Probably the most important piece of equipment you will ever buy is a dog crate. The dog crate has long been accepted, trusted, and taken for granted by dog show exhibitors, obedience and field trail competitors, trainers, breeders, groomers, veterinarians, and anyone else who handles dogs regularly. Individual pet owners, however, often reject the idea of a “cage” for their pet because they feel that enforced confinement is “cruel” or a punishment. This is not the way that the dog feels when the crate is properly utilized.

The dog is a den animal (like a wolf or a fox) and the safe, enclosed shelter of the dog crate satisfies this den instinct inherited from its den-dwelling ancestors. The crate becomes a haven, a “security blanket” for the dog, in the often-bewildering world of humans. The dog is much happier and more secure having its life controlled by a human “pack leader” and benefits by being prevented from causing trouble, rather than being punished for it later.

The dog crate is a rectangular enclosure with a top and bottom and a door, made in a variety of sizes proportioned to fit any type of dog. Constructed of wire, aluminum or molded fiberglass/plastic, its purpose is to provide guaranteed confinement for reasons of safety, security, housebreaking, protection of household goods, travel, illness, or just general control. A good quality crate will last almost indefinitely. It is escape-proof, non-chewable, easy to clean, and well ventilated.

Why Use a Crate?

A dog crate correctly and humanely used, can have many advantages for both you and your dog. With the help of a crate:

1. You can enjoy complete peace of mind when leaving your dog in the house alone, knowing that nothing can be soiled or destroyed and that it is comfortable, protected, and not developing bad habits.
2. You can housebreak you dog more quickly by using the close confinement to encourage control, establish a regular routine for outdoor elimination, and to prevent “accidents” at night or when left alone, since a dog will avoid coiling it’s “den” if at all possible.
3. You can effectively confine your dog at times when it might be underfoot (meals, family activities, etc.), unwelcome (guest, workmen), or ill.
4. You can travel with your dog without the risk of the driver being dangerously distracted or the dog getting loose and lost, and with the assurance that your dog can easily adapt to any strange surroundings as long as it has its familiar “security blanket” along.

Your Dog:

1. Can more easily learn to control its bladder and bowels and to associate elimination only with the outdoor's.
2. Can enjoy the privacy and security of a “den” of its own which it can retreat when tired, stressed, or ill (your dog will make use of the crate of its own volition if you leave the door open).
3. Can avoid much of the fear/stress/punishment caused by your reaction to problem behavior.
4. Can be spared the loneliness and frustration of having to be isolated (basement, pen) from comfortable indoor surroundings when the whole family is together.
5. Can be conveniently included in family outings, visits and trips instead left behind at the home or in a boarding kennel. The dog that is accustomed to a crate will adjust more readily to confinement at a veterinary hospital or boarding kennel when there is a necessity for that.

Use … But don’t abuse

The use of a dog crate is not recommended for a dog which must be frequently and regularly left alone for extended periods of time, such as all or much of the day when the owner is away at work or school. In these instances, a secure outdoor kennel run would be much preferred, but if the crate must be used, arrangements should be made for someone to take the dog out for exercise at midday.

In the case of a puppy, the crate should be used strictly as a “play-pen” for general confinement, and for housebreaking, DON’T use the crate as a punishment.

Housebreaking the puppy

A young puppy (7-16 weeks) should normally have no problem accepting a crate as its own place. The puppy will most likely “carry on” for a while for the first few times it is crated, but don’t give in to it. As with any other training, you must be patient and understanding, but firm. You must remember that it is not the crate that the puppy is protesting, but the separation from you. Never break down and remove the puppy from the crate while it is carrying on. Sooner or later it will settle down, and then you can take it out of the crate if you wish.

To help the puppy adjust to the crate you can feed it in the crate a few times, or toss in a dog biscuit before closing the door. If the puppy is crate where it can see you, it will not feel quite so put out. At least it will know it hasn’t been abandoned. Ignore the wails and whine as best you can, and remember to never take the puppy out of the crate while it is still carrying on.

Puppies, like babies, have little control and will need to relieve themselves many times during the day. They need to be taken outside when they awake from a nap, right after eating, after an active playtime, and any time they lose interest in what they're doing and start to sniff around with "that look". The numerous trips outside will become fewer as the puppy matures and gains control, and learns what is expected of it. Proper use of the crate/den method can have a normal, healthy dog housetrained quite well in three or four weeks.

To use the crate to housebreak your puppy, follow the guidelines listed below:

1. Place the crate in a convenient location, out of the mainstream of activity, but where you can be aware if the puppy has awakened from his nap and needs to go out, and where the puppy can be aware of your presence and not feel abandoned or along.
2. Establish a routine for yourself that takes the puppy's needs into account. If the puppy goes out at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, he should go out at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday as well. Meals should be fed on a regular schedule, so that the need to eliminate will be more regular and can be anticipated. Pick up the water dish an hour or two before bedtime, and the puppy won't need to urinate as frequently during the night.
3. Establish a "crate routine" for the puppy, crating him at regular intervals during the day (the puppy's own chosen nap times will guide you), and for the night. A young puppy will have to go outside almost hourly, and once or twice during the night. If you are using a large crate, you might want to put a cardboard box in the back half for a few weeks to fill up some of the space so that the puppy doesn't feel he has enough room to eliminate at one end of the crate and make a den at the other end. Once a puppy is over twelve weeks old, he can stay in the crate for up to 2 or 3 hours at a time.
4. Crate the puppy when you are not actively playing with or watching him. Allowing the puppy complete freedom of the house before he is fairly trustworthy is counterproductive and unfair. Not only will it make it impossible for you to be consistent in training, but also the puppy may get into real trouble. The puppy could get seriously burned chewing on an electrical cord, or very sick chewing on an electrical cord, or very sick chewing on the leaves of a houseplant. Many common houseplants are POISONOUS.
5. When the puppy has to go out, PICK HIM UP, TAKE HIM OUTSIDE, and praise him profusely when he performs. Opening the front door and sticking the puppy out for a few minutes is not an effective method of housebreaking he will probably wait by the door, run back in, and make a mess on the floor. While he's learning, you can expect to go outside in your pajamas, in the rain, and right before the end of your favorite T.V. show. The habits you are developing in your puppy during these first few weeks can make the next nine to eleven years more enjoyable for both of you.
6. NEVER discipline your puppy for an accident in the house unless you catch him in the act; if so, scold him, scoop him up, and take him out to the proper place. If not, punishing a puppy or a dog after the fact is absolutely useless; the only thing you will accomplish is confusion and fear, as the dog will not associate the past action with the present fury. And NEVER, even in the most trying circumstances, strike your puppy or rub his nose in the mistake.