Bajan Pomeranians
Creating A Safe Haven
For many reasons,
having a crate
set up in a permanant spot in your home is essential for your dog. It is no more cruel to crate train a dog than it is to have a bedroom for our children. As toddlers, our kids want to sleep with us and try all sorts of antics to do so. For their sakes (and our sanity) we make them sleep in their rooms and in their beds. The same is true for your new puppy. Eventually, our kids consider their bedroom a private place, a space all their own. Your dog needs that private place also. It will be where she sleeps, hides her toys, and knows all is right with the world. It's a good idea for it to be placed in your bedroom or in another room she can always get to but also offers a sense of privacy. The living room is usually not a good spot.
Crate Training-
Begin introducing your puppy to her crate by placing a treat or toy inside the crate. It become self rewarding for her to enter the crate. Praise her when she does enter but do not shut the door. Do this several times throughout the day and occasionally shutting the door for a minute or two, and gradually increasing the time. When she has played herself out, coax her back to the crate and gently comfort her there. By the time she is ready for bed... she should already be getting comfortable with the enviroment of the crate. She will still not be happy when you shut the door and walk away but you do need to do that. Have a bed in the crate along with something familiar. If it's her first few nights, she ought to have a toy, blanket or other familar object that came with her from the breeder so she can have the comfort of smelling her mother and littermates during this transition. After that, something with your smell on it will give her comfort. Keep in mind that a 12 week old puppy can not be expected to stay in a crate for more than 4 hours without needing to releave herself. Be dilligent about letting her out and rewarding her and those night time interuptions will eventually end with a well trained puppy content in her bed. As she grows older and has learned bounderies and gained bladder control, you will be able to tell her to go to bed and just leave the door open. You will find her taking naps in her crate in the day. She will hide her favorite toys there. It will become her sanctuary.