Puppy Crate Training In An Apartment
Puppy crate training can already be a major chore to some puppy owners, put living in an apartment on top of that and multiply that times 5! Unless of course you live on the first floor with a door to the outside. I know that there are many many people who live in high rise or garden style apartments who have to either walk many steps or take an elevator to let there puppies outside.
The puppy crate training involved really doesn’t change much at all from the standard training that I recommend. The only major difference is that you have to make sure that you stick to your schedule and not get overcome by laziness. This is not to replace you daily walks but as more of a supplement to them.
Although, there are a few tips that can make it easier on you which I’ll get into in a moment.
Just starting out or at your whits end with puppy
crate training? Want to discover the secrets of the
I think that the best thing to do is consider where you live and what your circumstances are before you decide to purchase a new puppy. Think about things like the steps that you have to walk down or up to get outside. You will also want to consider how you are going to feel at 6 o’clock in the morning and your puppy needs to use the bathroom.
Also, if you live in a place where it gets cold outside, 6am becomes even less pleasant when you have to take your puppy outside and it’s freezing cold. Now I am not referring to everyone, because I know that some people do not mind and the sheer joy of owning the puppy will make up for a little inconvenience at times.
I just want to bring up these points ahead of time so that they are not such a big surprise when you get your new puppy home. Now to the tips that I can give you that might make your life a little easier.
You can now purchase fake grass mats with a lip around the edge that are specifically made for dogs. Place the mat on your balcony or back porch and then you can puppy crate train your dog to use that for a bathroom occasionally if you can’t make it outside.
These work best for puppies and small to medium size dogs because the mats are only so big. I do not recommend these as the only option for your puppy, I still would like you to make the effort to take your puppy outside most of the time. But I understand that sometimes, like when it’s raining, it’s nice to have another alternative.
I know someone who has a 65 pound lab mix that wanted an alternative to having to take it outside every time it needed to use the bathroom. He went to the hardware store and bought some rubber lining. He then went to a grass farm and bough enough sod to cover an area of about 4 feet by 4 feet. After he got home he placed the rubber lining down on his deck and then covered it with sod.
Well, after all that his dog had no interest in using it as a bathroom whatsoever! The other problem with this method is that you have to keep replacing the sod frequently, and also find a place to throw away the old.
The fake grass mats that you can buy especially made for dogs, are much better and you can wash them and reuse them many, many times.
I hope this helps with your puppy crate training. If you would like some more help training your puppy, check out the program that over 217,478 dog owners have used to successfully train their dogs:
