Puppy Crate Training

6th August 2007

posted in Puppy News |

I would just like to take a moment to say that I am so happy we decided to crate train this puppy. I grew up having dogs and have had dogs most of my adult life as well. Of all of those dogs, this is the first time I’ve ever crate trained. We started by going to PetSmart and purchasing the Bargain Hound Drop Pin Crate. This was reasonably priced and very easy to put together. I also liked it’s black enamel frame and removable black bottom tray. I felt confident that the puppy would be safe in the crate and it would be easy to clean if/when there were any accidents.

We set the crate up in our family room. We chose to do this because training books we read said that it should be placed in a location where the family spent most of its time. For us, that’s the family room. Our family room is connected to our kitchen so it made sense. I was nervous about having the crate on the carpet if there was a potty accident, but the bottom tray has a lip on it that keeps liquids on the tray. We also bought a cute little bed at Target and a few chew toys to make the puppy feel welcome.

Since bringing our puppy home two weeks ago, our crate has proven to be the best purchase we made. She sleeps through the night in it going to bed around 9 and getting up around 7. I have actually only had to clean the crate 3 times in the two weeks she’s been using it. She also spends her nap times in the crate. Just like when you have a baby, naptime is when we get other things done around the house. When Plinko is not in the crate, it requires our full attention in order to minimize potty accidents in the house. When she’s in her crate, she won’t go potty unless she just absolutely can’t wait any longer. Having the crate helps too when we need to leave the house. If we need to go to the grocery, out to dinner, guitar lessons, whatever it is, I know she is safe in her crate and she feels safe and secure. For some reason, dogs don’t like to go to the bathroom near their beds, so chances are, she won’t do her business in her crate. As soon as we let her out, we take her outside and this has been helping with the potty training too.

Overall, the crate has been our best training tool for our new puppy Plinko.

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August 2007

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1 On August 6th, 2007, Cindy (The 15 Minute Dating Blog) said:

Cute dog btw. The crate looks like a good idea, however my dog for some reason doesn’t like it. I guess it’s not for every dog.

posted on August 6th, 2007 at 10:47 pm

2 On August 7th, 2007, lynne said:

I think that maybe it helped that the breeder kept the puppies in a similar crate so she was accustomed to it. The only big change when we brought her home was that now she wasn’t sharing the crate with her littermates.

posted on August 7th, 2007 at 10:13 am

3 On August 7th, 2007, Peggy Knowles said:

That is a very smart thing to do. Crate train your dog. I had a fun time a few years ago when my husband wanted a dog but we were buying a home in Arizona and spending 6 months in Arizona and six months in Utah. Sometimes we fly and I didn’t want to have any pets to worry about. So I started a dog sitting business where Mike could enjoy dogs but they went home, like grandchildren. The dogs that were crate trained were so much easier to transport and take care of. They learn to accept their crates as their home.
Thank you for your comment on my Mirror Lake blog. I really appreaciated what you said. This morning I got our pictures on the blog so you can see my grandson. Peggy

posted on August 7th, 2007 at 6:05 pm

4 On August 7th, 2007, lynne said:

I had a tough time getting another dog this go around. We’ve been petless for almost 2 years and I have to say, although I did miss the companionship, it made it easier to go away for weekends and vacations without having to worry about what to do with our pets. Also, the vet bills, I didn’t miss those. oh well, I gave in to my 11 year old, seemed only fair!

posted on August 7th, 2007 at 8:28 pm

5 On December 8th, 2007, dog training said:

i am looking for info on dog training , i believe that dog training is an essential part of caring for your dog - your post may help me to look at it from a different perspective , wish you all the best.

posted on December 8th, 2007 at 11:29 am