German shepherd crate training is one of the most questioned and misunderstood techniques for training your puppy or dog. Many think of crating as a discipline method for dogs. That is far from the truth. Crate training is a humane method of potty training, as well as providing your pet a shelter and placed for safety. But there is a great deal more to crate training than simply getting a crate.

The first thing you need to do is to understand what benefits crate training provides. As stated earlier, crate training is not just for potty training. Crates provide a German shepherd dog or puppy a place that can provide it a sense of security. Crates should not be thought of as a ‘place of discipline,’ rather they should be thought of as the dog’s private den. This makes the crate a place where the dog can go, rather than furniture, beds and other areas that may be restricted when it needs to feel safe and secure.

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Crating works on several levels, when your German shepherd is shut in it works to help train him to ‘hold on’ rather than go to the bathroom. Most dogs will not go to the bathroom where they sleep, or will try not to. Care must be taken not to lock him in for too long or the dog or puppy will not be prone to go in. This makes it more difficult to train them. Crates also provide a place where a dog can go to get away from stresses. Prepare the crate so that it has some toys, bed, and most of all space. Your pet needs to feel comfortable inside the crate, or it will find another place to hide where it sees it’s family go. That typically means going places you may not want it to go.

Preparing the crate could mean the difference between successful crating and failure. Make sure the crate is safe and comfortable for German shepherd training. There should be room so that the dog does not have to cram itself inside. If it is a wire cage, care should be taken to make sure that the floor and sides are covered with a cage bumper. This provides comfort and may head off potential injury. The sides should be covered as well, this allows your animal a feeling of seclusion that it may need. Many people do not think about making sure that the crate has a ‘den’ feel to it. They leave the sides wide open. This takes away any feeling of safety that the dog may feel if the sides are wide open. Think of a child that tries to hide under the covers, if the covers can be seen through the covers are useless and the child will try to do something else for safety.

With a little bit of preparation, you can create a place for your dog to go. This will not only help with house training, but provide a place for your dog to feel safe. You do not need to start this only when they are a puppy. German shepherd Crate training can take place at any age.