Crate training puppies is one of the most important areas of dog training and one of the toughest to finish. That said, if you have patients and the time to complete the task correctly you will finish it. I started with my dog when she was just a puppy. At the time I had just adopted a really cute black lab that I decided should be a part of the family. I scheduled all her meals, right down to the minute that she had to go relieve herself. Then we would take her out to play, train and just have fun. This routine was set up for what seemed like a long time, but in reality was only 4 days.
At about 4 months, Suzy whined and begged to be let out. I had never seen her act like this before and I did not really understand what was going on, but I just wanted her to have her own space. Being the Beta Dog, she had felt alone and protective from our "pack" and now she wanted to be with us, which was great. She also started to take some verbal commands right away. She learned how to sit, roll, stay, lie down and a ton of other things just by watching me. That night I knew that this positive change was for the better. I felt that she was ready to "act outogenially" and she was. She barbecued all over the place and I tried to stop her, as I normally do, with water when she started to bark. I felt that at that point, we had made some progress. I thought we had to keep up the good work and that I would drive her to the doggie school. A couple of days later, I was driving to the school and I thought to myself that Suzy was almost a grown dog by now and maybe, just maybe, we could train her to be a more obedient and loyal dog. I think that was the turning point for me and I committed fully to the task.
The first week of classes is a great time for both you and your puppy. You teach each other and there is such a diversity of both breeds and sizes of dogs that it is almost impossible to flip a coin. In class you see the amazing things that your dog can learn. She starts to see the patterns of your behavior and makes adjustments in response, so she understands what is expected. The amazing thing is that even though the biggest of them can be the hardest at times to train because they are so intent on what they want to do and how they want to do it, when you put them in a class setting they are so responsive and willing to please.
The second week of class is where the big boys get their turn. They begin to learn the ins and outs of bite work and aggression. They learn to control their excitement and how to take a seat so that they won't jump on you and knock you over. They also learn to stay calm so that they won't run around and jump all over the other students. Each week transition some of the exercises a little further each time. When the last exercise is completed the last thing you need to do is transition back and forth between the original exercises and the final completed exercise. Before long your dog will be the best behaved dog in the hills.
This method has been tested and has worked for thousands of people. You should get the most out of it by giving it a fair chance. Before long you will have a dog that is a nicely trained, well mannered adult dog.
