Life Stages Dog Crates – An easy way to potty train a puppy
All my dogs have been rescued from shelters, some as puppies, some adults – none were potty trained. It can be difficult to potty train a puppy, you need patience and commitment as puppies have small bladders and need to go outside often. The key to potty training is consistency; develop a schedule and stick to it!
Starting as soon as you bring your puppy home get into the routine of taking them out frequently. Puppies go to the toilet 5-10 minutes after they’ve eaten or woken up, so always take them outside after meals.
To help with training, choose one place where you always take the dog to go to the toilet. Remember to give encouragement and praise every time your puppy eliminates in the toilet area.
Accidents happen. If your puppy doesn’t make it outside and messes inside the house, don’t punish them, just clean the mess and take the puppy outside. Praise when they goes outside.
Use a crate.
Crate training is the best method to potty train your puppy as dogs are denning animals who do not like to sleep in the place where they go to the toilet. Your crate should only be big enough so that your puppy can stand up, turn round and lie down comfortably. If your crate is too big then your puppy will use one section to sleep in, the other to use as their toilet area.
Over the years I have found the best crates to be life stages wire crates by Midwest. Wire crates provide great visibility and airflow for your puppy, allowing them to be involved with your family while still being safely confined. If your puppy likes a place to hide, a dog crate cover can be placed over all, or part, of the crate.
Life stage crates come with a crate divider which will save you a significant amount of money as you only need to purchase one crate, the appropriate size for your puppy’s adult size. The divider is used to reduce the crate size to fit the size of your puppy. As your puppy grows, so you move the divider to increase their living space.
Wire crates are also easy to clean, something very important when you have a new puppy. The wire sides can be wiped down with a cloth and the plastic tray that covers the floor is removable for thorough cleaning.
Potty training a puppy is not instant training. It takes time for your dog to learn what is expected of them, but it is time well spent, and which can be minimised using a crate and positive reinforcement.
