THE ADVANTAGES TO KENNEL TRAINING YOUR PUPPY
There are many advantages to kennel training your puppy.
For instance, housebreaking is accomplished much faster with a minimum of hassle for you and your puppy. Generally a puppy does not want to mess in the area in which he sleeps and eats. If you follow the general guidelines of housebreaking, your puppy should be housebroken within a week or less, with a minimum of cleanups for you. If you are a working pet owner, the job of housebreaking your puppy is more difficult, but not impossible. It will take longer to accomplish housebreaking your pup because essentially you will have to wait until the puppy gets a little older and can hold his bladder and bowels for extended periods of time. However, the advantage to the kennel in this situation is the fact that all you have to clean up upon returning home is the kennel pan instead of the entire kitchen floor. Also, your furnishings, woodwork and belongings are still in one piece! The kennel provides a safe, secure area for your puppy, away from household hazards and prohibits the puppy from destroying woodwork, wallboard, furniture, etc. You can return home relaxed, knowing your puppy is safe and so are your possessions. The advantages of the kennel trained dog are many, as you will experience as time goes by.
When training a new puppy to “kennel”, you may want to line the bottom of the kennel pan with newspapers until he is housebroken. However, do provide a large towel or small blanket that you can place in one corner of the kennel for the puppy to use as a bedding area. If puppy shreds the towel or blanket, remove it until he accepts the idea that chewing his bedding is unacceptable. To prevent boredom, provide the puppy with a chew rope or other sturdy toy in his pen. This should help to prevent the chewing and shredding of his bedding. If you are only gone for short periods of time there is no reason to leave food and water bowls in your puppy’s cage. If you will be gone more than 8 hours during the day you will need to keep water in the crate. Fasten the bowl to the side of the cage or use a non-spill bowl to prevent messes. It is best to not feed your puppy in it’s crate, as they usually have a bowel movement after eating. Meals should be fed only when you are home and can take your pup outside afterwards. Find a location in your home where the kennel is out of the way yet not totally secluded from household activities. Never use the kennel as punishment. Do not banish the puppy to the kennel for improper behavior. The kennel should always be associated with happy, comfortable, secure feelings for the puppy. Once you put the puppy in the kennel, do not take him out if he starts to whine and cry. If you are sure that he doesn’t have to go outside, allow him to have his tantrum. Eventually, he will lie down and sleep. Once you start to take the puppy out of the kennel because of his insistence, he will insist louder and longer each time. As your puppy grows older, you will notice that the kennel becomes his private retreat, a place to sleep, relax or eat his meals in a place that he actually likes to be.
When purchasing a kennel for your puppy, determine the puppy’s height and weight when full grown, then purchase the size kennel that will provide your dog with the most comfortable amount of space, yet not oversized. Kennels are available through catalogs, most pet stores, retail stores, and can sometimes be rented from your local humane society. Renting is a good option if your pup will have free run of the house once he is grown.
