One of the most accepted and by far one of the most successful methods of house training puppies is to use a crate. The theory behind this is simple: a mother dog keeps the bed area clean. Puppies from the time they are born are licked and cleaned by the mother and any urine or feces is immediately cleaned from the bed area. It is an instinctive behavior on the part of the dam to prevent predators from smelling the babies. It is also instinctive on the part of the babies, and it is not uncommon to see, in a large enough whelping are, tiny puppies whose eyes are not even open yet, crawling to the farthest side of the whelping area to defecate and urinate. And of course mamma dog immediately cleans it up. So..a dog instinctively does not want to "dirty" his bed area.

Crates, used correctly, are the bed area for the dog. The "den", so to speak. Owners who wish to have a puppy that is easy to housebreak would do well to investigate how the puppy they are purchasing is brought up. A responsible breeder will make sure that the puppies are brought up in a large roomy whelping box and that they are also keeping the whelping area clean along with momma dog!

Crates are an extremely valuable "tool" for training many other things. For example, it is real easy to teach a great "wait" comman" to teach the dog not to "bolt" from the front door or any other place, for that matter. Just put the dog into the crate. When you start to let the dog out, be prepared. As soon as he begins to come out, shut the door firmly right on his face and say "wait!" in a commanding tone. Do this once or twice and all you will have to do is say "wait!" just before you open the door. The dog will back up and wait. Until you reach in and put on his leash! Transfer that command to other places, other times. It is a very quick lesson to teach.

More about crate training can be learned by clicking on the links in the dog training links in this lenz.

Dog "families" are packs. They always have a dominant member who is the boss of the other dogs. A puppy needs to be in a pack, and when he enters into your home, your family becomes his "pack".

If there is no dominant member, the puppy usually assumes the role Mother dogs discipline their puppies when they don't like their behavior. the most common form of discipline is the warning growl and placing the puppy into a submissive position. Body language is important...putting the superior dog above the submissive dog is foremost. Head over the top, sometimes even teeth on the back of the neck..is usually sufficient, since puppies are programmed by mother nature to be submissive to dominant dogs for their own protection. You need to start your ownership of your new puppy by being the dominant "dog" in your puppy's life.

Yes, you CAN issue a "warning growl" to your puppy when he misbehaves, just use a lower tone of voice and a clear sharp command that reinforces that you are not happy with your puppy's behavior. It is best to be consistent with this command. You can say "NO" or "Knock it off" or whatever you want,...but remember to "growl" when you say it.

The other part of discipline is the physical subordination of your puppy to YOU. Grasp the back of the neck on the puppy firmly, you don't even have to shake him, just be the "teeth" with your hands. If the puppy yelps, don't worry, this is probably the reaction you want...he should understand that what he did was WRONG.

Understand that this discipline is for things such as puppy biting, chewing, etc. Potty trainiing is a whole different issue. Excellent resources for housebreaking your puppy can be found in the link lists in this lenz.