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Your AD should be here, ask us how

The basic idea of Shetland Sheepdog Sheltie dog crate training is to use your dog's God given natural instinct to your advantage. A dog's natural instinct is to keep her den (dog crate) clean. 

Keep your Sheltie puppy in his dog crate when in trainging and only let him/her out to:
Use the potty
Eat
Drink
Play
Walk

Tough love is sometimes necessary.... Remember, you are the Alpha pack leader and your tough love will pay off in the long run. You can also use a dog crate to train an adult dog/ Shetland Sheepdog Sheltie.

The dog crate should be made of wire, so that your puppy/dog will be able to see all around his/her area. DO NOT buy one any larger than is necessary, as this will allow your pet to use one end as a potty area. You only want your dog/puppy to have enough room to walk into, turn around and lie down. If you already have a large dog crate you don't have to buy a new one, simple cut a board or box to take up any extra space at the back end.

What you feed your dog will affect:
How solid his stools are
How often he needs to potty
How much control he will have over his urge

Try and stick to quality, dry food. It makes his/her digestive system and stools consistent. Quality, dry food is also good exercise for his/her jaws and helps to keep his teeth clean. Eating table scraps can really mess up your dog's stools (as well as giving him/her health problems) and therefore wreak havoc on your housebreaking plans. Decent quality, dry dog food is you and your dog's biggest ally... table scraps are not.

You will need to maintain a strict schedule concerning:
What you feed your dog
When you feed him/her
When you give him/her water
When you take him/her out for a walk
When a puppy, he/she will require feed and watered 3 or 4 times a day.

When 6 months and older begin to cut his/her feedings down to a couple of times a day, but continue to give him/her water 3 or 4 times a day. The last watering should be no later than a couple of hours before bedtime. Also, in very hot weather, check the water frequently since more may be required.

Try to feed your puppy/dog in a nice, quiet spot and don't interrupt him/her during feeding and watering time. The feeding and watering time shouldn't last over 15 minutes. The puppy/dog will soon learn not to dawdle over his/her food.
The last feeding should be as early as possible (around 5 or 6) so that she will eliminate on the last walk and will not have to go overnight.

DO NOT leave food and water in the crate with your puppy/dog. Be sure to feed and water her on a strict schedule so that you will be in control.
Remember, 8 hrs is about the limit of a puppy's endurance as far as elimination is concerned. If you're going be at work for 8 hours, then you need to get home and let him out of his crate for a walk... or arrange for someone else to do it.

Up until 3 months old, a dog needs about 5 walks a day.
From 4 - 6 months old, he needs about 4 walks a day.
6 months old, he needs about 3 walks a day.
At close to a year and older he only needs 2 walks a day.
 
In the beginning there WILL BE some messes, so be prepared. It takes a little while to figure out your dog's digestive rhythms. Patience is very important. Remember that if you stick with it, your dog will sooner or later be housebroken.

It's absolutely imperative that you clean up any mess in the dog crate ASAP so that she won't get used to being dirty. Use ammonia free cleanser when cleaning up a mess, as a dog's urine contains ammonia. He'll recognize the ammonia and want to go in the same place. Use vinegar as a neutralizer after you clean up. Just put some in a spray bottle for convenience. You can dilute it partially with water.

When you take your puppy/dog outside to potty, stay with him/her until business is done. While on a leash, take him/her exactly where you want the potty area to be . Your puppy/dog should go within about 20 minutes, if not bring him/her in and keep and eye on him/her. Take him/her back out when he/she looks like is ready to go.

Praise your dog when he/she potties on the Housebreaking Dog Pads or area. Do not go overboard in your praise though. In the wild, his mother would not. Whenever he/she has the inevitable accidents, give him/her a stern look and say "Bad Dog." Immediately take him/her to your preferred potty area. Don't ever shove his/her nose in the mess or hit your puppy/dog. This does no good at all. His mother wouldn't do it. She would correct him with her voice, or shove him with her muzzle or body.

After a walk and business done, he/she can get 15-20 minutes of play time and then back to his/her crate . You're probably thinking that this is cruel and unusual punishment...This is not cruel, this is training. Here's why... Dogs are den animals and remember that he/she is gradually earning more and more freedom. You can gradually increase his/her time outside the crate. But always supervise this free time. You want to catch any accidents when they happen. If you find an accident after the fact, take him/her over to the scene of the crime and let him/her smell it. Do not shove his/her nose in it. Sternly tell your puppy/dog "Bad Dog!" and then take him/her to the proper potty area.

Other tips:
Make sure that all other sources of water are eliminated during training so that you will have control over when and therefore where he/she urinates. Possible sources where he might sneak a drink of water: toilets, flowerpots, puddles, etc.

A dog's sense of smell is thousands of times keener than ours, so believing that an odor is gone by using your own sense of smell is useless. Always use ammonia free cleanser .

Your puppy/dog always needs to be observed any time that he/she is out of the dog crate .  Even an adult Shetland Sheepdog Sheltie dog can be crate trained. Confine him/her to the dog crate as you would a puppy with scheduled walks, food, water and play times. Gradually allow more free time as he/she earns it.

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Basic Puppy Crate Training