How to Crate Train Your New Puppy

A crate can be an extremely effective tool for training a puppy.

A Puppy Crate

When used correctly, a crate can be a safe haven for puppies — they have their own private den to retreat to whenever they are feeling overwhelmed.

In This Article

• What Are the Benefits of Crate Training A Puppy?
• When Should You Start Crate Training A Puppy?
• How Do You Train An Older Dog To Sleep In A Crate?
• How Do I Crate Train My Puppy? A Step By Step Process
• How Long Should My Puppy Stay In the Crate?
• How To Crate Train Your Puppy At Night
• Common Problems When Starting Out Crate Training
• What Not To Do During Crate Training

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CRATE TRAINING?

Using a crate eases the many challenges of everyday life with a puppy. The biggest motive for teaching a puppy to use a crate is that it’s also proven to be a very handy tool when it comes to toilet training a puppy. It also comes in handy when your puppy needs to visit the vet, when you need to travel or when you’re going on a road trip. The ideal crate should be large enough so that your puppy will be able to stand up, turn around and lie down in the crate.

Understanding the need for crate training is the first step, which is why i have created this detailed list on the benefits of crate training a puppy:

1. PUPPY CRATES HELP WITH TOILET TRAINING

The reason why a crate is so useful for toilet training is because puppies are very clean by nature, and they don’t like to be near their own urine-soaked space. Using a crate helps to teach your puppy to control their bladder and use signals to let you know that they need to go to the toilet.

When your puppy wants to eliminate, they may proceed to whine and scratch at the crate. When your puppy demonstrates this kind of behavior, it’s important that you act quickly and lead them to their designated toilet area.

2. CRATE TRAINING CAN HELP TO PREVENT BAD BEHAVIOUR IN PUPPIES

One of the biggest advantage of a crate is that it provides a private space for your puppy to stay while you attend to your day.

Leaving your puppy unsupervised can often be detrimental to your household. Puppies can become destructive when they’re left alone for too long without supervision. This is where a crate comes in handy: throw in a couple of toys, some food and a comfy crate bed for them to rest on while you’re gone and they’ll be much happier.

3. A CRATE PROVIDES A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR PUPPY

Just like us, puppies need their space sometimes. Giving them a safe place to retreat to is essential for their overall happiness and mental health.

All we want to do when a new puppy is brought home is to round up our family and friends and introduce them. The introduction of a puppy to the family is an exciting time, and it can be tempting to invite many friends and family to introduce them. While human interaction is good for socializing young puppies, it can also be stressful and overwhelming for them. That is why a crate can be beneficial, because it gives them a space to retreat to when they are feeling stressed. To that end, it is important not to physically remove your puppy from the crate when they have chosen to retreat there. Need them to come out now? Get some treats and encourage them to come out on their own.

WHEN SHOULD YOU START CRATE TRAINING A PUPPY?

I recommend crate training your puppy from 8 weeks old — or pretty much as soon as you bring them home. This gives your puppy plenty of time to familiarize themselves with their crate which will help them feel more relaxed and settled in your home.

Keep the crate door open during the day so that they can go in and out of it as they please. It’s important that they’re not kept in their crate for long periods of time in the beginning, as this needs to be a gradual process.

HOW DO YOU TRAIN AN OLDER DOG TO SLEEP IN A CRATE

The key to training an older dog to sleep in a crate is to have patience. It often takes more time for an older dog to get used to its crate than a puppy. Everything is new and exciting for a puppy — there’s no routine or old habits to drag them back. Older dogs however are creatures of habit, which is why the majority of their training will consist of helping them to unlearn old habits.

HOW DO I CRATE TRAIN MY PUPPY? STEP BY STEP PROCESS

Crate training a puppy takes time. How much time is dependent on a multitude of factors and shouldn’t really play a part in how you train your puppy. Instead, you need to ensure you’re consistent with their training and remain patient and positive throughout. Proceed with my crate training steps below, and refrain from rushing your puppy through the process.

1) INTRODUCE YOUR PUPPY TO THEIR CRATE

Introducing your puppy to their crate is easier when you follow these simple steps. It’s important to place the crate in an area of your house that you’d like your puppy to spend most of their time in, such as the living room. Be sure to set up the crate to make it look as enticing as possible for your puppy. This includes a toy (or two), their food bowl and perhaps a few treats around the entrance to the crate and inside to encourage your puppy to enter. It’s important to remember not to force your puppy inside as they are likely to resist, thereby slowing down the training process.

2) FEED YOUR PUPPY INSIDE THE CRATE

After introducing your puppy to the crate, begin feeding them regular meals near the crate. This will help to create a positive association. If your puppy is feeling more confident, start to slowly push their food bowl into the entrance of the crate, moving it further back each time until they’re comfortable eating their meals inside the crate.

Once your puppy has begun eating comfortably inside the crate, you can close the door behind them until they’ve finished eating — opening it as soon as they’re finished eating. After every meal, you can increase the amount of time they’re left in the crate.

3) TEACH YOUR PUPPY TO SPEND MORE TIME IN THEIR CRATE

When your puppy can eat their meals in the crate without showing any signs of anxiety or fear, you can start to leave them inside the crate for longer periods.

The best way to encourage your puppy to spend time in their crate is by offering a reward. Start by calling your puppy over to the crate, once they’re close introduce a command such as “kennel” or “in”, and once inside, reward them with a treat and close the door behind them. Stay near the entrance of the crate for 10 to 15 minutes before going into another room to get them used to being inside the crate on their own. Repeat this process a few times a day, making an effort to slowly increase the amount of time you’re out of sight when they’re inside the crate.

Once your puppy has learnt to stay inside the crate for longer than 1 hour without whining, you can begin to leave the house for short periods of time.

HOW LONG SHOULD MY PUPPY STAY IN THE CRATE?

A puppy under the age of four months shouldn’t be left inside a crate for more than six hours at a time, as they still have weak bladders with little control.

It’s important to be cautious when using a crate, as crating a puppy for too long during the day can cause serious separation anxiety issues. It may also have an adverse effect if your puppy starts to hold urine for too long during the day or develops a habit of eliminating inside the crate.

HOW TO CRATE TRAIN YOUR PUPPY AT NIGHT

Crate training your puppy at night follows similar principles to regular crate training, however, it may be best to start by placing the crate in your bedroom or in a hallway nearby. Puppies often need to eliminate during the night, so you’ll want to place them somewhere you can hear them whining. Once your puppy is comfortable with falling asleep throughout the night, you can start to gradually move their crate to your preferred location.

COMMON PROBLEMS WHEN STARTING OUT CRATE TRAINING

If you thought training your puppy to use a crate was going to be an easy process without any challenges along the way, you’re wrong.

Common issues that often arise when starting out with crate training are separation anxiety, whining and toilet accidents in the crate. When it comes to crate training your puppy, the key to success is patience and plenty of positive reinforcement. With consistent training, you can teach a puppy to feel comfortable in their crate within 2–4 weeks of training.

WHAT NOT TO DO DURING CRATE TRAINING

• Don’t use the crate as a form of punishment: It’s important that your puppy feels secure, safe and protected when inside their crate, essentially acting as a safe haven for them to retreat to when needed. If you start to use their crate as a form of punishment, it will be confusing for your puppy and most likely cause them to run away from the crate.
• Don’t leave your puppy in their crate for too long: Leaving a puppy in a crate for too long can cause separation anxiety and toilet accidents in the crate. As i mentioned before, it’s best to start out slow then gradually increase their time inside the create.
• Don’t let your puppy out of the crate just because they’re whining: Whining can be tricky. It’s hard to know if your puppy is whining because they need to go to the toilet or simply because they want to be let out of the crate and have learnt that whining is a way to accomplish this.
• Don’t force your puppy inside the crate: Forcing your puppy inside the crate can have an adverse effect. They will most likely grow to fear the crate and run away from it rather than treat it as a safe space for them to relax in.

There will be ups and downs during your puppy’s crate training, but success will come — in time. It’s important to remain patient during the entire process. Getting angry, frustrated or aggressive with your puppy will likely hinder your training efforts. As long as you remain calm and consistent in your training, your puppy will eventually reward you by learning to use their crate.