There are many benefits to crate train your puppy!
If you have a new puppy or adult rescue dog, a crate is a great way of teaching your pup the boundaries of the house and keeping him safe. A crated puppy cannot rip up the furniture, steal the roast off the bench or trip up the kids. The puppy has a safe, happy place to escape from the kids and other pets too.
What is crate training?
Crate training is the process of getting your puppy to accept a crate as a fun and safe space.
Puppies quickly learn to love their crate as their own special place/den and will be comfortable in a crate whether at home, travelling, visiting friends or staying in a hotel.
Find out how to crate train your puppy in 7 easy steps!
11 reasons to crate train your puppy
- Crate training using positive reinforcement methods is not cruel
- A crate can help your puppy feel secure and less anxious in his own safe space. For puppies, overseeing a big house when no one is with them can be overwhelming.
- Provides your puppy with the opportunity to be part of the group, without interacting with the people present,
- Can be useful in keeping toddlers and your pup separate, when you’re busy and cannot supervise interaction between your child and the puppy.
- Any dog which needs to be admitted to a veterinary clinic will be kept in a small pen – dogs which are crate trained should adapt much better to this and feel less stressed
- Can aid in management during recovery from medical procedures, for example, keeping dogs quiet and restricting movement after joint surgery
- When used appropriately, crates can help with toilet training – a pup confined in a crate and taken out regularly will have few ‘accident’ than one given a free run of the house. You need to give a pup an opportunity to eliminate every hour and then give him lots of praise when he does. He quickly learns that he gets rewarded for going outside!
- The crate becomes the security blanket when a pup is taken somewhere new. Your pup will settle much quicker in their crate with a few favourite toys, chew items and snacks
- During car travel, they will be much less stressed by the journey if they travel in their familiar crate – and keep your car safe from puppy teeth!
- Holidaying with your puppy will be easy. A lot of accommodation will allow puppies and dogs to stay if they are confined to a crate
- Airlines require that all puppies and dogs are confined to a crate, so your pup will be less stressed if he is used to being in a crate