Are you ready to bring home a new chihuahua puppy? You probably chose to train him in a crate. The crate can help keep your chihuahua puppy out of chaos, help him learn where to go to the bathroom and give him a safe place to sleep.
If you work full-time, you might want to train your chihuahua puppy to use a crate throughout the weekend. But could this happen?
The short answer is that you can start on a weekend, but you can’t finish your training in that short amount of time. No behavior can be reliably taught in two days, and this includes crate training. To train a chihuahua well, you have to establish a daily routine and keep doing things the same way over and over. Even though you can start crate training on a Friday night, you shouldn’t expect to be done in two days.
Tbale of Contents
Is a weekend long enough to train a chihuahua puppy to use a crate?
source: pexels
No, a weekend is not enough to fully train a chihuahua puppy to use a crate. You should be prepared for this to take a lot longer.
When you teach a chihuahua something, keep in mind that you are the only one who knows what the end result should be. Your dog has never done what you want him to learn, so he doesn’t know anything about it. When training a dog, it’s important to be patient and go at the dog’s pace.
This is also true for crate training. You shouldn’t rush through this and just put your chihuahua puppy in an unbreakable crate for 6 hours a day. He will probably start to feel scared and hate the crate.
Go slowly and build a strong, positive relationship with the crate instead. In the long run, this will work out much better.
Your crate shouldn’t be too small or too big, of course. It should be in a quiet area of the house and as comfortable as possible for the chihuahua puppy.
The Crate Training Process
source: pexels
You can start crate training on the weekend for sure. Here are a few steps to take:
Friday Routine
On Friday night, take your chihuahua puppy outside for a long walk or to play. Try to tire him out as much as possible. You can play with him, let him run around and play with other puppies, train him, etc. The goal is to make him so tired that when he gets into his crate, he will fall asleep quickly.
Put him in his crate and bring him inside. You can put pillows and stuffed animals in the crate to make it as comfortable as possible. If you got your chihuahua puppy from a breeder and the breeder gave you a toy, t-shirt, or blanket that smells like the puppy’s mom and siblings, this should also go in the crate.
It’s fine if your chihuahua puppy cries briefly in the crate but stops quickly. You can stay near the crate so he can see and hear you. Puppies find this comforting.
Saturday Routine
On Saturday morning, after a night in the crate, the dog gets to play, work out, and train some more. Go outside with your chihuahua puppy and have a good time. You can play with him again, train him, take him for a walk, let him roam around, and hide treats for him to find. The more energy your puppy can use, the easier it will be for him to settle down for his nap in the crate. Bring him inside after an hour or two and put him in his crate. You can give him a chew to be calm as he sits for his nap.
Keep doing this several times during the day – giving your chihuahua puppy periods of stimulation and then sitting in the crate. Your puppy will sleep in the crate again at night.
Sunday Routine
On Friday, your chihuahua puppy should be able to fall asleep quickly in his crate. You can also take him for a ride in his crate if you want to help him learn new skills everywhere. He should be calm and at ease, and he might even be able to fall asleep on the road.
Your puppy will once again sleep in his crate at night.
By the end of the weekend, your chihuahua puppy will expect to take naps in his crate. But just because he is awake doesn’t mean you can put him in there. In a crate, the only thing you can do is sleep. If you put a puppy who is ready to play into his kennel, he will probably cry and whine.
After The First Weekend Of Training In A Crate
source: walmart
Again, your chihuahua won’t be crate-trained perfectly within the first weekend. This is just the beginning of how to train a chihuahua to use a crate. It will take time and consistency, just like any other behavior, to get good at it.
From now on, put your puppy in his crate every time he’s ready to sleep. At night, he can also sleep in his crate. Don’t put him in the crate right after he wakes up from a nap. He will probably be very bored and frustrated, and his crate training will go backward.
Final Thoughts
It is not possible to train a chihuahua to stay in a crate for just one weekend. But if you take the right steps, you can start right away and make a good connection with your puppy. It is very important that you only put him in the crate when he is tired and ready to sleep. So, he will quickly learn that his crate means it’s time to rest.
If you received your chihuahua puppy from a shelter and he’s been through a lot of trauma and stress, he may sleep a lot for the first week or two. When you can get him to sleep in the crate like this, you will be well on your way to training him.
If your chihuahua puppy is wide awake and ready to play, you shouldn’t put him in a crate. This would just lead to more anger and frustration, which could cause issues in the future. Start making the crate a place where the dog can rest and relax instead.
Make the crate cozier over the weekend to help your puppy get used to it faster. Make a cozy den for your puppy out of blankets and stuffed toys. The more comfortable he is in his crate, the more he will like taking his naps there.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Does Crate Training Help With Barking In Chihuahuas?
Chihuahua Whining In Crate All Of A Sudden
Advertisement
