Crate Training a New Puppy
Crate Training a New Puppy
When you first get your new puppy home, one of the first things you will notice is that they're usually big babies! The reason for this is that they ARE BABIES! Don't forget this especially during those critical first few days. Crate training will need to take a backseat until your pup is acclimated to her new surroundings.
Remember that while crate training is important, you need to give your pup time to get acquainted with her new surroundings. Her new home is all strange and she doesn't have the benefit of brothers and sisters around for security.
While crate training for a puppy is a wonderful way to house train your pet, patience is critical during those first few nights of adjustment.
This is where you can really begin to bond with your puppy. While the steps to crate training your dog are very simple, the emotional aspect of going to a new home with new people shouldn't me ignored.
When you first bring home your pet, be certain to keep careful watch on her. No matter if you're starting crate training from the first day or now, she still will need to go an relieve herself. And it doesn't matter what breed she is, the urinating is simply a fact of life.
The idea is that at least for the first few days, you don't want to start any bad habits. So careful watching of a new puppy is absolutely critical to keep from having those accidents and problems in the house. It's much easier to keep the problems and bad behaviors from happening than it is to break them.
One common mistake a new pet owner makes is to allow the dog to sleep with you. While many dogs will actually outgrow this on their own simply because they prefer to go off where there's less disturbance, sleeping with an animal is not a good habit to get into. Yes, I know she's so cure and cuddly now. And is there anything better smelling than puppy breath?
The problem is that you end up several months down the line with a wining, crying, whimpering dog because she cannot sleep with you! The reasons why sleeping with your dog isn't a good idea includes:
1. Dogs carry fleas and ticks. While you may be able to control them, many areas of the country have such a high infestation rate that some may still remain at least for awhile on your pet.
2. If you sleep with someone, there's not enough room for all of you
3. A dog as a sleeping partner can disturb your sleep during the night along with her own
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4. It gets hot in the summer and having an animal with a higher base temperature than your own results in additional sweating and being uncomfortable.
5. Breaking bad habits are a lot harder than not developing those habits in the first place.
So when you have a new puppy, you need to make their crate area as comfortable as possible. Yes, she may whine and cry for awhile when first crated but that will only last for a couple of times.
Making the crate comfortable may mean a heating pad set on low, a plush toy or other companion to keep her busy. I used an old shirt with my smells that made my new puppy feel better.
You should also really bookmark this site and check back to learn the latest methods to quickly and completely train your dog or puppy to use the yard outside for their bathroom business. Loads of free obedience and housebreaking tips to come! Bookmark this site
crate training a new puppy