A crate is a helpful training tool. A crate offers a safe place for your puppy, and keeps your carpet safe as well! Any time your eyes are not literally on the puppy, he or she should be in the crate. This helps cut down on chewing issues as well as potty ‘accidents’ around the house. Too much freedom for a puppy who isn’t fully trained causes many undesirable behaviors and habits to form.
A puppy must always be caught ‘in the act’ for the correction to make sense to the puppy. Since puppies learn by Immediate Association, you must see the start of the behavior in order to correct it. Correction ‘after the fact’ only confuses the puppy. Simply clap you hands and use an urgent, but not harsh, ‘No!’ and take your puppy to the appropriate potty location and give the ‘go potty’ command. Praise when the puppy goes potty.
The easiest way to stop the jumping is to give it a command, such as “Let’s Play”. Once you give the Play command, encourage your dog to jump on you. Once the dog is jumping, you will give a ‘stop playing’ command; “That’s Enough”. If the dog doesn’t immediately stop playing, you would give a correction using a correction collar as well as a harsh “NO!” Once the dog stops, you will give gentle praise and repeat the process over again, until the dog understands the ‘stop playing’ command.
The ONLY way to stop the barking in the crate is to ignore it! It can be very difficult to do, but it is necessary. Anything you say to the puppy; good or bad, the pup is getting the attention he/she is craving, in turn, making the behavior worse. Once you have complete quiet, let the puppy out of the crate. In time, your puppy will learn that quiet is what gets him/her out.
