Bringing Home New Puppy | Cratetraining  |  Grooming
Positive Reinforcement | Housetraining | First Night At Home | Tip of the Month

• A couple of hours before the puppy goes into his crate at night, you need to schedule quiet time.  The last thing you want to do is play with the puppy and rile him up before it's time to go in the crate. 
• Make sure he has pottied outside before placing him in the crate.
• The crate should be placed  in the bedroom for the first two weeks of sleeping through the night.  Then, you can relocate the crate to any location in the house with success.  Thee crate should be empty when you place the puppy inside.  This is done for many reasons including chewing and soiling.   The crate should become known as a "resting" place; not a play area.   If they have something to "potty" on, the dog will continue this pattern and not let you know when he needs to go outside.
• Take a article of clothing that has been worn that day (from any member of the family) and place over the front of the crate.  The puppy will feel your presence in the room and this provides a sense of security.
• Turn out the light as usual.
• Should the puppy start whining, you should say (in a firm voice), "No - Quiet!"  If this does not work, then tap the top of cage slightly, while repeating (in a harsher tone), "No - Quiet!"
• You may lose a little sleep that night and possibly the next, but you should NOT open the door for the puppy until morning. (I repeat: the puppy has successfully pottied just before this!).

As soon as the puppy whines after waking up, have your sweats, shoes and shirt ready to take the puppy outside.

Dress yourself quickly before you open the crate, carry the puppy to the potty area immediately, praise softly and gently for a job well done and bring him back in.

Two or three nights of this at the most and your puppy will be used to the routine. If you happen to sleep through the puppy whining and he is forced to potty in his crate because he can't hold it, don't blame or scold the puppy. It is your responsibility to get the puppy out BEFORE he has had a chance soil his den. Clean it up using a urine neutralizer (I use a light vinegar and water mix) and return to your routine.  The crate should not be too big for the pup, otherwise there will be enough room for the puppy to soil in it's crate and not think about it as soiling his sleeping area.