The Importance of Crate Training Your Puppy
It’s no secret that raising a puppy requires a lot of work, time, and energy. Explore some of the most important things to know when crate training your puppy.
Teaches Puppies To Calm Down
Puppies have similar behaviors to young children—when they become cranky and destructive, they usually need to relax and nap. Because puppies can become overstimulated and don’t know how to self-soothe, placing them in a crate with a chewing toy can do wonders for their frustration. Familiarizing your puppy with a crate at a young age can help them associate the space with relaxation.
Keeps Destructive Puppies Safe
It’s no surprise that curious puppies want to dig, chew, and destroy everything with their sharp baby teeth. However, destructive behavior can become dangerous and lead to safety issues for your puppy. Puppies who chew and consume unsafe materials can experience choking and potentially life-threatening intestinal blockages that require long, costly surgeries.
So, it’s best to crate your puppy when you can’t constantly monitor them. Doing so can prevent them from ingesting toxic or harmful things or stop them from investigating areas they shouldn’t. Puppies need constant supervision, and crate training them can give you the ability to do chores, take bathroom breaks, and stretch a bit.
Helps Puppies Recover
When crate training your puppy, one important thing to know is how it can keep them safe during medical and physical recovery. If your pooch has upcoming vet surgical appointments, keeping them calm and practicing restricted exercise is crucial. This task can be frustrating and stressful for owners of hyper, mobile dogs who want to explore.
Allowing your dog to play and roughhouse post-surgery can result in inflammation, discharge, and even broken stitches that require medical attention. Using a crate can help limit their movement and keep them calm during recovery.
Give Them Somewhere To Retreat To
Introducing your puppy to a crate should act as their haven for resting, relaxing, and encouraging good behavior. Many dogs can go in their cages unprompted when they feel overwhelmed or need quiet time.
Use treats, a comfy dog mat, and toys to help them associate their cage with a positive, safe environment. Many dogs who acclimate to crates learn to go in their cages independently for peace.
Benchmark Dog Training offers professional dog training for those who want to adjust their dog’s behavior. Our puppy training program can help frustrated dog owners learn to curb unwanted behavior and use positive reinforcement to encourage positive command responses. Ask about our puppy training programs today.