Getting A Crate For Your Puppy - Criterias

Some people think that crating their dog is cruel or unfair. But in reality, crating a dog is natural to the dog’s instinct to find a safe, cozy den. Not only is in natural, but is also helpful to you and protective of your furniture and home. It is also a great way to begin training and housebreaking your dog.

With a new dog or puppy, you must keep them contained to smaller areas of the house first, then introduce more and more areas. A new dog or puppy needs to understand the confines of his home (or den) and allowing him free run of the home right away will hinder housebreaking and training.

Crating your dog can assist in getting him accustomed to his surroundings while gradually introducing him to more and more areas of the home. Crating also helps protect your furniture, rugs and wood moldings from the destructive nibbles of puppy teeth. It will also protect your puppy from getting into harmful things like electrical wires.

A few things to keep in mind when purchasing your puppy’s crate are:

Size. Determine if the crate will see your puppy through adulthood. Most dogs that have been crated as puppies still seek the comfort of their crate dens as adult dogs. In fact, you’ll find that at bedtime, your dog will likely be in his bed (crate) or he may rush to seek solace there during thunderstorms. The crate needs to be large enough to allow the dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. A crate that is too large may allow the dog to soil his surroundings because he’ll be able to lay at the other end of the crate. Dogs are loathe to soil their dens, so a more cozy crate will make your dog less likely to soil his bedding. If he does, you’ve left him in the crate for too long. If you have a puppy that will grow into a large dog, you will likely need to get rid of his puppy crate and buy a larger dog crate later to support his adult size. However, you may be able to sell your dog crate (or donate it to a shelter or rescue) and buy a used larger dog crate.
Type of crate. Some crates are made to be easily portable with wheels and handles. Some are made of plastic, some metal and some soft-sided with fleece lining. Other types are wicker, wood or aluminum. Keep in mind the need for ease of cleaning, portability and size and strength of dog.
Hours. A new puppy shouldn’t be crated for longer than six hours. Grown dogs can typically last through the night up to eight to ten hours. Any longer can be unhealthful for your dog. If you need to leave the dog for ten hours a day, he is better off contained to a small room with vinyl flooring, like a kitchen, with newspaper lining a section of it to allow him to relieve himself. Gate the area off so he cannot soil carpeting. For a healthy dog, crating should really only be limited to bedtime when the family is asleep. Dogs that have been crated too long, such as throughout the day and in the night, spending more time in the crate than out, typically develop physical ailments such as malformation of musculature and other structural problems. Crating needs to be done judiciously so as not to adversely affect the health of the dog. The crate is the dog’s den, not a method of punishment. Your puppy should go in the crate at bedtime and be immediately removed when you wake up in the morning. The first thing the puppy needs to do is relieve himself, so your housebreaking training requires that you take him immediately from his crate and take him outside to go. Your puppy should also be allowed to relieve himself before placing him in the crate at night. This will allow him to comfortably sleep through the night without waking you and without soiling his bedding. The puppy should be fed on a regular schedule so that he relieves himself outside before going to bed.
Cost. Crates are available in all sorts of prices depending on the size of dog to be contained to the material used. Most crates for smaller dogs are plastic and can be found for between $30 and $55. Larger dogs tend to require the metal frame type crates, which are typically between $80 and $100.
Dog crate accessories. Some crates come with metal crate pans, and you may need crate pads to make the crate more comfortable. A soft blanket and cuddly chew toy will make the crate feel more like home for your puppy.
Dog crate location. The crate should be located somewhere near the family though in a place quiet enough for the puppy to get some rest. Some children keep their puppy’s crate in their own bedroom so the puppy and child sleep through the night together, then get up and out together.

If you take care in using the crate appropriately to teach your puppy or dog housebreaking, and keep your dog’s best interest at heart when crating, you will have a successfully housetrained dog who hasn’t done damage to your furniture.

Some other accessories to think about: dog crate pad, dog crate cover, metal floor grid, raised floor grids, base pans and divider panels.

Some dog crate manufacturers:, Wicker dog crate, Midwest dog crate, Cozy Crate wire dog crates, Gold Wire dog crates etc.

Next article: Painless Housebreaking With The Help Of A Dog Crate