Crates For Dogs 3 Benefits Of Crates For Puppy Training

When you bring your new puppy home, it is important that she (or he forgive me but I have always owned lady dogs) has somewhere that she can call her own space. A place your puppy can retreat to when it wants to be alone or just rest.
If the intention is that your dog is going to live in the house with you then the concept of an indoor dog kennel has many benefits.
In recent years dog baskets have been replaced with indoor kennels or indoor dog crates as they are usually known. Crates for dogs definitely have benefits over baskets and we are going to look at just three of them.
I have come across people who have kept dogs for many years and always used a basket but now they are tending to adopt an indoor dog kennel as the right way to go.
Lets look at some of the benefits of dog crates.

Ensuring Your Home Is Protected

With a young puppy a crate provides a place where they can be contained. This is important if you are going to be away from your home for a few hours and equally important at night when the house is asleep and perhaps your puppy is awake.
It is common problem with puppies that they want to chew things and if you are going to have your puppy indoors then the last thing that you want is for your new friend to destroy your home.
It is much better that she can be left secure in her crate, perhaps with a toy bone. Then, if your puppy does have the inclination to chew then that will give them something to chew on. A bone or an item that specifically belongs to your puppy is better than allowing her to return to her indoor kennel with something that belongs to another member of the family like a slipper.
Also the chewing aspect should be considered when choosing from the wide range of materials that are used to manufacture crates for dogs. Choose a crate that is made from a durable material as this will ensure that if your puppy does decide to chew its new home then the damage will be minimal and the right material will also serve to discourage them from persisting with the habit.

Toilet Training

Crates for dogs can be very useful when it comes to toilet training your puppy. Dogs will rarely eliminate in their own living area so the use of a crate will help to toilet train them. If your puppy is of a large breed type you may want to buy a crate that is going to last them a long while from puppy to adult - in this case it will help if the crate can grow with them.
For that reason it is recommended that you pick a crate that has a partition that can be moved to give more living space as your puppy grows. The most important reason for either getting the right size crate for your dog or one where the space can be controlled is that a small puppy in a big crate will find an area to eliminate away from where it sleeps so size is essential if it is going to help with toilet training.
What ever the size of crate you purchase, at the very early stages your puppy will need to be let out of its crate at least every four hours and taken to an area where it can eliminate possibly the garden
Toilet training can also be helped if you avoid feeding your dog in the crate. Although it is recommended not to introduce food to the crate space it is essential to ensure that there is an adequate supply of water available to your dog at all times.

Restrict Your Puppies Exercise

It is important that puppies and young dogs are not over-exercised. Even if a puppy appears to be full of energy it is very important that it is not too active. Their young bones and muscles are developing at this stage and too much exercise can result in permanent damage. It becomes your responsibility to protect your young dog from harm.
Any over-activity at this early stage can result in health problems for your dog later in life. Your puppy must be protected from harm and this is where the crates for dogs serve as a good strategy for controlling your dog and balancing their exercise and resting time.
Once the regular exercise routine is complete then is the time to shut your puppy in its kennel as a signal that now is the time to rest and recover.