Introduction to crate training

Crate training is necessary for safety, damage prevention, housetraining and traveling. When you can't keep your puppy with you, they should be confined to a safe area, such as a dog crate. The crate should be big enough for your puppy to comfortably stand up and turn around when it reaches adult size. Most crates come with dividers to make the crate smaller while it grows, utilize this feature. Crate training can be a huge asset to potty training your new puppy! With having enough room to stand up, turn around and lay back down without the extra space, your puppy will learn to hold its bladder in small increments as they do not want to sleep in their urine or feces. That is where the divider comes handy.

A few good ways to introduce the crate include feeding meals in the crate, putting your puppy in the crate in small increments while you are doing things like cleaning, and tossing a few treats into the crate to entice your puppy to go in on their own with reward. If your puppy is hesitant at first, it's okay; don’t force them. If possible, keep your puppies crate in an area where a lot of time is spent. This way your puppy has more opportunities to enter the crate on their own to explore it.

• If your puppy cries or barks while confined, try to ignore him. Releasing your puppy or giving him any type of attention will reinforce the behavior.

• You need to make your puppy stop barking before you let him out of the confinement area. You can try blowing on a whistle or making an unusual noise. This will cause your puppy to be quiet as he tries to decipher the sound. You can then quickly go into the room and release your puppy while he is quiet.

• Most importantly, the confinement area should be a safe haven for your puppy, so never scold or handle your puppy roughly as you put him inside.

All of our puppies come from local NY state registered breeders. They go home with their 1st set of shots, 1st round of de-worming, are microchipped, and vet checked. They go home enrolled on a 30-day pet insurance plan, and we also provide a 6-month congenital health warranty which covers up to the price of the puppy. We also offer 3 different forms of financing.