How to crate train your pet.

Like any other form of dog training, crate training requires time and patience. You are teaching your pet how to behave, and it takes time for your furry friend to learn to distinguish right from wrong.

Dog crates are made of rigid plastic, heavy wire mesh, or aluminum. They must be well ventilated and sturdy with no sharp edges on the inside to injure your pet. Buy a generously-sized crate for your pet. In order for it to become your pet's home, the crate must be comfortable, large enough to allow your pet to stretch out flat on his side (without hitting his head), and he should be able to stand comfortably and turn around inside his crate. Although you don't want the crate to be enormous, it's better to use a crate that is too large rather than too small.

A primary use for a crate is as a housebreaking aid. Being basically clean, a healthy pet raised in frequently cleaned surroundings will not want to dirty his own area. Confined to his crate, he is going to make a fuss and demand to be let out in order not to soil his crate. If he is removed from it and promptly carried outside, the positive aspects of housetraining are constantly reinforced. Your pet will require an early morning outing, but he can then be returned to his crate with a toy or pressed chew stick for amusement.

Place the crate in a quiet corner of a busy room, such as the family room or kitchen. Your pet will not feel isolated or that he is being punished with the crate if he is around other people or in a busy room. If you have two pets, both should be crated (in separate crates) at the same time, so the crated pet won't end up struggling to join his counterpart "on the loose" in the same room, or crate the pet in a separate room with the door closed so he can't see the other pets in the household. Line the bottom of the crate with a blanket or rug, and provide something to chew on and a few toys. In just a few days, your pet should look forward to spending time in the crate and venture inside of it by choice.

Crating an unsupervised pet provides safety for him as well as family possessions. The cost of the crate will be saved many times over. When the pet is out of the crate he should receive constant supervision and develop desired house behavior right from the start. By the time he is permitted more freedom, he will be past the chewy, teething stage without ever having learned that remodeling chair legs can be fun! Also, your pet must learn that he cannot always be underfoot. When he comes in wet or muddy - the crate is a handy place to dry off, when the floor is being washed and waxed - he is safe and temporarily out of the way and if non-doggy friends arrive - your pet can be put in the crate for a convenient nap.

Start your crate training off on the right "paw" by introducing your pet to his new crate gradually. Give your pet an opportunity to "go" before he is put in the crate. During the first weeks, give your pet a treat when he enters the crate so he learns to associate good things with his little home. Stay near and offer words of praise and encouragement.

Begin your crate training schedule by putting your pet in the crate for small increments of time. Never let him out when he is barking. If the barking continues non-stop, the pet should be verbally reprimanded and then praised once he stops. Don't let him think that by barking and whining, he can get his way. Leave him in the crate for 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, eventually working up to a half hour "crate time."

Alternate "crate time" with periods of play and opportunities for your pet to "go." Once he is trained, your pet can be put in the crate for one-to-two hour periods at regular intervals throughout the day, probably during his naptime or when he will be left alone. A pet may be in a crate an even longer amount of time while you're out of the house.

Accustom your pet gradually to being in his crate while you are in another room. Never use the crate as a means of punishing your dog or it will be useless as a training tool. A crate should be a supplement to, not a substitute for, your love and attention.

Don't give your pet any water after 8:00pm and take him outside to "go" before you turn in for the night. Ideally, you should move the crate into your bedroom and let your pet sleep inside the crate all night. When you hear his "wake-up call," take him outside immediately.

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