Your puppy may put up a fight at first, but it can learn to enjoy sleeping inside its crate.
That ball of fluff might have looked at you with irresistible brown eyes, but it sure can be a handful when you want to sleep at night. Training a puppy to sleep in its crate helps to prevent it from having accidents all over the house before it is potty trained. It also gives your puppy a "room" of its own and saves you the discomfort of sharing your bed. Crate training, if done properly, is not cruel to your puppy. It will become a den, a place where your puppy will feel safe to nap, take a break from the children or travel in. First, however, you have to convince your puppy to sleep in the crate.
Create a Comfy Space
Don't just toss your puppy into a crate with a plastic or wire bottom and expect it to settle right down. Dogs enjoy a comfortable place to sleep as much as humans. Purchase a dog bed for your puppy's crate. Some puppies prefer blankets, so if you have an old quilt or blanket available, put it inside the crate for your puppy to snuggle into. Place a water dish inside the crate as well, so that your pup doesn't get dehydrated. Put a few of your puppy's favorite toys inside for it to cuddle with or chew on. Avoid putting bones in the crate when you aren't home, however, because your puppy can choke on small pieces.
Make the Crate Positive
Use positive reinforcement techniques to teach your puppy that the crate is a safe place to go. Hide several treats in your dog's bed or blanket inside the crate. Leave the door open, and let your puppy explore the crate on its own. When it does go inside, praise it with the phrase "good crate" and give it an extra treat. Don't close the crate until your puppy is comfortable going inside and lying down on its own. When you do close the door, don't leave your puppy in for extended periods of time. Start with just a few seconds, increase to a minute or two and gradually work up to a few hours at a time.
Give Your Puppy Bathroom Breaks
Young puppies cannot hold their bladders or bowels for more than an hour or two at a time. You should make an effort to give your puppy frequent bathroom breaks. This means losing some sleep until your puppy is fully housetrained and can make it through the night. Set an alarm every couple of hours and take your puppy outside to potty. When it is finished, lock it back in the crate and go to back to bed. Gradually cut back on the number of potty breaks your puppy gets each night. Your puppy won't learn to enjoy sleeping in the crate if it has accidents inside and has to lay in the mess.
Ignore Whining and Barking
Your puppy will want to be let out of the crate, and it'll let you know by whining and barking. Do your best to ignore it. If you give in, your puppy will learn that whining gets it let out. If you get too frustrated and yell at your puppy, it will learn that whining gets your attention. When puppies whine for attention, they don't care if it is positive or negative. They simply want attention, and if you scold them, you are giving them what they want. Put in a pair of earplugs and let your puppy whine itself to sleep. It will soon learn that whining and barking will not get it released from the crate.
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