Crate Training An Older Puppy

Many pet owners decide to adopt older puppies or dogs from shelters rather than purchase a new puppy. This is a great idea, because not only does it save money, it helps rescue an animal from the shelter and potential death.

Many of the older puppies and younger dogs adopted from shelters are already housetrained and know some basic commands when they go into the shelter. Some of them even retain this by the time they are adopted, but many times, an older puppy will regress. For this reason, it's a good idea to crate train your older puppy or dog.

Don't believe in the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"--crate training your older puppy or dog certainly can be done. The following are a few tips:

Get your dog used to the crate.

Many older puppies and dogs that come from shelters are already used to being held in crates or cages, so they will probably already be familiar or comfortable with the idea of a crate. But, he might not. A few ways you can help your dog get used to the crate include:

· Put toys or treats into the crate. Start by placing them at the mouth of the crate, then eventually moving them to the back.

· Feed the dog his meals in the crate.

· Praise your dog whenever he goes into the crate--dogs feed off of their owners' attitudes.

Never use your crate as punishment for your dog, either. He should come to view it as a safe place and his own little "den."

Don't leave him there for too long.

While older puppies or adult dogs are able to hold their bladders a little longer than puppies, it's still not a good idea to leave him in a crate for more than a few hours at a time. If you work, ideally you should have a neighbor or dog sitter come by to let the dog out.

In the beginning, when you are training your older puppy to get used to the crate, you should only leave him in the crate for a few minutes at a time, then a little longer as he gets used to it. Put your dog in the crate while you are cleaning, or watching TV, for a little while. He will know you are around and not associate the crate with isolation. Then, praise him whenever you let him out.

Get to know your dog's cues.

In order for crate training to be successful, it's important to get to know your dog's "cues" that it needs to eliminate. This can include whining (make sure it's not just whining to be let out because the dog is lonely), turning around in its crate, sniffing, and so forth. Your dog will also probably need to be let out not long after eating. You'll need to pay special attention to this in the beginning too, since many times in shelters, dogs or older puppies were not let out frequently enough, so they may be used to eliminating in their cages or crates. This defeats the purpose of crate training.

Adopting an older puppy or young dog is a great idea. However, crate training one can be a little difficult. The above tips are just a few ways you can successfully crate train your older puppy.

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