Crate Training

I wanted to write a post about crates and how they are used.  Some people buy a hard shell crate for their puppy.  Those are perfect for air travel, or for trips to the veterinary.  For everyday use a wire crate works great in the house.  Here is the best size for a Miniature Schnoodle.....

Buy a wire crate that measures 20" wide x 20 " tall x 24 long.   

This is the size that Dixie has used all her life....and she still fits in it great.  

The wire crate is a doggy's den.

I would not own a puppy if I did not first buy a crate.  They are that indispensable. It is best to introduce a crate early in life....and use them properly.  Never lock a puppy in a crate all day long.  That is cruel.  Never lock a puppy in a crate, longer than he can hold his bladder.  That is also cruel .....and will teach him to soil his sleeping quarters.  DO use a crate for sleeping at night, for nap time in the day, or for limited periods of time that your puppy needs to be out from underfoot.  The crate is indispensable for potty training a puppy to the outdoors.

I definitely wanted our litter of puppies to be comfortable in a dog crate before they went to their new home.   To do this, I attached Dixie's crate to the Puppy pen and draped a blanket over it.  The wire pen easily attaches to the sides of the wire crate with clips.  (no puppies can escape and it is quite secure)   Inside I put the carpets and blankets.   I knew the pups would enjoy their new 'den' space.   The puppies IMMEDIATELY went in and started using the wire crate as their preferred sleeping place.  Dogs love crates as long as you introduce them early.  They feel secure in an enclosed area...that is why I drape a blanket over it.

We moved our puppies to our basement as soon as the weather got hot.

We keep our wire dog crate open to the play area.   The puppies are NOT locked up in there (except when we need to clean the pen).

You will do well to also use a crate as your puppies sleeping quarters.   Put the crate in your room, so you can hear him if he whines to use the potty.   If the litter box is nearby it will be easy enough to take your puppy to his indoor potty spot at night time.  Your puppy WILL need to use the potty once during the night for several months.  If you have a master bathroom, you could put the open crate and the litter box in your bathroom.  Then put a puppy gate in the door way.  That way your puppy is close to you, but  still has access to his litter box at night without waking you up.   I have known some families to have an upstairs litter box and a downstairs litter box.

Puppy's love their wire crate 'den'!

If a service worker or guests comes to your house, you will have a safe place to keep your puppy.  When you want to train your puppy to potty outside you can close the puppy in his crate during his nap time.   Then when the nap time is done, you can take him outside to use the potty right away.   This is the best way to potty train a puppy.  (I will send home a sample potty training schedule)

Dixie has had her crate since she was a puppy and we still use it today!   It comes in very handy when we need to keep our dogs away from repair men...or little kids who are nervous with dogs.   They love to sleep in their crate at night...it is their very own space.