet stores or dog stuff catalogs. The training
process is the same minus the outdoors and the collar and leash.
Though you may want to keep a light line on your toy dog so you
will be able to collect him to take him to the potty pen! They are
reaaalllly fast!
THE "LEFTOVER PUPPY"--COMMON STORIES ABOUT ACQUIRING A
DOG
A lot of opinions have been written about
acquiring a dog or puppy. Many by so called “experts”
and some are simply old wives tales. I don’t believe there
are any absolute rules that haven’t been proven wrong. Dogs
are as different as night and day, just as people are. How can
anyone make absolute statements that will cover all puppies, all
dogs, and all the people who will own them? Kind of silly
actually.
First let me address the “leftover
puppy”. This is the puppy that is not sold by eight weeks. Or
the one in the litter that isn’t spoken for. I can’t
tell you how many times a caller has asked with a suspicious tone,
“is it the leftover puppy?” That is often followed by,
“I will wait or look around”. So let’s look at
why one or two puppies would be left unsold? A litter of mostly
boys when the demand at the time is for girls (or vice versa) will
leave a guy or two waiting for a new home. I have often had
deposits on several puppies with some people specifying a color and
sex. A rush of callers looking for reds when the litter is mostly
blues and blacks can leave a breeder with a puppy or two unsold.
But somehow the suspicion remains regarding the “leftover
puppy”. People seem so sure that they missed the “best
one”. Having observed people’s reasons and methods for
choosing puppies over the years, they don’t have much to
worry about. The last puppy has just as much chance of being that
“dynamic working dog” and that “companion of a
lifetime” as the first one chosen.
This discussion is about working or companion
dogs of course and not conformation show dogs. Since conformation
puppies are at least partially purchased based on their structure
and cosmetic appearance, an educated guess can be made on whether
or not a puppy will mature into a show quality dog. The first
puppies taken may be the “best prospects” since some of
the traits important to his purpose are visible to the eye. Less
visible are traits like working instinct and trainability There are
times when a breeder has held back what they considered the
“pick puppy” and then decide to sell it at a later
date. This delayed decision to sell is not necessarily because the
dog is no longer good quality. Many breeders would rather end up
raising and caring for their favorite pup if they are going to keep
one to an older age. It isn’t uncommon to hold back a pup to
train, but if the right home comes along it is available.
What about the theory that you must take your
new puppy home at 7 or 8 weeks. Will the entire personality will be
formed before you enter it’s life? And the older puppy will
never bond to you. How ridiculous! If it were true I suppose all
dog breeders should euthanize all puppies that are not sold by the
age of 8 weeks because they are doomed to failure. That, of course,
makes about as much sense as the original theory.
Puppies have successfully gone to new homes at 7
weeks, 10 weeks, 16 weeks and later. Older puppies will conform to
their new home, take training and turn into outstanding dogs if the
genetic potential was there in the first place. An older puppy may
take a few weeks to adjust to a new home while an 8 week old pup is
less aware of his surroundings, but what are a few weeks to the
total of a dog’s life? Puppies, of course, do not all mature
at exactly the same pace. Absolute statements about puppies make
about as much sense as absolute statements about children. Some
folks feel it is terribly important to get that cute fuzzy little
puppy because he is, of course, so cute. The three month old puppy
is probably gangly, not fuzzy any more, and sure not as cute. On
the other hand three or four month old puppies don’t need as
much constant supervision, are less delicate, and are getting to an
age where they are more naturally housebroken. That little puppy
requires a lot of attention and before you know it, he isn’t
cute and fuzzy any more either!
Special thanks to Rae from The Canine
College
