Dog Crates, what are they good for?

Dog crates are becoming more and more popular among Yorkie owners. Some people may see them as cruel but this is not the case. All dog's, especially the younger ones are very curious and are also very likely to chew their way through most household objects.

This is where a crate will come in useful.

Dog crates are very similar to cages, this is true, but they can become a dog's favourite place. This is very easy to achieve, and by doing so you will have eliminated a number of problems that you may have encountered had you not bought the crate.

I can safely say, from personal experience, that I lost a number of socks, hats, shoes and schoolwork when I was younger because my dog was still very young and very mischievous.

If I had bought a crate then I probably would not have lost so many items.

A Dog crate has many uses, not only as a place where your dog can sleep in supreme comfort but also as a tool in the potty training process.

When you are thinking of buying a crate you should get one that is relevant to your dog's size. It should allow your Yorkie, or any other dog, to turn around, lie down and move comfortably. It should not, under any circumstances allow your dog the opportunity to 'eliminate' in one corner and then have ample room on the other side to sleep. The dog crate is not a toilet.

Another thing to remember is that you should not use it as a punishment box or sin bin.

It should not be associated with punishment in any way.

By linking a place of rest with punishment your dog will not want to go inside because it will think that it is being punished. Every time your dog goes inside the crate you should give it praise and perhaps even a treat now and again.

So, a dog crate can be a very good purchase. It will help in the housetraining process. It will give your dog a safe place to be when you are gone. You dog will use it as its area, its room so to speak. Never use it as a 'bad' place, keep praising you dog when it is in there.

Buy a dog crate that suits the size of your Yorkie, nothing too big and definitely not too small.

If you need more information on dog crate training or help with any other aspect of training, check out our complete yorkshire terrier training guide written specifically with yorkshire terriers in mind!

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