David wanted to know about puppy crate training in anticipation of his new Bouvier puppy arriving: “I will be getting a Bouvier puppy in September. He will be my second Bouvier. Great dog. My first one was very easy to train, but I was a little lax with him. This one will be different. Do you recommend crate training for every puppy? Puppy Crate Training For Every Dog? Do you notice differences between puppies that are crate trained and those that are not? I have many training books, since Read more [...]
Two Quick Tips For Puppy Crate Training – Puppy Training Diary Episode #4
June 18, 2012 by
Adam reveals two quick tips for puppy crate training that make the first week with your puppy much, much easier.
Best Type Of Dog Crate To Buy
June 18, 2012 by
If you’re going to spend money on a new dog crate, this is the best type of dog crate to buy…
Small Dog – Kennel Training
June 18, 2012 by
This is Shorty. He’s a Rat Terrier we just rescued from our local Animal Shelter. We’ll be using Shorty as our new demo dog, for the next several videos, as he has had absolutely NO PRIOR TRAINING. With my system of dog training, we like to start with crate training, so we can keep the dog safe and to prevent him from developing bad habits, when we can’t supervise him.
Is Eight Weeks-Old Too Young To Crate Train Your Dog?
September 6, 2011 by
Hi, Adam: I got an 8 week old puppy from a person that just let him run free in his house. I am assuming that the puppy was free to potty any where and it was just cleaned up instead of working on training him to go in a certain place. Now enter me who is trying to crate and potty train. I put him into his crate and he sits there and whines, cries, and scratches at the door. I know 8 weeks is young but he potties everywhere and anywhere, doesn’t matter, in the pen or on the floor. I take him outside Read more [...]
Train Your Dog to Avoid Accidents In Crate
September 6, 2011 by
Yorma writes to me: Our 11 year old puppy obviously hasn’t read the dog crating rules and doesn’t know NOT to poop/pee in his crate. He does use wee wee pads when outside the crate and we give plenty of time to relieve himself before placing him in the crate. But after we leave him alone for 30 minutes to an hour…we return to a crate full of poop. We’ve made the area quite small within the crate, where he can barely turn around but it keeps happening. (little if any bedding). Something is in Read more [...]
Getting a timid dog out of her crate to potty
September 6, 2011 by
JMDay writes to me: “Hi – we adopted a shelter dog two weeks ago. She is a lab mix (emphasis on mix) and is extremely timid. According to the shelter, our girl is about 4-5 months old and was dumped in a bar ditch along the highway. She had lived at the shelter for a couple of months before we got her. Our vet has checked her out and says she is healthy. My husband and I are attempting to crate train her and want the crate to be her “safe” place. The challenge is getting her out of the crate to go Read more [...]
Make My Dog Get In The Crate
July 4, 2011 by
Dear Adam: I bought and read your book; Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of both mine and my dog’s heart! Here’s my problem: Yoshi is my 8-month-old, Rhodesian Ridgeback/Anatolian Shepherd mix. Yes, I found him at the dog park when he was 3 months old; he had been abandoned. Yoshi is now a healthy, happy 7-8 month old 75 lb. pup. He’s very “high energy”, to say the least. However, he is responding really well to the training techniques from your book (although he’s stubborn sometimes; Read more [...]
The Truth About Crate Training
July 4, 2011 by
HILLARY was courageous enough to step forward and ask: I would like [to know] the truth about crate training. I have heard many people strongly advocate crates, but I am having trouble finding this method of housebreaking and training “nice”. ME: “Nice” is simply a value judgement you’re placing on a training tool because you’re looking at your dog as if he were a human. And that’s were you’ll run into trouble. See, dogs are motivated by drives and instincts which are completely different than Read more [...]
Is Crate Training A Puppy Cruel
July 7, 2010 by
One of the best things you can do for your puppy early in life is crate training. Many people are under the misconception that crate training a puppy is cruel but this is far from the truth. Dogs actually get a lot of benefit from having been crate trained and they generally come to like the fact that they have been crate trained. Many people also assume that crate training is difficult, but this is also far from the truth. Dogs, naturally avoid soiling the area where they will eat and sleep and Read more [...]
Dogs Who Love Their Crates And The Owners Who Love Them
July 7, 2010 by
Many people are under the false impression that you can only crate train puppies and they refrain from crate training older dogs as they think it is too difficult. There are also many people who think crate training is inhumane but done correctly this couldn’t be further from the truth. The dogs crate should never be used as a place to be sent when punished. When dogs have been crate trained correctly they actually enjoy the security of having their own place to stay. Even at times when they Read more [...]
Doggie Escape Artists
July 7, 2010 by
No owner likes to get a call from the pound telling them that their dog has been picked up for roaming the streets, but even the best trained dog can escape and end up in places where it shouldn’t be. In many towns you can find yourself in legal trouble if your dog is found to be wandering the streets. And quite rightly so as a dog on the loose can do quite a lot of damage to other people’s property, pets, children and elderly folk. Dogs that generally try to escape from their property are usually Read more [...]
Stop My Dog From Whining
July 1, 2010 by
So you have a problem with a whining dog? It is not unusual for people to have problems, particularly with puppies whining all day long. Most puppies will outgrow this behavior. They generally whine for two reasons: For attention and when they are anxious. If they want attention, they will continue to whine if that attention attracts a reward. It is better just to give your dog attention in the form of eye contact rather than a reward to stop it from whining, as a reward will only encourage it Read more [...]
Crate Training Your Golden Retriever
June 23, 2010 by
By about five weeks of age, most puppies are beginning to wander away from their mom and siblings to relieve themselves. Puppies like to curl up in small, close places. That’s why you will often find them sleeping under a coffee table or under a chair. Because your Golden puppy has an instinct to keep his bed clean, being confined in a crate will help him develop bowel and bladder control. When he is gradually confined for extended periods of time, he will hold his wastes to prevent messing Read more [...]
Leaving a Puppy Loose in the House
November 4, 2009 by
Dear Adam: Kava is a good dog, very smart, and basically obedient. Thank you for the wonderful puppy training information. Kava will soon be a good doggie citizen. In the last two weeks, he has displayed behavior that relates to “Separation Anxiety”. He is chewing on books, pulling covers off the bed, digging, and taking items off counters, etc. while I’m away at work. He does not display these behaviors when I am home with him, so I haven’t been able to catch him in the act and correct. He Read more [...]
When is Your Dog Old Enough to be Left Unsupervised in the House
November 4, 2009 by
My dog is seven months-old. He hasn’t destroyed anything in the house in several months. Is he old enough to be left alone, unsupervised? Thanks, Kay Dear Kay: It’s an issue of maturity. At seven months, he’s still too immature. And he’s still got his second teething phase to go through, which can be from 7 to 9 months of age. I recommend waiting until the dog is between 1 and 1.5 years of age. If he’s still a perfect gentleman, then start leaving him for short periods of time and gradually walk Read more [...]
Some Advanced Dog Training Points You Should Know About Conditioning Your Dog
October 30, 2009 by
Akeisha wrote to me with some very good questions. I’ve included her letter (and my responses) below: [Akeisha] Hi its Akeisha again. I do see what you mean if it is on all the time the dog will soon forget it is on and then will behave regardless. Ok, so the dog never wears a buckle collar again? This is what irks me. I want to be able to control the dog regardless of what collar is on not just the pinch or it could be no collar at all and the dog still behaves. What if the owner for some reason Read more [...]
Crate Training Issues – Urinating in Crate
October 28, 2009 by
I am a veterinarian that takes my dog, Dodger, a Husky-Shep.1 yr. old to work, everyday. When I got him as a puppy, it took a while to housebreak him and he was a submissive urinator. The submissive stuff is gone, but he has an annoying habit of urinating a little spot on the cage wall if we take our kennel dogs out to urinate first before him. Unfortunately I can’t discipline him unless I catch him in the act. He has done it only one or two times at home, luckily. I do have kennel dogs that are Read more [...]
Crate Training Puppies – Puppy Defecates in Crate
October 28, 2009 by
We recently purchased a 9 week-old puppy and are having some difficulty keeping her crate clean due to her defecating inside of it. According to your input and so many others, they are not supposed to have accidents inside their dwelling place. What am I doing wrong? I have been diligent about training her by taking her outside as much as possible and also using your command, “Get busy.” She does a great job outdoors, but this crate problem has got me stumped. Is she stupid? Please help. Thank Read more [...]
Crate Training Problems – Dog Poops in His Crate
October 28, 2009 by
We recently got a four month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel. We can’t seem to housebreak him. I’ve tried what your book and tape say to do. He goes # 2 in his crate. I have been doing what you suggest, but would like some advice on the crate issue. Thank you. -Brenda Dear Brenda: The best solution to this problem is to build an outdoor kennel run on grass or pea gravel so that the dog can get reconditioned to eliminate on this flooring substance and not in the crate. Otherwise, when you take Read more [...]
Crate Training – Teach Your Dog To Get In His Crate On Command
October 22, 2009 by
This is a really great trick to teach your dog. First, your dog should view his crate as a “safe place.” A place to go when he’s tired, to take a nap or to just be left alone. Here is the fastest and easiest way to teach your dog to get in his crate, on command. It’s especially useful for if you have unexpected company and don’t want your dog to ‘get in the way. Start by palming a cookie in your right hand. Put the training collar and leash on your dog. Walk him up to the crate and make him sit. Read more [...]
