Crate Training

No puppy should ever leave the breeder until it is crate trained and accustomed to being in a crate by itself and without the co-dependence of it's littermates.  As soon as my puppys' ears are cropped at 7 weeks of age they are put two to a crate. 

At 8 weeks the puppys are separated into individual crates with the crates lined up next to each other so that they can touch noses through the crates. 

At 9 weeks the crates are separated around the dog room whereby they can no longer make contact with their littermates but can see and hear them.  

At 10 weeks I block the puppies' view of each other.

At 11 week some of the puppies will begin to go to their new homes. Two to three days before each puppy leaves the nest I move that particular puppy's crate into a different room in the house where there is no other dog. 

My puppy buyers always call me the day after they get their puppy home just
amazed that their puppy only cried for 5-10 minutes IF AT ALL and then
slept through the night without making another peep. 

I encourage my puppy buyers to continue to crate their puppy in a room by itself for the first few months so it learns that it is okay to be by itself and therefore does not develop separation anxiety by becoming co-dependent on the presence of a human or another household dog. 

This method really pays off later, not only when the owner is leaving their dog in the house, but when anyone leaves their dog in a hotel room, crated at ringside, or at the vet's office.

This results in a dog that is comfortable anywhere and not stressed in any way.