Crate training for puppies is one of the easiest ways to deal with the challenge of housetraining a young puppy or even an older dog that has not be housebroken. Crate training works on the puppy's or dog's natural tendency to want to keep his or her own den area clean and free from soiling or waste material. Basically the crate replaces the "den" or whelping box, which the mother has already taught the puppy to keep clean.

Getting Started

The key components in using crate training successfully for a housetraining program include:

• Crate training for puppies needs to be comfortable and stress free for the puppy, especially when they are in the crate or becoming familiar with the crate.

• Line the crate with soft, washable bedding that forms a comfortable sleeping and relaxing area for the puppy or dog.

• Allow the puppy to enter and leave the crate at will, provide a few treats and toys in the crate to encourage the puppy or dog to go in, don't force the animal in.

• Spend some time around the crate with the puppy so he or she is comfortable in the area.

• Once they are going in on their own, close the door for a few seconds and then open it and praise the puppy.

• Gradually increase the amount of time the puppy is in the crate, encourage this to be the puppy's sleeping and safe area.

By making the crate a positive place, crate training your puppy will be simple and effective, but it will take effort on your part.

Crate Training and Puppy Housetraining

Once your puppy is going into the crate and is staying in there on their own you are ready to start the housetraining program. To do this it is important to feed the puppy on a schedule and know approximately how long after eating and drinking the puppy waits before toileting. Most puppies will have a delay of ten to twenty minutes, but smaller breeds may have to go to the bathroom within five minutes after eating. With this information then:

• Feed the puppy as usual, placing him or her in the crate that is in a visible yet quiet area of the room.

• Provide toys in the crate and monitor the puppy for any signs of anxiety or restlessness that may indicate they need to toilet.

• Just before the time you know the puppy normally goes to the bathroom after eating, remove him or her from the crate and take them outside to the toilet area.

• Wait five minutes and if the puppy doesn't go, return him or her to the crate without any negative consequences, then keep repeating this process every five minutes.

• If the puppy does go to the bathroom on the first trip, or when they do, give lots of praise and return them to the house, and leave the crate open in case they want to rest or relax.

Remember crate training puppies requires that the person in the house is on top of the crate training program. If you wait too long and the puppy does soil in the crate, don't punish the puppy, just clean the mess and start over. Housetraining can be simple using the crate training method, but be prepared for accidents and mistakes; learn and go on.

There are several common puppy health issues that new owners need to be on the lookout for. Often these issues are related to puppy care, but they can also be part of natural development and puppy behavior. The following puppy care and puppy health issues are not inherited or genetic problems, rather they are conditions that can occur when a puppy is not kept correctly, properly nourished or provided with routine vet care.

The following issues are concerns for new puppy owners that are working to provide excellent puppy care. Typically the symptoms that indicate these conditions are first noted by a change in puppy behavior, often a depressed or lethargic behavior is first noted that is atypical of a puppy.

Respiratory Infections

These are often highly contagious and can easily be transferred from what appears to be a healthy dog to a puppy, resulting in the puppy becoming ill. Symptoms may include runny eyes and nose, coughing, breathing difficulties, dry nose, vomiting, diarrhea and lack of appetite and energy. When treated early the respiratory infections can be remedied with antibiotics and pose no serious health risk to puppies. Left untreated some puppies, especially those with other health conditions can die from these types of infections.

Worms

Puppy care includes routine worming, even if you don't think your puppy could have possible developed a worm problem. Typically changes in puppy behavior when worms are present include dehydration, chronic fatigue, failure to gain weight and of energy or interest in what is going on around them. Worms can be treated but your vet needs to treat the puppy to ensure they are completely eliminated from the puppy's system.

Eye infections

Although puppies eyes are open in a couple of weeks, they still don't have good vision for quite a while. During this time your puppy may walk into things and bang his or her head as their depth perception is poor. Lacerations of the eye are common, resulting in infections of the cornea and conjunctivitis. Topical antibiotic drops and creams are usually applied to the eye area to correct the problem. Treating early prevents scar tissue from forming on the eye and posing greater problems as the puppy ages.

Dry skin

Puppies born late in the season will be more likely to develop dry skin as they are in artificial heat within the house. The heat from furnaces can help in drying out the skin and coat, so be sure to feed a good quality dog food and supplement with omega fatty oils. You can also use a moisturizing spray for the coat and skin to help with dry skin patches. There are several excellent herbal and holistic treatments on the market, just be sure to buy from a reputable company.

Fleas

In most areas fleas will be a problem. Puppy behavior that indicates fleas includes biting, scratching and rubbing at the skin, however that can also indicate allergies and even hot spots or dry skin. Talk to your vet about flea treatment for your puppy and keep all other dogs, cats and domestic pets treated at this time to limit exposure to fleas as much as possible.

Puppy care and puppy behavior are fairly common between all breeds, however it is important to know any conditions that your puppy may be particularly at risk for.

It is important that you not become one of the significant number of dog owners that don't think about the consequences of failing to train your dog. Puppy behavior is largely influenced by human interaction, especially when they are removed from their mother and littermates and are on their own at your home. Training puppies correctly is the first step in avoiding the dreaded Spoiled Dog Syndrome.

Puppy Behavior

Training puppies is a both a science and an art with owners needing to balance making training fun and positive and actually being seen as the alpha leader by the puppy. When owners don't establish that they are the leader, puppies will very naturally assume that they must be. These types of puppies will bark, demand their owner's attention, engage in destructive behaviors when they don't get attention and generally run the household.

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