Housebreaking Crate Training a Puppy

In nature wild dogs live, sleep and raise their young in caves but they do not eliminate inside but rather go outside. This natural "housebreaking" instinct is passed on by the adults dogs to their puppies. When we crate train our own puppy we are copying the cave idea. The crate becomes the home of your puppy, a place where he can sleep and relax away from danger and potential problems. The beauty of crates is that they are not only useful in teaching our puppy to become housebroken. The crate is also a place where your puppy can be in your absence and not get into mischief. Any dog whether puppy or adult who is not fully housebroken should not be left to wander the house unattended. As we mentioned earlier dogs by instinct eat and sleep in one area and defecate in another. So a dog kept in the laundry room will consider the rest of the house as open territory when it comes time to relieve himself. If your puppy is kept in a crate while you are unavailable, he will have to learn to hold it if he wants to avoid having to sit in his own mess waiting for you to return. Having your puppy inside a crate or kennel tells him that he must control his bladder until you let him out. It is not inhumane in the slightest. It is in fact a boon to your dog and with proper use will not only make housebreaking go faster but also give many other benefits to your dog.

Pointers for using a crate