Important facts regarding crate training:

.it is the easiest and best way to housetrain a dog

.using a crate prevents an early punishment history and therefore, prevents stress for the dog

.most dogs won't soil where they sleep

.young puppies under 4 months will need to be taken outside to potty often

.most dogs love their crates; they are a safe haven, a den, their own room or space

.dogs will often seek out their crates once they are used to them

.the key is to use the crate as a training tool; it is not a box to keep your dog in!

.using a crate will prevent destructive chewing

.it is a safe way for your dog to travel

.crate trained dogs adjust more easily to being boarded or staying at the vet's

 
How to successfully crate train your puppy:

First off, using the crate will create a strong reward association. This will help greatly in raising a well-adjusted, secure puppy. You'll need to use the crate as a housetraining tool by making frequent trips outside at times your puppy will be most likely to go. Some people still see the crate as inhumane confinement, however, the alternative is using frequent punishment, creating a very negative association with you, the caretaker and loving owner/parent of your dog which will stress him out, not to mention the stress you will feel, and will in turn make the housetraining process much longer.

Before using the crate as a training tool, introduce it to your dog by making it seem like a great place to be. It must be viewed as a comfy, warm and cozy place and placed in a high traffic area of your house like the kitchen or living room. It must only be associated with good stuff like delicious treats and fun chew toys. Feed your dog in it, always with the door open.

Teach your dog how to go in and out with the use of treats. Reward him each time he goes on his own. After a few days of this, once your dog goes in and out as you ask, close the door and leave him in for a while, making sure he has his favorite chew toys inside. Stick around, maybe leave the room for only a few minutes and come right back. This is done to ensure his first experience is a good one. Let the dog out a little later, but make sure he's not whining or throwing a tantrum when you do let him out-he must be calm and quiet. Open the door and act like everything is normal-no gushing or cuddling puppy.

Continue like this and increase times where puppy will be in a closed crate while you're home, going about your usual routines. When this is completely polished up and the dog is comfortable using his crate without a fuss, you can start leaving your house. Do this in steps, first a few minutes, then an hour, and so on until you can leave for a bit knowing that your puppy is comfortably waiting for your return.


The basic rules of housetraining whether you're using a crate or not are:

1)you must arrange it so that there are a lot of right responses and you must reward all of them

2)you must learn by observation and common sense when your puppy has to go

3)you must limit freedom to only dog-proofed areas of your house and always with supervision so  you can spot your puppy when he has to go the next moment he has to go potty