How to Use Crate Training to Housebreak Your Puppy

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Pet crate or carrier
Dog biscuits

Step 1:
Start some degree of housebreaking as soon as you bring your new puppy home. While most puppies have at least a general idea of how things work by the time they leave their litter, getting them on a regular schedule can make housebreaking go quicker.
Step 2:
Accustom your puppy to the crate or carrier a bit at a time by placing small pieces of dog biscuits inside as a lure. Talk softly and allow her to walk in, sniff around, get the treat and walk out. Repeat this several times before closing and latching the door behind the puppy.
Step 3:
Put your puppy in the crate between play and outside activities at least for the first three to four weeks when you're too busy to watch his every move or when you're not home. The idea behind using crate training to housebreak puppies is that they don't like soiling their sleeping area and may hold it until they can go outside.
Step 4:
Get your puppy onto a feeding and elimination schedule and take her outside at least once every couple of hours, working up to once every four hours. If you've had a play session inside the house, have your puppy do outside business before returning to the crate for rest time.
Step 5:
Keep the crate or carrier in the room with the most family activity during the day and by your bed at night so you'll know when your puppy needs to go outside. This also decreases your puppy's crying, since he'll be close to you.

Tips & Warnings

If your puppy has a collar, remove it before placing her in the crate so there won't be any danger of the collar hanging up on something, causing your puppy to choke.
Don't crate puppies that are less than nine weeks old because they need to eliminate eight to 10 times a day or more and can't hold it in like older puppies can.

Resources

Tips and tricks for housebreaking your dog.

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