How big should the crate be when crate training?
I bought a collapsible crate from petco for our new jack russle puppy. I bought it big enough so it will fit him comfortably as an adult dog as well. Was that a mistake? I ask because I was told in order to potty train a puppy using the crate training method the crate needs to be just big enough for them to lay down in. Is that true?
Any potty training tips because I don’t really want to buy a smaller crate at this point.
Thanks you guys! It’s our first dog and it was seriously ticking me off he kept going potty in his crate 
I’ll block off half of it… The answer was so simple I feel like a retard.
OMG (laughing at myself) The extra wire thingy! (slaps my forehead) it was the DIVIDER! hahaha
Filed under: Puppy Training
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The crate should be big enough for him to stand up and lay down. They should not have room to really stretch out or to walk around. If they can poo in one corner and lay down in another IT’S TOO BIG. Once the pup had learned, he can be moved up to a crate that is twice his size.
Make sure it is a wire crate with tons of ventelation. You can make your dog sick if he gets to hot. (upset tummy)
**my pup learned NO in less than 10 minutes***
Best way to teach a dog NO is to put a handful food on the ground in between you and the pup. When he goes for the food, cover it with you hand and say NO. When he leaves it alone, give him ONE pellet of the food from A DIFFERENT place. Don’t give it to him from the pile. That teaches him it was ok to eat from that pile.
Never spend too long on one lesson. They get REALLY bored really quick. 10 mins at most. Come back to it in an hour if you have to.
Never repremand for them not learning or getting something wrong. They have to have a BIG learning curve!
Shoving your dogs face in the poo they left on your floor will only get you vet bills from your dogs nose getting infected.
When they are in trouble… yelling is enough. They understand when you are over them screaming at them. Don’t make it worse by hitting them.
END ON A GOOD NOTE!! If after a couple good tries stop and play with them. They will not listen once they get bored.
LOVE THEM!!!
Put something else in the crate to take up some of the room. The idea is to have the crate be big enough for the dog, but not so large that the dog can poop or pee and then get away from it.
Yes, it is true. For potty training it should be big enough for them to turn around in.
But, don’t worry! Just slide a piece of plastic of some sort, in between the bars (I am sure you will figure out the way) That way, you can adjust it as the puppy grows and gets bigger.
Well, Good Luck!
Just block off the crate. You only want it big enough for him to stand up and turn around, and lay down comfertably. If he can go potty in one corner then lay in another, he will. You can’t let him have that option. just block the crate off with something. go to a lumber store and have them cut you a piece of wood that will fit in the crate standing up. As he grows bigger slide it over more and more. Thats what we did with our shepherd.
The crate should be big enough so that ur jack russel doesnt want to pee in it at night
that crate will be fine. just take him out more because he will be tempted to use it. try a potty break every hour if possible. remove the water when you won’t be able to take him out for a long time, but not for longer than 4 hours or so. give lots of praise when they go potty outside.
Big enough to turn around and lye down in but not too big where they can potty in one corner and sleep in another. Take him out right before and after crating him.
Reduce the area inside the crate. I assume the crate did not come with a divider?? You can buy one, or find something else to put in the crate to make it smaller inside and giving him less room to move around and get away from the urine. You do not need to go and buy a second crate. Use your imagination. You’ll figure it out and see what works with your dog, something he can not chew up, preferably
yes, that’s true, you only want it to be as big as she is now. you should’ve bought a crate with a divider so that you can move it to a bigger size as she grows. you might can still use the one you bought, it just may take a little longer to crate train her.
Did the crate come with a divider? The crate needs to be big enough so that he can stand up and turn around, but no larger. The divider allows you to buy a large crate, and you move the divider as the puppy grows.
The key to good housetraining is consistency. Get your dog on a schedule. He needs to go out first thing in the morning, the last thing at night, as well as after each meal. The crate is a great housetraining tool. A dog will not eliminate where he sleeps, so make the crate like his "home." As long as he’s in there, he won’t eliminate, which is why you don’t want the crate to be too big.
that was perfect. just get a devider so that the space, for now, is not too large. he should be able to stand and turn around but not much more or he’ll have room to do his business in the crate.
remember to take him out within 15 minutes of every meal and to stay out until he does his business, preferably a 1/2 walk, which is great for bonding, too.
then make sure he gets out every few hours, 1 hour plus 1 for every month of age: 3 months = every 4 hours, 4 months = 5 hours, etc. and that means through the night. so consider moving his crate in your room at night so you can hear when he gets restless.
You do not want the crate big enough for your pup to do his dirty dozens and be able to get away from it. It should be just big enough for him to stand up and turn around. When you take him out to potty, if he does not, then put him back in the crate, wait about 15 minutes and try again. Keep doing this until he goes and then reward him.
Good luck with the training.
Yes, it is true. You need a crate big enough for the dog to be able to stand up and turn around, but not much bigger than that. The crate I bought came with an attachment we could use to block off a part of the crate in case it was too big. Maybe you should return this one and get one with this extra piece. That way you don’t need to buy a larger one later and the puppy will benefit from the crate training while it is small.
If you use a crate that it’s too big the dog has the option of peeing/pooping in one corner and sleeping far away from it. That will be a big setback to your potty training. Dogs will try very hard to not soil their "bed" but that is only limited to the immediate space beneath them, not the surroundings.
As for other tips, remember to feed on a strict schedule every day at the same time. If this is a young puppy, it needs to be taken out for a walk every 2 hours during daytime and as needed at night. Keep him confined or under direct supervision unless you are both outside. Praise him and treat when you see him pee and poop outside. If there are accidents, never punish the dog. If you catch him in the act of squatting, make a noise such as clapping your hands or saying "AH-AH!" and take him outside immediately. If he goes potty then, praise and treat as usual.
Be patient and consistent. The schedule needs to be followed to a "T." Every accident the dog has inside the house (or in the crate) increases the likelihood of another one exponentially. Be vigilant. If you need more information, read this article at the Humane Society’s website: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/housetraining.html
l was given my crate by my sister, l was told it was too big for my English Bull Terrier pup because he could walk around in it, but l’ve not had any problem with crate training him.
He’s never done anything in it, l take him straight out when he wakes up and also take him out before he goes in the crate. He was toilet trained by the time he was 4 months old.
l’d stick with the crate you’ve got, see how he gets on with it.
First of all, are you potty traing for indoors or outdoors? The method is basically the same, but for indoor, you might want to buy a product called "Piddle Pads", they make clean up a lot easier. If you use news paper, remember your dog can’t tell the difference between his piddle paper and your Sunday paper you haven’t read yet.
About 15 to 30 minutes after your dog eats or drinks, he/she will want to relieve themselves, be prepared to keep an eye on them. Sniffing in corners or getting out of sight is an indicator they are looking for a potty spot. If there is an accident, pick it up or blot it up with a paper towel and take it to the place you want the dog to go, set it down and let them sniff it and give a command, i.e. "wet!" If they do wet at the correct place plenty of praise is in order.
Remember no food, water and treats at least 2 hours before bed time. That way there will be less chance of an accident in the kennel and the dog won’t try and wake you from a sleep to take it outside. Good luck and remember, Jack Russels are FULL of energy and play, hope your ready for a LOT of activity.