Crate Training
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How the Sturdi pet carrier works: Ruby, who is ready to fly home to CT, is the model for how the SturdiPet Carrier is designed to work. |
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Getting ready to sleep in a kennel at night:
We start kennel training our puppies at 7 weeks. They have been exposed to a variety of open kennels since they are about 3 weeks of age. These puppies were given a practice run of 30 minutes to prepare them for sleeping in a kennel at night. We start them dorm style. It looks like there is not enough room, but puppies like to sleep very close to each other. These kennels are ONLY for training young puppies. They allow us to train multiple puppies without losing all our floor space. The space given in just large enough for them to sleep. The tight quarters encourages them to not soil their kennel. This would be the same amount of space you would give them if you have a new wire kennel with a divider. As they learn to keep their sleeping quarters clean you can give them additional real estate by moving the kennel divider out further and further until the divider is no longer necessary. |
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Their second evening sleeping in a kennel:
As you can see, our well socialized puppies have taken to sleeping in a kennel by themselves very quickly. These puppies are only 7 weeks old, and this is their second night of sleeping in a kennel. The first night we allowed them to sleep 'dorm style' with a buddy. The puppies settled down very quickly and went to sleep. Their kennels have been clean and dry both mornings. What excellent puppies! It makes us happy to see that the training and guidance we have given the puppies since birth is paying off. Remember, our puppies are taken outside to eliminate on a regular basis starting at 5 weeks of age. We are proud of what we do with all our puppies! |
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Four on the floor:
This video shows teaching a puppy to wait until they are invited to leave a kennel. I am not allowing them to put their paws on the door frame. If they do, they are 'corrected' with a two finger 'pop' on the side of their neck to simulate a bite, as their mother would do to stop unruly behavior. As the puppies mature, their families can take this beginning training one step further by teaching their puppy to 'stay.' No puppy should ever be rewarded with release if they are barking, whining, jumping on the kennel door, or displaying other signs of excitement. A calm puppy is a rewarded puppy! |
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Releasing a puppy from their kennel: Gwen knows that she must be calm and not bark to be rewarded with release from her kennel in the morning. |
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Teaching puppy to like it's airline carrier: Are you thinking about adopting from us, but do not live in Florida? No problem! Let me teach your puppy to be comfortable in an airline carrier for his flight home. As you can see, Sam LOVES to get in his airline carrier. Alaska here he comes! |
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