SEO Header Title

As you notice, this puppy is very stressed in her crate! <grin>

 

 

If you are going to buy ANY piece of equipment for your puppy, make it a fiberglass crate. I know, “It looks so cruel”. It isn’t. A fiberglass crate is nothing more to your puppy than a den. Canines are den oriented animals. In the wild, they seek out a small hole to crawl into, and that is where they relax and sleep, have their puppies, and find comfort when they are ill . A fiberglass crate is nothing less to your puppy. With that in mind. You should consider all of the benefits of crate training your puppy:

A crate serves as an aid to potty training.
A crate is a safe place for your puppy to ride in the car.
A crate keeps the house safe from a puppy eager to chew up everything you own.
A crate permits the dog to have a place of its own...off limits to children.
A crate breaks down into two separate dog beds.
A crate lasts as long or longer than the dog itself.
A crate is ALMOST chew proof...from the inside at least.
A crate can be used to ship your dog by air, in the event of a move.

The crate should be set up in a room where that puppy can be close to the family (It can easily be moved from room to room). Place a soft, washable item inside of the crate for bedding. DO NOT USE NEWSPAPER, as this may encourage the puppy to potty in the crate.

The puppy should be introduced to the crate slowly at first. You should place the puppy in the crate when he is sleepy (perhaps after a meal or heavy playing). Keep the door open at first. A puppy will do everything it can NOT to potty where it sleeps, so be aware of when the last potty occurred, and anticipate when the next one should. We want the first few times in the crate to be potty free. Allow the puppy to sleep as long as it likes in the crate with the door open. As soon as the puppy wakes, take it out to potty. If the puppy has not slept, and comes out of the crate immediately, gently place the puppy in the crate, and praise it for going in.

After the first few times in the crate, you can close the door. Only insist that the puppy stay in the crate for about 1 hour at first. If the puppy objects loudly, you can tell it to QUIET, but do not rescue it. Try to let the puppy out when it has become quiet, and praise the puppy for being quiet. Gradually increase the time the puppy is to stay in the crate. As the puppy gets older, you can be more insistent with the word QUIET, and reprimand (with a shake of the muzzle) any failure to listen to your reprimand, but do not allow him out of the crate. Make sure he stays in the crate a minimum of fifteen minutes after becoming quiet.

Before long, you will find that the dog seeks out the open crate to sleep in. Be sure that your children are told that the crate is off limits to them. This is a place for the dog to spend quiet time alone.

You will soon find that the crate is your most valuable tool in teaching your dog. “Time out” periods are needed by every child now and then. Just as you never learned to hate your bedroom after being sent there for naughty behavior, neither will your dog resent his crate.

Do not abuse the crate, and leave your dog in it for extended periods of time. Be sure to provide your dog with plenty of time out of the crate, and with the family. The purpose of the crate is to provide a safe place to keep a happy dog. Not as a place the dog must live in for long periods of time.

Size: Series 400 ‘Vari Kennel’ (this is the perfect size kennel for a Labrador)