Housebreaking Your Puppy – Using His Crate

Right – we've already spoken about the DO's and DON'Ts of puppy potty training – now it's time that I give you some specifics on how to actually do this.

One of the best ways to go about housebreaking your puppy is to use his crate in the process. Come to think of it crate training can be one of the most helpful tools you'll ever invest in as a dog owner – especially when you're starting puppy obedience training.

You should use the crate as soon as you bring your puppy home, and make it a priority to crate train him ASAP. This will give you a little freedom, and it will give him a routine, and a place he can call home at home. In short – a crate can help you bring out the best in your puppy's behavior…

His crate needs to be big enough for him to grow up into – while he's growing you can section it in two (most crates allow you to do that with a special divider) – just so he can feel cosy while he's smaller in size.

So let's say you've already done the bulk of your crate training with your puppy. Now you can take it a step further and use your crate to help you housebreak your puppy.

If you already feed your pup in the crate. And you let him sleep there at night, and for naps during the day. Then the way this crate can help you is by creating a space where your puppy will avoid going to the toilet. Dogs are clean animals and they will (by nature) try to avoid going to the toiled in the same place where they sleep.

So if you put your puppy into his crate at night, providing you take him out in time before his little bladder explodes, he should do everything in his little puppy power to keep it in.

As soon as you get him out of his crate take him to his toilet spot.

Another time you can use the crate, is to take him to his toilet spot just before he goes to bed in his crate. Also, when you feed your puppy inside the crate, as soon as he's done – take him and get him directly to his toilet spot.

I guess the easiest way to describe the process of using your crate to housebreak your puppy is that the crate will create a deterrant and a routine for your puppy's potty training. So that he'll instinctively know what's next. This not only creates discipline, but comfort for him too.

Remember to be patient, and that your puppy's breed may play a role in how fast he learns the different routines.

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