Dogs learn much the same as we do – through experience, trial and error. They understand the connection between behavior and consequence. There are three common ways to get them to perform a behavior: luring, shaping and catching.

House training a dog takes the proper equipment, time and patience. It is not magic; if you do not have what it takes then hire someone who does. It will cost you far less than replacing your carpet. A half-hearted attempt that fails will cost you the price of a trainer and new carpeting.

The purpose of a crate is to provide confinement. You will use the crate for reasons of security, safety, house training, activity management, travel, illness and protection of household goods. You may think that putting your dog in a crate is mean or inhumane and might cause your dog to resent you or to be psychologically damaged. However,dogs view the world differently than people.