How to Crate Train a Puppy
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Crate training is the process of acclimating your puppy to spending time in their dog crate—and it comes with many benefits, including security, safety, and extra motivation for potty training.
So how do you crate train a puppy? Start by slowly introducing your puppy to the crate in using open-door, low-pressure tactics. Then, as their crate confidence builds, you can start experimenting with short closed-door crating sessions.
Here’s what to know about crate training a puppy.
Key Takeaways
- Crate training your puppy has several benefits, including giving your dog their own safe space, promoting potty-training, and ease in traveling.
- When selecting a dog crate, consider your puppy’s expected adult size and temperament, as well as features like transportability, style, and cost.
- Crate training a puppy begins with slowly introducing your dog to their crate with the door open. Over time, work up to closing the door and leaving your dog alone.
Benefits of Crate Training
Many people think of crate training solely as a way to keep your dog confined when you’re away from home. But the reality is that a crate offers many positives for your pup.
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Provides a safe, quiet space for dogs: Dogs are den animals, meaning they like to have their own space where they can go if they feel stressed or scared. Kennel training a puppy can provide them that den-like comfort.
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Aids in housetraining: Dogs don’t like to soil the area they sleep in, so a crate helps puppies learn to hold their bladder for longer periods of time. This is very handy when potty training a puppy.
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Emergency evacuation: If you need to evacuate due to a natural disaster, many shelters allow pets—as long as they are crate trained. Dogs that are crate trained are also less likely to be lost or run away in an emergency.
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Traveling: A crate helps keep your pet safe during travel and is generally required when flying.
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Prevents destructive behaviors: A crate helps prevent puppies from getting into things that could be dangerous when they can’t be supervised.
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Overnight stays at the veterinarian: When dogs are really sick, they sometimes need to stay overnight at the vet hospital. Being crate trained helps to make them feel more relaxed.
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Rest after an injury: Some dogs need strict rest after an injury or surgery, and the crate provides this space for them so they can’t hurt themselves further. Dogs that aren’t crate trained will sometimes feel stressed in the crate and will have a hard time relaxing after their procedure.
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Prevents separation anxiety: To help prevent separation anxiety, pet parents can put dogs in their crate in another room of the house where they can’t see you. This slowly helps them adjust to not having you immediately present.
How To Choose a Dog Crate
When choosing a dog crate, ask yourself:
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How big is the pup expected to get?
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What will the crate be used for?
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Am I planning to travel with it?
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Is my pup a super chewer?
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What is my pup’s temperament?
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How much am I willing to spend?
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Do I want the crate to match my home decor?
How Big Should a Dog Crate Be?
The most important of these considerations is the crate’s size. It should be large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. This means when choosing a crate for a puppy, you need to estimate how big they're going to get (so you hopefully don’t need to upgrade as they grow). If you aren’t sure, your veterinarian can help provide a safe estimate of your pup’s adult size.
But having a crate that’s too big for your little puppy does have a drawback. When crates are too large, dogs will soil their crate because they can still lie far enough away from their mess. Ideally, get a divider for the crate—this lets you adjust the amount of space your pup has access to as they grow.
Here are a few other key features that make a good crate:
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Sturdy: While most dogs are perfectly content in their crate, some are a little more stressed and may try to chew. A sturdy crate helps prevent chewing and the damage it can cause.
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Multiple entries: This helps provide easier access to the crate for both pets and pet parents.
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Easy cleaning: Crates can get dirty quickly, especially when house training a puppy. Metal and plastic crates tend to be easier to clean than fabric crates.
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Rounded corners: Sharp corners can injure you or your pup, so it’s best to choose a dog crate with rounded corners.
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Transportable: Ideally, a crate should be small enough to carry, have wheels to roll it, or be collapsible so it can be easily transported to alternative locations.
How to Crate Train a Puppy Step-by-Step
Crate training can take days or weeks depending on your dog’s age, temperament, and any previous experiences they’ve had. The most important thing when crate training a puppy is to always use the crate as a positive place; never use it for punishment.
1. Make the Crate Safe and Comfortable
Make the crate feel like a welcoming and safe place by putting it where your family spends the most time, such as the family room. Placing a crate mat, soft blankets or a dog bed inside can help to make it feel more comfortable, too, though some dogs do prefer to lie on hard surfaces.
Keeping the door propped open and allowing your dog to explore the crate at their leisure can be helpful. Some dogs will even just naturally start sleeping in the crate right away.
2. Introduce Your Dog to the Crate
If your pup isn’t naturally inclined to go to the crate on their own, bring them over to the crate and talk to them in a positive and happy voice. Keep the crate door propped open so that it doesn’t accidentally hit your pup and frighten them.
Putting small dog treats near or just inside the crate’s door can also entice your pup to explore the area. If your puppy refuses to go inside initially, don’t force them to go in! It’s critical that they never feel forced to use the crate.
As your pup gets more comfortable being near the crate, you can progressively put treats farther inside to get them to go all the way in. This positive reinforcement with treats should be repeated until they're comfortable walking in and out of the crate. Alternatively, if your pup is not food motivated, you can use their favorite toys as positive reinforcement.
Introducing your pup to the crate can take as little as a few minutes to as long as several days. It’s important that you be patient with them and don’t rush them as they get comfortable with the crate.
3. Feed Your Pup Meals in the Crate
Once your dog is introduced to their new space, start to feed their regular meals near or inside the crate. This will help them create a positive association with it.
If your puppy is comfortable in the crate, you can place the food dish on the far end of the crate (furthest from the door). But if your puppy is still reluctant to go inside, only place the food as far as they feel comfortable entering the crate. Then, each time you feed them, progressively push the food farther and farther back into the crate.
4. Close the Door
Once your puppy is comfortable standing fully inside the crate, try to close the door while they're eating. The first time you do this, you should open the crate door as soon as they're finished with her meal.
Progressively leave the crate door closed for longer and longer periods of time, starting with 1 minute and working up to about 10 minutes after eating. If your puppy starts to whine while closed inside the crate, it’s likely you increased the length of time too quickly and should go back to a shorter time period for the next few feedings.
5. Leave Your Pup Alone
Once your dog seems comfortable with the crate and is regularly eating meals inside, start to confine them there for short periods of time while you’re home.
Start by using a treat to entice them to enter the crate and giving a training cue of your choosing, such as “Crate” or “House.” Once your puppy enters the crate, praise them and give them the treat, and then close the door.
You can then sit quietly near the crate for a few minutes before entering another room for a bit. When you return, sit quietly by the crate again for another minute or two, and then let your puppy out. Repeat this process while gradually increasing the amount of time your puppy is left alone.
6. Crate Your Dog When You Leave
Once your puppy can relax quietly in the crate for about 30 minutes, you can start to leave them alone in the crate while you’re gone for short periods of time.
To do this, put your dog in the crate (using the command that you have chosen and a treat). Try to vary when they go in the crate during your “getting ready to leave” process so that it doesn’t start to promote separation anxiety. This can be anywhere from 5-20 minutes prior to leaving, but try to keep the timeframe short.
The goal is to make leaving seem as insignificant as possible to your puppy. Praising them briefly and giving them a treat for entering the crate is enough, and then you can leave quietly.
As hard as this may be, it’s important that you aren’t overly enthusiastic if your puppy is showing excited behavior when you come back. Keeping your return as calm as possible will help to make them feel less anxious about when you will get home and help prevent separation anxiety.
Once your puppy is fully crate trained, it’s important that you continue to crate them occasionally when you’re home so that they don't always associate the crate with you leaving.
7. Crate Your Dog at Night
Once your puppy is comfortable with longer periods in the crate, you can start crating them overnight.
It’s important to remember that puppies often have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and will cry to tell you, so it can be helpful to put the crate in your bedroom at night so any bathroom cries can be heard. While puppies sometimes whine when they’re first put into the crate, these cries are typically associated with anxiety, whereas cries in the middle of the night typically indicate that they need to go to the bathroom.
Having the crate in your bedroom can also be helpful because your pup will be able to smell you and won’t feel so isolated. This can also be helpful for older dogs that are getting crate trained.
As your puppy gets more comfortable being in the crate overnight, you can gradually begin to move it to the preferred location in your home.
Tips for Crate Training a Puppy
To help make crate training your puppy go smoothly, here are some things to keep in mind:
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Ideally, keep the crate in your bedroom or a nearby hallway. This helps your puppy feel close to you, which can help them to feel more comfortable in the crate.
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During the day, it can be helpful to keep the crate in the room where you and your family spend the most time. Again, this helps your puppy feel close to you, even if they're in their crate.
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The most important thing with crate training is to never use it for punishment.
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It’s also critical that you train puppies in small steps and don’t go too fast. If you go too fast and they feel forced to use the crate, it may cause them to have negative associations with it.
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Creating a crate training schedule can help reduce the stress of kennel training for some puppies. Try to give them scheduled meals, potty breaks, playtime, and bedtime at the same time every day to help them ease into their routine.
FAQs About Crate Training a Puppy
How long does it take to crate train a puppy?
Every puppy is different. Some may learn within a week, while others may need several weeks or longer. Be patient with your pup and let them get comfortable at their own speed. Rushing the process can cause setbacks that could make the crate-training process take longer.
How long can a puppy stay in a crate?
Puppies can’t hold their bladders for long periods, so regular breaks from their crate are essential. Puppies under 8 weeks old will need potty breaks at least every hour, if not more often, and that time increases as the puppy gets older. Ask your veterinarian for advice about how long to crate your unique puppy.
Is it OK to let a puppy cry in their crate at night?
It’s important to comfort your puppy if they’re in distress. If your puppy is crying in their crate, they may need a potty break, or be experiencing fear or loneliness. Traumatic events like these early in a puppy’s life can make it harder for them to handle stress as an adult.