It is rare for a puppy to do its business in the crate, at the right age, or put in a crate of the right size. However, if you notice that your pup is doing so, it could be that:
- Your buddy is too young to have control of his bowel or bladder
- You are giving your pup a wealthy or poor diet, or large meals
- You forgot to make it to the toilet before crating
- Your pup may have worms, loose or gaseous stools, drank copious amounts of water, is suffering an illness, or experiencing severe separation anxiety.
When NEVER to Use a Crate
- Never crate your puppy longer than it can hold its bowel or bladder. If you leave your pup for too long, it will potty inside the crate, which can hurt your training.
- Never crate your puppy if it has a history of relief in a crate. Some pups, adopted and rescued, in particular, have picked up bad toilet habits in their former life. You will need to teach your puppy not to eliminate in the home before crating.
- Never crate your pup if it is ill. Remember that you must associate the crate with its den.
Is Crate Training for You?
Crate training is recommended and suitable for anyone. But it’s important to have a backup plan when you can’t be at home.
Even if you have full-time to supervise your new buddy, you will need to use, to a degree, additional training techniques. You can use a mix of crating and constant supervision when you are at home as much as you possibly can
When you are not at home, incorporating the crate and paper training, you can confine your puppy to an area of the house, such as the kitchen.
Place your pup’s crate at one end of the kitchen and papers on the other end for a toilet. Seal the kitchen.
In rare circumstances, some puppies, mainly rescued and adopted ones have a phobia with crates. You should choose a different training method.