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I hope that those of you who are reading this are taking the time to learn how to crate train BEFORE you buy your puppy. Try and familiarize yourself with all the information you can get your hands on to make it easiest on your puppy as well as your family. Crate training is an easy and safe way to aid your puppy in housetraining but also creates a safe haven for your canine when introduced properly. Puppies have a natural instinct for cleanliness. They enjoy a safe secure, clean environment. DON’T CONFUSE CONFINEMENT WITH CRATE TRAINING. When your puppy is confined to a small area i.e. laundry room, kitchen or bathroom, your puppy will NOT hold himself. He will not learn that urinating and pooping in the house in NOT acceptable. If you want to successfully create healthy habits for your dog, crate him!!! I can’t emphasize enough that a crate should never be used for punishment. The crate is the safe place, time out environment for your new puppy and it will become an every day part of life for your new addition to go willingly in and out of the crate on command long after the housetraining routine is over. Crating your dog when your away, assures you that your little guy won’t be getting himself into any trouble and that your time away outside your home is a worry free one regarding your new canine. I highly recommend the crate method until your puppy learns the rules of the house. When done religiously and properly with a lot of patience on your part, your puppy should be well on his way to understanding what is expected of him (not accident free unfortunately at first) in your home. Make sure that your puppy is comfortable in the crate, which also includes having toys for him to play with or something to chew on so he’ll be happy and feel safe not threatened. To make it very simple to understand, your puppy is just like a young human toddler. Where you go, he goes. You wouldn’t think of leaving the room letting your baby unattended, nor would you let your baby crawl around without a diaper on to soil all over the house. Treat your new puppy the same as you would a human baby. The eyes in the back of your head routine applies when its puppy training time. It honestly is harder on families, not the puppy, who want to give their new canine the run of the house, let them play and roam with the kids, but if you choose to go this route, your housetraining can turn into a nightmare. Your new puppy is eager to please you, so start him out on the right foot. Position your crate where the family spends time. Do not isolate your puppy in a part of the house that you’re not in. Having the crate right in the living room works well for me. The crate confines the puppy but also lets him socialize with the family as well. I do however move the crate closer to the door right before bed so ‘the middle of the night potty trips’ are easy. So please read as much information in books and on the net as possible to make it a fun experience for everyone. Your puppy will not want to soil in their dens, meaning where they sleep (the crate). Your crate should be just big enough so your puppy can stand, lie down comfortably, and turn around. You should also remember that there always needs to be an ample supply of water in and out of the crate. With holding water is NOT a form of housetraining. I personally would recommend a crate 18Wx24Lx16H for a young boxer puppy. Obviously as the puppy grows the size of the kennel will need to increase as well. If you aren’t too keen on buying a series of kennels to suit your puppy’s growth needs, I would suggest investing in a kennel no less than 28Wx42Lx30H that comes with the adjustable divider. I also prefer the kennels with the double slide locks (two slide locks total) as well as a front and side access door ( 2 doors total). To be honest, all my adult boxers that need to be crated are in the largest crates that I can find that are 37Wx54Lx45H. Four Paws in a very affordable, portable brand that I’ve used with success. The length of time a young puppy can hold its bladder increases with age, do not expect to buy a young puppy, go to work for 8 hours and have a clean crate when you get home. It doesn’t’ work that way; you have to start out at short intervals and increase when a specific time frame has been successful. No adult canines any age, should be left alone without relief for more than 8 hours. 1. I would recommend starting out at crating at two-hour intervals. This includes getting up in the middle of the night by the way. Once your puppy has accomplished keeping his crate clean, which takes approximately a week if you keep up with it, increase it to 3 hours and so on. Obviously you want your new puppy to feel comfortable in the crate. Most crates have the removable plastic slide trays on the bottom. I would suggest either lining the tray with newspaper, and then shred newspaper on top, so if he does happen to have an accident, he doesn’t have to lay directly in it. Or you may want to have a nice basket of old towels that you don’t mind laundering on a daily basis. Disposable Pee Pads work great too. 2. Take your dog immediately from the crate outside to a designated area. Go to that same area every time you go out for him to relieve himself. He needs to be aware that when he goes outside, he’s going there for a specific reason. Take him outside; give him some command, having him on a leash of course, yes. That does mean YOU GO OUTSIDE WITH HIM RAIN OR SHINE…. SNOW OR SLEET… IT’S YOU AND THE PUPPY ALWAYS!!!!! As soon as he successfully eliminates, praise him immediately and take him back in the house. Too many times, families open the door, let the puppy outside to run around and play and in the process the puppy urinates and poops with no understanding. Don’t confuse fun playtime with housetraining time. They definitely are not the same. Once your puppy has successfully done his business outside, praise him, then its time to go inside and have some playtime outside the crate under supervision with his family. If your puppy fails to eliminate outside after about 15 minutes, return inside and put him immediately in his crate. Try again outside in about 15 minutes or so. 3. It is also a good idea to feed your puppy in the crate as well. I’ve found that this works well especially if you have more than one animal in the house. Your puppy will take his time and eat and not be in competition for his food. Remove his food after approx 20 minutes. I do not recommend leaving free food down all day long. Doing so is like having a pocket full of crackers that you’re munching on all day long. When suppertime finally arrives, you aren’t really hungry. Having regulated meals at the same time is very important. It also helps keep his bowel movements regulated as well. 4. Within 10 minutes after your puppy eats, walk him once again, they are usually like clockwork regarding bowel movements. If they are on a regular feeding schedule, you can judge approximate how many bowel movements they will have and when. 5. Last but not least ---- NEVER PUNISH YOUR PUPPY FOR A MISTAKE!!!! Just clean it up and write it off as an accident. Housetraining takes lots of encouragement, praise and patience on your part. You can do it!!! Good luck everyone!!!! Judy |
| HELPFUL HINTS ON CRATE TRAINING YOUR NEW BOXER PUPPY |
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