Learn how to size a crate and the basics of crate training a puppy. 

This video discusses the basics of choosing and using a crate. Look for all the crate training videos for a complete understanding of house training your puppy. Leave comments and ask for your favorite topic. I will be adding more and more videos. 

Happy Training!

Crates

Crates are one of the important tools for crate training. A long-term confinement area is the other. See my other post about long term confinement areas. Crates are used for periods of time that are within a puppies ability to hold their bladder. A long term confinement area is used if your puppy is going to be alone for a period that is longer than he can hold it. 

There are many reasons why crates are so important:

Prevent destruction to your houseSpeed up house trainingTeach your puppy to be aloneHelp prevent separation anxiety Give you flexibility in your scheduleSizing a Crate

Select a crate that is big enough for your puppy to walk in, stretch, turn around and lie down. The reason crates are so small is that you want to motivate your puppy to hold his bladder. You can't use it for times that are completely above his physical ability to hold it, but you can motivate him to hold it for slightly longer periods of time each week. 

Use meal times to teach your puppy to have a soft mouth. Easy and fun!

How to handle biting puppies and kids. What can you do to keep everyone safe? What is acceptable behavior? 

This is a common issue with new puppies that can cause quite a bit of frustration and pain. Here is the scenario: the puppy often starts out being playful, but then gets worked up and starts nipping feet, pants, long skirts or anything within reach of his razor-sharp puppy teeth.

One client dealt with this every morning while she got ready for work.

I just got off the phone with someone that called in a panic.

The three month old puppy that she got for her brother was not doing well. He is extremely busy and is having difficulty making the situation work. The woman that I spoke with was frantic because her brother was talking about finding another home for the puppy.

I told her sounded like the right decision.

Your puppy will not turn into a lazy, adult dog if he stops and refuses to move when you try and take him for a walk. There are so many concerns about puppy development and I hear this one frequently.

Separation anxiety is, in my opinion, the worst dog training issue. The most challenging aspect is the fact that dogs can get worse if they are left alone for a longer amount of time then they can currently handle. For instance, if a dog is only comfortable being alone for fifteen minutes is left alone for three hours, he might get anxious after only five minutes next time.