3 Advantages of Crate Training Your Puppy

When you bring home a new puppy, there are many decisions you will have to make regarding its care and training. Whether you buy your puppy from a breeder or adopt from an animal shelter, the way you train your dog can have a lifelong impact on its behavior. One choice you will have to make about your dog is whether you will invest time in crate training. While not all training experts agree about the necessity of this type of training, there are several advantages it could offer you and your pet.

1.     Your Dog Has Its Own Space

From the time you bring your puppy home, offering it a crate can give it a safe place for it to retreat to when it feels tired, threatened, or fearful. The crate can act as a den for your puppy, and since it is natural for dogs to seek out an enclosed space to retreat to with food or for sleep, your pup will soon associate the crate with safety and security.

If you want your puppy to accept its crate as a safe space, put it somewhere out of the way in your home and do not shut your puppy away in the crate for punishment. Leave the door open for your puppy so it can enter it whenever it likes and encourage your puppy to take toys and chew bones there to reinforce the idea that the space belongs to your pet.

2.     A Crate Can Assist with Housebreaking

One of the challenges you might be facing as a new puppy owner is the housebreaking process. While some dog breeds are easier to train than others, crate training your puppy can assist with housebreaking because once your puppy accepts the crate as its den, it will be less likely to urinate or defecate in it.

If you want to housebreak and crate train your puppy at the same time, create a schedule that includes taking it to its designated potty spot each time you let your pet out of the crate, especially in the morning. Soon it will associate potty time with leaving its crate and housebreaking may be an easier task to accomplish for you both.

3.     Your Puppy Will Stay Safe

Puppies are a bundle of fluffy joy, but they are also mischievous and can get into trouble in the blink of an eye. From poisonous plants in your home to choking and electrocution hazards, a crate can help keep your puppy out of trouble when you are not home or otherwise occupied.

Crates can keep your puppy safe while they are in your car as well. Secure the crate with an approved belt or other device. Some states have laws about how animals should be transported, so it is a good idea to educate yourself about them. For example, if you live in Miami or Boca Raton, you can ask a Florida dog trainer for advice on how to crate your dog for transport.  

Crate training your puppy has several advantages that can benefit its safety and your peace of mind. From keeping your pup safe to offering it creature comforts, a crate can be your dog’s second-best friend.