Crate Training Your New Puppy

Your puppy just came from a warm, safe whelping box. From the moment of birth our puppies sleep only on fleece blankets for extra warmth  (that are changed 4-5, sometimes even 6 times a day) and are under a raised heat lamp continuously for 24/7 & for the whole time they live with us (7-8 weeks.) A soft stuffed animal made specifically for puppies, will give the pup a little company while he is in the crate. We have enclosed a small piece the fleece blanket for your puppy. This is one of the best toys we found to keep the little ones busy. They love to drag it, sleep on it, and roll on it. This is the original blanket in which the litter has been sleeping on. All of his littermates and Mom’s scents are on them. Even though the blankets are washed every day, labs don’t lose that sense of smell. We thought by you putting it in their crate at night and making it their “blanket” they might not miss everyone so much and might feel more secure in their new home. This is the first time he is alone. We use to put the crate on the nightstand next to  our bed and put on a small light. If the pup started to cry we would stay in bed but let him see us as we talked to him.  He would soon drift off back to sleep. The puppy will miss his littermates the first few nights and will probably cry and howl.  This should only last a few nights. Another thing we have done is to” name the crate”! We call it “Bed”.

 Make sure you have a warm safe place for your puppy to rest. A crate is an excellent place for your puppy as he can use it for a bed and it can provide a place that your puppy can feel is his own safe little haven. You should also put the puppy in his crate when you go out and he is home by himself so you don’t have to worry about what she/he might get into before you return home.  Puppies are like babies. They will eat wires; lick sockets and can easily choke on small things that might have gotten missed by the broom or vacuum.  A crate is an excellent way to begin house training your puppy, as they don’t like to go to the bathroom where they sleep. The first few times that your new puppy is placed in his crate they may do some whining, whimpering, barking and cause a lot of commotion. We stress the fact that you let them carry on until they become quite and sometimes go to sleep. Once they have calmed down you can take them out, unless they have gone to sleep. If they have gone to sleep just let them sleep. Over a short period of time your puppy will see the crate as his domain within your house. All this is part of his learning procedure and usually only takes a few days.

Do not use the crate for punishment; you want the puppy to look at his crate as a secure, safe place he can rest in. In a short period of time your new puppy will go in and out of his crate by himself. The crate has now become his and is a safe haven to go to.