Crate Training
There are different opinions about crate training. We believe that it is for the dogs safety and security to have them use a crate for when it is needed. Our puppies will be introduced to a crate before they go to their new homes.
Starting a puppy in a crate will make other training easier. We start our pups off with their bed in a crate for nighttime. Yes, they are cute and cuddly, and you may think letting them sleep with you is no big deal. Sleeping in your bed before they are potty trained will bring obvious problems. Getting them used to a bed and blanket in a covered crate will give them a secure area to sleep and they usually won’t potty where they sleep. Make sure the crate fits their size. If you have them in a crate that is for a larger breed they may find the extra space ok to potty in. We have a Snuggle Puppy for our pups that has warming packs and a heartbeat to help with separation from Mom.
We had our pups in the crate at night until they were house broken and when we would be gone for short periods. As they got older, we started with leaving the crate door open at night and would just tell them it was time for bed. Whatever command you use when putting them in their crate continue with that command. Then we took their bed out of the crate and put it by our bed with their blanket and that is now where they sleep. Move the crate to an area in the home where they can get to it easily for when they want to be in it or when you are gone. Make sure it is comfortable and secure.
If you have a puppy that chews, (like most puppies do) having them in a crate while you’re gone will save stuff from being chewed on, and is good for their safety as well, if they got into something when you’re not there that could be a hazard and harmful to them.
We never use the crate as a punishment and when we leave, we make sure to reward them for going in the crate with a favorite treat.
With our open floor plan, we also don’t want our dogs under foot in the kitchen, we used the crate to train them to not be in the kitchen when we are cooking.
If you stay consistent your dog will sleep thru the night and be fine going in the crate when they want to rest or when you need them to.
House breaking a puppy.
First off, start potty training your puppy as soon as you get them home. Have a leash and harness ready to take them out to the area that you want them to potty. Use whatever command you would like for them to potty. Be consistent. Start with a schedule, every half hour, say potty and take them out. Stay with them so you know that they went. Learn your puppies’ signs, some start to wonder around sniffing others may whine. Be ready to take them out.
We have bells hanging by our door and teach our pups to ring the bell when they need to go outside. Put the bells on a hook next to the door, not on it. You want them to only hear the bells when you jingle them and use the potty command, then head outside with them. If you hang them on the door and they jingle every time the door opens it can be confusing.
The bells do not work with every dog, it is just an idea. We’ve had dogs take to them great and others just go to the door, and others whine when they need to go out. One of our German Shepards was a talker and would basically tell us when he needed to go out.
Whatever you decide to do always make it positive, have treats ready to reward your pup. Punishing a puppy for accidents in the home will slow the learning process. Especially with Jack Russell’s, they will always do better with positive rewards for all training.