Ah, house training your dog. Don't you just love the idea? If you've ever had to go through this experience, then you know how challenging it can be. If you've never done it before, I've got great news. By learning some basic essential knowledge, you'll soon discover that it doesn't have to be as difficult or challenging as you were initially expecting.
As far as house training goes, crate training is generally accepted to be the most effective and efficient means of house training a puppy in a short space of time. Crate training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you're not actively supervising her.
The whole premise behind this method of crate training is that all dogs have an inbuilt dislike of going to the bathroom in an area where they normally sleep. Therefore, because she's spending most of her time in her "sleeping quarters", she will naturally wait until put outside before relieving herself (assuming that you let her out at reasonable intervals).
As a general guideline, it's more cost-effective for you to choose a crate that's big enough for her to grow into. It should be big enough for the adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around in, and stretch out - but no bigger (so that she doesn't choose one part as her bed, and one part as her toilet!)
Unless you've got a puppy that will remain small even after being fully grown, you'll have to place some kind of divider inside the large crate that will temporarily block off some of the inside of the crate from being used until she's big enough to need the extra space. Otherwise, the extra space might be used as a bathroom space, and that defeats the whole purpose of crate training.
This is how the crate training process works: unless your puppy is outside, playing with you under active supervision, or sleeping, she will kept in the crate at all times. This can be tough on a new owner, but is essential to the house training process. If you are not determined to be consistent, you're basically giving her permission to go the bathroom somewhere in the house. And each time she does so increases the difficulty of getting her house trained.
So, how long should your puppy be in the crate for any length of time? Use the following formula to determine this: how old is she, in months? Now, add one. Thus, if your puppy is only two months old, she should be in the crate for a maximum of three hours at a time. Ideally, however, it would be good to take her out to stretch her legs and to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours. However, if she's sleeping, then just let her keep sleeping (especially if it's through the night!).
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, crate training is one of the most effective methods of house training a puppy. But it doesn't happen overnight, and it needs you to be consistent. The whole process can take anywhere from one to two months, but in the long run, this will be considered one of the best time investments you will have ever made in the life of your pet.
As far as house training goes, crate training is generally accepted to be the most effective and efficient means of house training a puppy in a short space of time. Crate training is essentially the use of a small indoor kennel (the crate) to confine your young puppy when you're not actively supervising her.
The whole premise behind this method of crate training is that all dogs have an inbuilt dislike of going to the bathroom in an area where they normally sleep. Therefore, because she's spending most of her time in her "sleeping quarters", she will naturally wait until put outside before relieving herself (assuming that you let her out at reasonable intervals).
As a general guideline, it's more cost-effective for you to choose a crate that's big enough for her to grow into. It should be big enough for the adult dog to stand up comfortably without crouching, turn around in, and stretch out - but no bigger (so that she doesn't choose one part as her bed, and one part as her toilet!)
Unless you've got a puppy that will remain small even after being fully grown, you'll have to place some kind of divider inside the large crate that will temporarily block off some of the inside of the crate from being used until she's big enough to need the extra space. Otherwise, the extra space might be used as a bathroom space, and that defeats the whole purpose of crate training.
This is how the crate training process works: unless your puppy is outside, playing with you under active supervision, or sleeping, she will kept in the crate at all times. This can be tough on a new owner, but is essential to the house training process. If you are not determined to be consistent, you're basically giving her permission to go the bathroom somewhere in the house. And each time she does so increases the difficulty of getting her house trained.
So, how long should your puppy be in the crate for any length of time? Use the following formula to determine this: how old is she, in months? Now, add one. Thus, if your puppy is only two months old, she should be in the crate for a maximum of three hours at a time. Ideally, however, it would be good to take her out to stretch her legs and to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours. However, if she's sleeping, then just let her keep sleeping (especially if it's through the night!).
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, crate training is one of the most effective methods of house training a puppy. But it doesn't happen overnight, and it needs you to be consistent. The whole process can take anywhere from one to two months, but in the long run, this will be considered one of the best time investments you will have ever made in the life of your pet.
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Want more information on how to train your puppy? You'll find all the resources you need by visiting my Training a Puppy blog. You'll also discover some great info on the benefits of puppy training games.
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