ZORA"S DEN CRATE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY OR ADULT DOG HELPFUL HINTS "Gone Are The Days Of Your Puppy Crying All Night" Anya has found a fascinating and unique item she sells in her pet store located at Icewind Farm. It's called The Snuggle Puppy. It's a cute plush puppy which has a velcro opening, which comes with heat packs and a real sounding heatbeat. This is very soothing for a young pup. Visit our testimonial page and see what other people are saying. You can order yours today or visit Anya for a demonstration at Icewind Farm in Anya's Pet Store. Puppy Poochie Bells The easiest way to houstrain your puppy. Most people pick their puppy up and then head out the door. The puppy has no idea where it went to get there. If you hang Anya's new designer bells on the door and ring them each time you go out the door, your puppy will learn in a few days to ring the bells all by himself and let you know its time to go potty. The bells can also be ordered online or from Anya's Pet Store, there are many designs and colors to chose from. We suggest you put a soft comfy bed or fleece in your puppies crate at night. This will remind your puppy of where he was sleeping before he came to you and will not soil it. To see what we use visit Anya's Pet Store at Icewind Farm. Other items to add to the crate at night besides the snuggle puppy, a hard chewy toy just in case he decides not to sleep at first or wakes up throughout the night this will give him something to do. Anya will show you many items to use when you visit us. Many people feel it is cruel to crate a puppy or a dog. All those negative associations about cages and zoos and such. I was under that impression myself when I was later convinced, that it was one of the most valuable things that my new puppy could learn. It keeps the puppy safe from chewing things like electrical cords and your new shoes when you cannot be around to supervise. It can be considered the same as a playpen for a baby. It is also an invaluable tool in housetraining a puppy. Puppies learn from their mother that they shouldn't soil their sleeping area. When they are still in the whelping box, the puppies will crawl away from their sleeping area to an area they chose as the potty area, and eliminate there. They are already innately trained not to soil the area where they sleep. USING THE DOG'S NATURAL DENNING INSTINCT First, let's look at the dog behavior in the wild. Wild adult dogs will naturally find a den or safe area to sleep. When the dam whelps the pups in the wild she sets up a den and keeps it clean until the pups are old enough to go outside on their own. She teaches them it is not okay to potty in the place where they sleep. Domestic dogs will also naturally den. You will often see a dog sleeping under a table or desk or next to a piece of furniture if no other area is provided for them to den. It is not cruel to develop this habit from the time you bring the puppy home. In fact, it is cruel not to give the pup or dog a safe area to call their own. SETTING THE RULES FROM THE BEGINNING If your puppy whines when you first put him in his crate it is probably because he would rather be snuggled up close to you the way he was with his littermates. If you allow the puppy access to your lap, bed, couch or chair when you first get the puppy then it will to eliminate these behaviors as the puppy grows up. Think of what the adult size of your dog will be and decide if you have room in your lap, bed, etc, for the adult dog. You must decide before you bring the puppy home what the "rules" will be and then stick to them. POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS Crate training should all be done positively with no negative associations. When you first bring the puppy home from the breeder, have the crate ready and comfortable for the puppy. I put a washable pad in the crate, possibly a pillow so it is an inviting area for the puppy. (My dogs crates are as comfortable and inviting as my own bed!) I get a small yummy treat and allow the puppy to sniff it and then lure the puppy into the crate with the treat. When the puppy goes into the crate to get the treat and explore the new area I just leave the door open and let him come out as he wishes. I don't force the pup into the crate and I don't make him stay in there the first several times. I then repeat putting a treat in the crate, allowing the puppy to go in on his own for the treat. I do this several times and praise the puppy gently while it's in the crate and associate a word or phrase for going in the crate. My word association is "kennel up" and "good night" I use the word association AS I'm putting the treat into the crate and the puppy is following it in. Do this about five times and then quit for awhile. Repeat this procedure several times the first day. CLOSING THE CRATE DOOR When the puppy is going in after the treat comfortably and when the puppy has just finished playing and piddling and is tired, lure the puppy into the crate with the treat as you have before only this time close the door. I also put a new toy in the crate at this time. Something the puppy hasn't seen before and something that is interesting and will keep his attention for a few minutes. After I close the door, I sit on the floor in front of the crate and talk to the puppy if necessary. If the puppy cries or whines, I put my fingers through the grate in the door to reassure the puppy that I am still there. Usually, they will only whine for a short while and may even fall asleep if they are tired. I stay there until the whining subsides and the puppy calms down and then open the crate door. 5-10 minutes usually. If the puppy happens to fall asleep, great! I let him sleep in the crate until he wakes and then it's right outside to go potty. I don't use alot of praise and fanfare when I open the crate door and I ignore the puppy for a few minutes after he is out so that he doesn't get the impression that getting out is much more fun than being in the crate. I do not let the puppy out until he is quiet for at least 30 seconds and has calmed down if he has been whining. I might try and distract him with another toy to give him a chance to be quiet to I can let him out while he is quiet but I WILL NOT let him out, especially the first time, until he IS quiet. I don't yell or correct in any negative way. I just make up my mind that I will calmly wait the puppy out no matter what. THE FIRST NIGHT AT HOME IF you have gotten your puppy during the day and had time to do the above steps, great! The puppy will already be familiar with going in the crate after a treat. If not, and you want to begin the puppy's life at his new home sleeping in a crate here's what to do. I play with the puppy till he's tired, make sure he has pottied outside and place the comfortable crate (with pad) on a chair or table right next to my bed where I can reach it while I'm still lying down. My night stand is set up for this purpose. I remove any collar that might be unsafe, place or lure the tired puppy into the crate possibly with a safe toy, go to bed and turn out the lights as usual. If the puppy whines, I place my fingers in the grate of the crate and talk softly to the puppy until he falls asleep. I may lose a little sleep that night and possibly the next but I will NOT open the door for the puppy for at least four hours. (I repeat: the puppy has successfuly pottied just before this!). I do not get angry with the puppy or yell at him but I do not give in and let him out either. If the crate is comfortable and warm enough, the lights are out and you are right there to talk softly to him and let him lick your fingers, then usually he will fall asleep within an hour, less if he is tired. At eight weeks of age you cannot expect the puppy to go more than four hours without pottying. So, as soon as the puppy whines after waking up, have your sweats, shoes and shirt ready to take the puppy outside. Dress yourself quickly before you open the crate, carry the puppy to the potty area immediately, praise softly and gently for a job well done, bring him back in and without getting into a play session with him, return the puppy to his crate, turn the lights out and go back to sleep. "A MUST FOR ALL NEW PUPPY OWNERS" "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!" by Adam Kantz I highly recommend this book. It will help you keep your sanity while dealing with puppy behavior! Excellent for Dog Problems and has tons of dog training tips. 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