FuryRising wrote on Jul 5
th, 2007 at 8:31pm:
How can you kennel train a dog... who does exactly what they are NOT supposed to do in their kennel?! (IE, potty) I don't get it.....
Most likely you are using a crate that is too big. There should JUST be enough room for her to turn around and lie down in. If the crate is too big, you can use something to block off the excess space until she grows to fit. The reason for using a smaller space is that dogs , like people, do not really like sleeping in there excrement, and thus they are discouraged from having accidents in the crate while they are being crate trained by only having enough room to sleep in, and not enough room to use a corner or side as a potty. Later on, you can give her more room, after she "gets" the potty thing. Also, in animals less than a year old, or those who were feral or rescued, you have to be diligent about letting them out often enough. Most dogs need to go out ten to thirty minutes after they consume anything. They will usually become accustomed to a schedule fairly quickly IF YOU ARE CONSISTENT, and then the periods can become longer between outings. Just like babies, they are learning to control muscles that they never knew were there, and they don't have good control over. It takes some time. Another thing that helps is to always praise your pup when they do their business where you wanted them to--namely, outside. If they do make a mistake, you have to catch them right away or they won't associate your unpleasantness with their elimination accident. Later on, like a year or so down the road, they may make the association between yelling human and excrement inside the house, but for now, if you don't catch them within ten seconds or so of the act, they will only be confused and a bit nervous, since they don't remember the offense as having happened/being bad.
My personal opinion is that puppy pads put down for accidents are just confusing, as they are impregnated with an odor that smells like excrement to them, but is nearly odorless to us. In other words, we get upset if they go in the house, but leave this scent around that says "go here" loud and clear. Plain newspaper on a flattened trash bag in front of the door works just fine, and doesn't carry mixed messages, if you feel the need to use a pad of some sort. Crate training consistency should eliminate the need for such though, unless you go out of town and someone comes in to walk them occasionally.
To a dog, a crate is their own personal "den" and should be kept as such. In other words, a crate isn't "jail" for a naughty pet, it's their retreat from humans and sensory overload. They should not eat or drink in a crate, nor should they be "locked in" when the humans are around to interact. That just makes a fearful and nervous pet who can be unpredictable. Certainly, the dog should be closed in when you leave, but not all day....until and unless you have had time to complete crate and potty training, so they know they aren't being abandoned or punished. The crate should be home, not prison.
OK, I probably sounded a bit pompous. Sorry. There is a real system and theory behind crate training a dog, and it is to accord with the dog's natural instincts and way of life in the wild. Basically, a pet dog must be the beta animal in the pack, which consists of your human family members, and then the animal ones. A pet who is raised to believe they are the alpha animal in their pack will be a problem to live with, and on occasion, be dangerous to strangers and family alike. This is most clearly seen in how the stereotypical chihuahua or toy poodle acts...demanding, jealous, sneaky, spiteful, and annoying...in some cases actually attacking not only strangers to the home, but their owners as well when they do not get "first dibs" at what they want.
So I'm not trying to be a jerk, I really am trying to help you with the issue and let you know a bit about the why and why not of it.
Best of luck! Raising a pup is like raising a child--at high speed and with extreme watchfulness!
Black Rose