The best way to house train your puppy is to take advantage of the fact that they don't want to soil their bed. With crate training, you can use this instinct to teach your dog where it's okay to eliminate and where it is not allowed.
The idea is to confine the dog in its crate when you are not around. This helps the dog see the crate as its den and confines him to a small part of the house. Dogs naturally like to be clean and they will do their best to avoid eliminating in their den.
Crate training usually works well whether you are working with an older dog or a puppy. Usually when there are problems, it's because the owner doesn't understand the dog's signals. There will also be problems if the owner tries to rush the dog to train too quickly or is not consistent about what time the dog is fed.
It is possible to speed up the process if you are good about praising the dog for good behavior and rewarding him for eliminating in the proper place. But keep in mind that every dog is different and some cannot be pushed too hard. So don't rush the dog and you won't have to go back and retrain him, which can be problematic.
If your dog is already house trained and he soils the crate it is probably because he has been left in there too long. Another problem could be that the crate is too large for the dog. If that's the case, either take the dog out more often or make the area smaller.
If the dog does have an accident in the crate, it could be that the dog has not yet adopted the crate as his den. It's also possible that he might have a medical condition such as a urinary tract infection and that is causing the problem. So be sure to have the dog checked by your veterinarian to make sure there are no medical problems.
There is another reason why dogs sometimes have accidents that you may not have considered. The dog may simply be bored. When they are bored, they tend to drink a lot of water and need to go out more frequently. So if the dog is drinking a lot of water, make sure you take him out more often. Also, offer him dog toys and try to distract him in other ways so he's not bored.
Boredom is actually the cause of many of the behavior problems that are seen in dogs. If your dog is chewing on your shoes or tearing up your cushions, it may be that he is bored and he might even be having separation anxiety.
There also can be problems if you don't properly introduce the crate to the dog. If your dog sees the crate as a prison or thinks he is being punished, he may be anxious. This anxiety can lead to whining, barking and chewing. The dog needs to feel safe in its crate and see it as a home not a cage.
Before you begin training your dog, make sure you are familiar with the dog's needs and habits. Then create a safe, healthy sleeping area and a play area for him. There should also be a toileting area that the dog accepts.
It's not always easy to train a dog but it is critical to your bonding process with your pet. One of the top reasons why dogs are given to shelters is because the owner was unable to successfully train the dog. So follow these tips and you and your dog will be happy together for a long time to come.
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