Please share your crate training tips

[gritsar]

We'll be getting my DH's GSD pup this weekend and intend to crate train him.
The only dog that's ever lived inside on this farm was Charlie Girl. She was just so smart that housebreaking came naturally to her.
It's been many, many years since I've dealt with crate training, so please share your tips and secrets.
TIA

 

[SOchick]

Don't get a crate that's too big to start with, if they have room to potty and lay down in another area they will. You can get one that will grow with the dog, so you don't have to keep buying larger on as the puppy grows. Walk him often. When you walk him, if he doesn't potty, put him back in the crate for about 5 min and try again. keep doing this until he potties. Then you can let him stay out. This will teach him if he wants to stay out with you he has to potty first. Keep a comfy blanket and a couple of toys in the crate with him so he has something to do. Rotate the toys every few days so he doesn't get bored.
Hopefully he will be just as smart as your Charlie Girl!

Good luck and be sure to post some pictures when you get him!

 

[texasgirl]

Go to this site and click on "Crate Training" it's a really good handout on it that our doctor wrote.

http://www.myvetonline.com/lonestarah/showPage.do?parentId=1722&itemId=2574&

 

[Bluemoon420]

Some crates have a divider that you can use as your puppy grows into it. I just had to buy one yesterday because my puppy comes tomorrow morning

Just so you know... Some dogs don't like the plastic crates. They would rather see what's going on around them. My GSD's always liked the metal crates. They want to feel like part of the room. Always praise them when they go inside on their own. ( a treat won't hurt either) Never yell at them or punish them in their crate. They will equate that with bad things, and not want to go in there.

Enjoy the puppy!

Bluemoon

 

[Blue Skys]

Get a good routine down. Go outside immediatly after letting out of crate (even if he was only in there for 5 minutes). Always out to potty after eating, and every 1 or two hours. German Shepards are smart. My female caught on very fast. I have always used the metal crates and put a blankie in there. And like everyone else said - the metal ones normally come with a divider that you can move as the puppy grows, so it's always the right size and you only make one investment. Use it from day one, the first couple of nights might drive you bonkers (with whining and barking), but if your consistant, he will catch on. Good luck!!

And sorry for the loss of Charlie. I had read previous posts about her and just noticed today that she passed.

 

[scarter]

I just read a good book called The Puppy Whisperer and she believes in crate training. I have to say it worked. The one thing we did this time that we never did with our other dog is ignore the whining and barking while in the crate. Not even a shhh or Stop Barking. Attention is attention so she just doesn't bark in the crate at all now. We had a horrible situation with a dog that barked and barked all night long in the crate but he would eat everything in sight if he was left out and free to roam.

Have fun with your puppy!

 

[only one lay]

Dogs are den animals. If hes gets used to the dark in his crate it will help him to feel safer. A blanket over it blocking the view gives that feeling. It also becomes his safe place for when he feels the need to escape from other creatures in the house.( IE small children or kittens that want to play ). Be patient now with consistancy and you will havebe greatly rewarded by his behavior in the long run.

 

[sundance]

All my dogs sleep in crates at night,and Usually I have no problem, with them going outside to potty during the day EXCEPT for my yorkie, Being male he has to mark every thing and I mean almost everthing I told him I think he has marked every blade of grass but yorkies are hard to train anyway. I made him something like a diaper to use when we went anywhere but DH has a fit if I want to use it , so its usually just easier to mop the bathroom or kitchen when I get home and since I use vinegar to mop looks like he would learn. DH says he takes after me HARD HEADED AND STUBBORN. oh well love him anyway. marrie

 

[Brindlebtch]

Everyone is giving good advice.

When you go out to pee the pup, make sure to go with it and cue the action with a word or phrase like 'do you business'. Say this in a calm and kind way, but not in a way that gets the pup's attention unnecessarily, because you want him concentrating on doing other things. Do not sound impatient and be very very consistent. You must witness the pup void and then praise praise praise and play. When the pup comes back inside make sure he goes out every 15 min without fail or you might end up with an accident in the house, especially if the pup has been actively playing or chewing on a toy.

A big mistake people make is putting the puppy unattended in the backyard and assuming they void, when in reality the pup is thinking about other things like where it's owner went and why is he out in the dark by himself! In such circumstances, as strange as it sounds, the pup WILL forget to void and then be allowed back inside and promptly void, and get in trouble. This is unfair to the pup.

Make sure when the pup is out for the first few months that it is under your direct observation at all times while loose in the house.
Learn the pup's body language that means he needs to void. This will usually start with a certain sniff. In time you will learn what it looks like and will be able to say loudly LETS GO OUTSIDE and dash for the back door when you see the pup display incipient voiding behavior. Be loud and cheerful and interesting and dash out the door with the pup running after you and then cue the void command. A lot of times the pup then goes 'oh yeah!' remembers to void, and then gets praise and play! This is a priceless lesson.

Remember that if the pup cannot be under your direct observation inside, for the first few months he needs to be crated until you can keep an eye on him. Also remeber that if he does void inside it will more than likely be your own fault because you took your eye off him or waited too long to take him outside or did not actually see if he voided outside.

If he has an accident scold him mildly and crate him for a 1/2 hour, take him outside and praise when he voids. If he does not void he goes back into the crate and the cycle repeats until he does and then praise and play and he gets to play in the house again.

I like to house train my puppies in a bigger crate so they CAN get out of their own waste. They will have the option to stay clean and will learn that being clean is much nicer than being in waste and will not just assume it is OK to sit in waste as a matter of course.
I find this much more humane because I work and must be gone from the house for hours at a time. As the puppy grows it will be able to hold itself in longer and will have a better chance and motivation for not voiding in it's crate. This is, of course, just my opinion.

Feed him in his crate so he learns to want to be in there. When you put him in it you can toss a small treat into the back of the crate and cue with the word 'kennel' or 'crate' or 'get in' or whatever, but be consistent. He will also learn this command and get into his crate when it is given to him.

 

[gritsar]

Thanks y'all. One more question if I may.
Since the current owners got him he has been living outside in a concrete floor, chain link kennel. If their dates are right, he's around 11 weeks old.
Is it going to be harder to crate train him because he's already had to eliminate in his "den"?