Crate training your dog may ease your travel worries
Crate training your dog can be a positive experience for both you and your pet. Crate training puppies is advantageous as it provides den-like enclosure, encourages housebreaking (as dogs naturally avoid soiling their sleeping areas), keeps dogs away from potentially dangerous objects, serves as a mobile indoor dog house, prevents destructive behavior, and reduces separation anxiety. Many puppies grow to use their crates to relax or hang out. Crates are relatively small and thus provide a shelter that is not only easy to move but also easy to keep out of the way.

Customization of Dog Crates

Once you choose a dog crate there are several ways to customize it to fit your needs and the needs of your puppy. First you can provide a variety of treats and toys within the crate. Placing favorite objects at the back of the crate encourages your puppy to enter and become comfortable with a new crate. Ensure that toys and balls are inedible and t oo large to be swallowed. You can install water dispensers as used in hamster cages. This method is important if the dog will be spending two or more hours in the cage at a time. Finally you can lay a towel or blanket inside the crate to create warm and comfortable bedding. Remove the towel if th e puppy bites on it (to prevent choking) or urinates on it. Replace the towel when the puppy ceases urinating within the crate. Keep in mind that some puppies prefer to lie on hard surfaces and may push the bedding to the side of the crate. There are several options to keep in mind when it comes to crate training puppy.

How to Successfully Introduce your Puppy to the Crate

The following strategies will make puppy crate training an easier and less stressful one:

• Drop treats or feed your dog inside the crate. The dog will develop a positive association with the crate through favorite food. If your puppy hesitates, then gradually move the food (i.e., from outside the crate, to the door inside, and t hen to the back) to ease anxieties.
• Provide your puppy with plenty of verbal praise and positive reinforcement for entering the crate. Do not attempt to force your dog into the crate as it will likely cause your dog to develop a negative association with the crate. Only force when your d og needs to sleep in the crate at night. Placing the crate by your bed or nearby will help your puppy feel more comfortable in this situation.
• Begin to crate your puppy when you are at home and if possible when you are in the same room. Gradually move away from the crate so that your dog can adjust without your presence.
• Do not introduce your puppy to crating at a young age. Puppies under 4 months have little control over urination and defecation. Puppies younger than 9 months need to excrete on an average of eight to twelve times per day.

Purchasing Crates

You can buy puppy crates from most pet supply outlets, professional breeders and pet mail order catalogs. Sizes of cages used to crate train your dog include small, medium small, medium, large, very large, and extra large. These sizes are designed to accommodate dogs weighing six pounds (e.g., poodles, Maltese) to one-hundred and ten pounds (e.g., Great Danes, Newfoundlands). Popular manufacturers include General Cage , Vari-Kennel, and Mid-West. Crates typically cost between $35 and $150 depending on size and manufacturer. Thus crate training a puppy can be relatively inexpensive if you shop wisely.

Important Reminders for Dog Crate Training

• Do not leave your puppy in a crate when the weather becomes uncomfortable. Dogs with thick coats are especially vulnerable to summer heat. Provide your puppy with cold water especially when temperatures rise to significantly high levels.
• Follow two guidelines to discourage excretion while crate training your puppy. First allow your puppy to excrete prior to crating. Second be sure that the crate is small enough so that your dog does not find space to excrete inside. If your dog continues to excrete inside the crate, it may be that the pet has an unstable diet, or worms or is too young for crating or it may pass gaseous or loose stools or suffer from an illness or experiences separation anxiety or has already become accustomed to excreting in small areas.
• Neither puppies nor dogs should be left in a crate for more than five to six hours at a time. The exception to this rule is at nighttime.

Crate training puppies takes patience and a willingness to follow a few important guidelines. If you keep your dogs' natural instincts and past experiences in mind, then crate training your dog will be positive.