On my blog I share info that I hope will help our puppy families and people who find my page to save them time and money!
As we all know having the right tools will make any tough job easier so, I've shared all the puppy products that I've use and that help me on our puppy supplies page!
I recommend Books and videos to guide you through socialization, potty training, and life skills while making the process fun.
Puppy Care
Blog Posts
McCann Dogs - Puppy Crate Training Video!
Dog Gone Smart - Dirty Dog Doormats
- One of my absolute must-have puppy products!
- Microfiber rugs dry five times faster than regular doormats, making them perfect for active dogs.
- Effectively removing mud, dirt, hair, and grass from paws.
- Built to last, these rugs feature double basting and even stitching for exceptional durability.
Available Sizes:
These rugs are listed on Amazon under the "Soggy Doggy Rug" and "Dog Gone Smart" brand names. I've purchased both and have not noticed a difference.
Crate Training Tips!
How to Crate Train Your Puppy
Do your Puppy a Favor and Crate Train Your Puppy!
Crate training is a great way to give your puppy a safe, cozy space to relax, and when done correctly, it’s a key tool for house training and reducing anxiety.
The whole point of using a crate for potty training is that a
dogs natural instinct is to keep themselves clean and not to go to the bathroom where they sleep.
Create Positive Associations
Make the crate a welcoming place by lining it with a soft blanket, adding a few toys, and keeping the door open so your puppy can explore at their own pace. As they become more comfortable, encourage them to go
inside by tossing treats or feeding meals in the crate. This will help them associate the crate with positive experiences.
Introduce Gradually
Start by closing the crate door for short periods while you're nearby. Slowly increase the time, making sure your puppy stays calm. Never use the crate as punishment! It should be a safe, comforting space where
your puppy feels secure, not scared.
Incorporate into Daily Routines
Crate your puppy when you’re busy, like preparing meals or working, to help them get used to it. However, puppies, especially younger ones, shouldn’t be crated for long periods. Make sure to give them plenty of
playtime and bathroom breaks outside the crate to avoid boredom or anxiety.
Timing is Key
Puppies should never stay crated for too long. A general rule of thumb is that a puppy can hold its bladder for an amount of hours equal to its age in months plus one. So, for example, a 3-month-old puppy can stay
crated for about 4 hours.
What is an x-Pen?
An exercise pen, or playpen, is a portable enclosure that provides puppies with a safe, contained space especially useful for families who still need to work and won't be able to let their puppy out of a crate frequently enough during the day (every 2-3 hours during the day and every 6-7 hours at night).
Connecting the crate to the pen or simply placing a crate inside an x-pen, encourages your puppy to use their crate during the day, making the crate more familiar and easier to to use alone at night and recommend you continue to crate train your puppy at night without the x-pen.
Exercise Pen and Crate
During the potty training stage, you can use both a crate and an x-pen together or separately.
The crate works best for sleeping and quiet moments at night, while the x-pen is perfect for daytime use, playtime, or providing a safe space when you can’t supervise your puppy, like when you’re at work or away from the house.
You can add a potty spot with a grass patch or a washable pad to the x-pen setup and put a tarp under your pen to avoid messing up your floors.
Puppy Enclosure Setup
To set up a puppy pen, choose a quiet, easily cleanable area in your home, place a secure exercise pen with crate attached or in the pen and equip it with all the essential items like a fresh water, food bowls, and a few safe chew toys, ensuring the pen is secured against a wall or anchored to prevent escape; regularly monitor your puppy while in the pen.
- The Midwest Crates easily connects to the Midwest X-Pens (see example) or you can just put the crate in the pen.
Buying a Crate
- I recommend the Midwest iCrates or the Midwest Life Stages Crates.
- A larger crate can work from puppyhood to adulthood by using the included wire divider to adjust the space during the crate training process.
- Ensuring your puppy has the right amount of room—no more, no less! Just enough space to lay down stand up and turn around.
Recommended size for our Mini/Moyen sized puppies:
Midwest iCrates Size: Med: 30-in L x 19-in W x 21-in H
Setting Up the Crate
Crate Location: Place the crate in a calm, quiet area, preferably near you.
Toys & Chews: Add safe toys or chew items to keep your puppy occupied.
What About Beds? Avoid using a bed initially since puppies often will pee on absorbent materials. Once your puppy is going potty outside consistently, then you can introduce a comfortable bed.
Covering the Crate: Drape a blanket over the top and sides to reduce external stimulation.
Positive Introduction: Start by placing your puppy in the crate during the day with the door open. Sit nearby, pet, and soothe them to help them associate the crate with calm, positive experiences.
Crate Introduction in 3 Easy/Slower Steps
Step 1: Start with Crate Familiarization
- Put the crate on your bed or the floor and put your puppy in the crate.
- Lay next to the crate (with the door open), position your body to gently block the entrance, and put your arm inside the crate with your puppy.
- Speak to your puppy in a calm, soothing tone and softly pet them and try to get them to relax with you.
- You can give them a chew stick to help distract them but it's important to remember that this is not playtime, the goal is to calm them down, not to get them excited.
- The goal is to create a relaxed, positive environment around their crate.
Step 2: Close the Door Gradually
- Once your puppy is comfortable, gently close the crate door while staying nearby.
- Continue offering reassurance through your presence and voice to help them associate the crate with security and calmness.
Step 3: Increase Distance and Close the Room Door
- When your puppy seems relaxed or better yet, asleep, with the door open, you can begin moving a short distance away from the crate.
- Eventually, close the room door to help them adjust to being alone in the crate.
- Be patient, as this transition may take a few attempts. A bit of whining is normal, but avoid reinforcing frantic behavior.
This is a gradual process that will help your puppy feel more safe and comfortable in their crate, fostering independence over time.
What to do with a Frantic Puppy in the Crate?
There’s a huge difference between a “frantic puppy” and “normal crying and complaining puppy”. Never let your puppy get totally frantic in their crate.
Frantic puppy behavior can actually sound more like screaming, while they desperately try to escape, or potentially hurt themselves by trying to bite and scratch at the crate.
Light scratching at the door is pretty normal the first few times locked in a crate, but if your puppy is frantically pawing at the crate, you’ll notice the difference.
Wait for a moment of quiet before opening the crate door, this is a very good time to take them outside for a quick potty break and try again when they've calmed down.
Frantic behavior happenS for a few reasons:
- First-time crate experience: If you just stuck them in the crate and shut the door without easing them into it, you may have moved too fast. Slow down and start over.
- Too much freedom too soon: If you’ve allowed your puppy full access to the house, let them sleep in your bed, and then suddenly tried putting them in a cage, it’s no surprise they’re gonna be upset. This “spoiled puppy” behavior can feel like a tantrum, as they’re already used to having full freedom.
- Your puppy is overstimulated which can happen when your dog is overwhelmed and can't cope with certain triggers in their environment.
In either case, the answer is still the same:
- You'll probably need to start over and re-introduce them to their crate much slower.
Take your time introducing your puppy to their crate. The introduction process may take a day or so, so remember to be patient. It's best to do this training during the day when you don't need sleep.
A puppy crying in their crate can be one of the saddest sounding and most challenging parts of crate training a new puppy. Some puppies may struggle with crate training and it might take them a little longer, but in my experience, I’ve never had a puppy who didn’t eventually come to enjoy having a safe space to relax and sleep in their crate.
Patience and consistency are Key and Will make all the difference!
Tone of Voice and Body Language:
Be mindful of your tone of voice and your body language when training your puppy. Dogs recognize and respond to our voice patterns. They'll associate your vocal cues, tone of voice, and speech patterns with your different emotions and use this information to better understand and interact with us.
Cheerful tones show approval and playfulness, while disappointed tones convey disapproval. Soft and reassuring tones express affection, while firm tones get a dog's attention. The caution tone is used in emergencies to stop a dog in its tracks.
Dogs distinguish words and tone much like humans do!
You Dog learns to recognize your voice above all others, as shown during Functional MRI brain scans. Parts of their brain will light up when they hear their owners voice more than it will with a strangers voice. It comforts them to hear your voice, and you can even try singing or speaking directly to them in a higher pitched and cheerful tone to relax your puppy when they are feeling stressed.
Our four-legged friends have a little patch of their brain devoted to deciphering emotions in human and dog voices, scientists reported in the journal Current Biology.
If you’re acting anxious or frantic, your puppy will pick up on this and may become even more stressed.
Puppies often look to us to gauge their environment. If you’re acting unusually nervous or worried, then they’ll assume there must be something to be anxious or nervous about, and they'll mirror your energy.
Take a deep breath. It’s most likely not as serious as it seems. Remember, your puppy is not hurt—they’re more then likely being loud and dramatic because it's worked in the past.
More Potty Training Tips
Establish a routine for your puppy, as they need frequent bathroom breaks, especially after eating, drinking, playing, and napping.A consistent feeding/eating and sleeping schedule is VERY important. Do not "free feed" your puppy! A puppy who can freely eat all day, will poop all day. Put them on a timed feeding schedule so that you can better gauge when they should need to go or about 30 min after they eat. Most puppies need to eat puppy food 3 times a day. Make it easier to remember by planning their mealtimes around your own breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Take your puppy outside on a leash to the same spot each time. Use the same que word like "Go Potty" every time and when they go potty in the right place, praise them and offer them a treat.
Keep an eye on your puppy while they’re indoors, watching for the signs they need to "go" like sniffing or circling and when you do, quickly pick them up and take them outside to their potty spot. Handle accidents calmly. If accidents happen and they will, clean them up promptly with an enzymatic cleaner to remove any odors and prevent your puppy from eliminating in the same spot again.
Avoid harsh punishment, as your puppy will not associate the punishment with their earlier behavior and may begin to fear you. Instead, stay calm and focus on cleaning up the spot thoroughly to avoid them smelling their urine and peeing in that spot again.
Never compare your new puppy to your last puppy or a friends puppy. Every puppy just like every human child is a unique individual and will react differently to new things like crate training, new environments and new people.