We’re not here to convince you to use a crate for your dog.
Either you use one or you don’t.
Either way is fine.
These are simply our ideas on how to make crate training much easier for your pet dog or puppy if that’s the route you want to go.
We use “crate” and “kennel” interchangeably in this post to indicate the same thing.
Crate training for puppies
We recommend you start crate training your puppy as soon as you bring her home.
Crates are a terrific indicates for keeping your puppy from chewing on or eating improper items such as shoes, kids’ toys, furniture and power cords.
They also make puppy potty training a breeze and supply a safe and relaxing area for puppy naps and tucking her in at night.
Different types of pet dog and puppy crates
Wire crates
Plastic kennels
Soft pet dog crates
It comes down to personal preference and lifestyle as to which you’ll want to use. We like wire crates because they fold up easily for traveling to check out family, stay at a hotel or go to an agility trial.
Soft pet dog crates are also a terrific lightweight option to take along on road trips and easily set up at your pet dog sports event.
But a soft crate is best for after your pet dog is kennel trained, of course, so he doesn’t break out.
What to put in your puppy’s crate
High-valued treats
Safe puppy chews like Bully Sticks
Soft rubber chew toys like a KONG
Stuffed toy (optional)
A relaxing crate mat, blanket or towel
A crate cover like the ones from Molly Mutt (optional). A blanket or sheet will do the trick too.
A snuggle puppy heartbeat toy (optional idea)
Other crate motivators could be a piece of your clothing with your scent on it such as a t-shirt. If possible, bring a small towel to the breeder or shelter when you pick up your puppy. place it with the mommy and littermates to get their scent on the towel. You can then put that in your puppy’s kennel later.
Playing soothing, soft kicking back background music is another option to make the crate experience a a lot more pleasurable one.
There are several YouTube playlists that feature awesome, calming music for dogs.
Calming music for dogs in their crate:
How to crate train a puppy:
The main benefit of crate training puppies compared to older dogs is how impressionable they are at their young age.
Most puppies will easily adapt to a kennel within a few days, especially if the breeder already introduced them to being crated.
1. start with a crate proper for your puppy’s size.
It needs to be spacious enough for the puppy to easily stand and turn around in but small enough so she doesn’t think about using one side as her “potty area.”
Alternatively, use a crate divider if you’re considering using a larger crate. The crate divider can be removed once the puppy grows. It’s a good way of avoiding having to spend money on several different sized crates.
2. location for the puppy’s crate.
Set the crate up in a centrally located area of your home where your puppy can observe his surroundings and doesn’t feel left out. At night, place your puppy’s crate by your bed for the first few nights.
3. start with short crating sessions.
Toss high-value treats in the crate for your puppy and give praise when she investigates. No need to close the door quite yet.
Once she is comfortable going in the crate, close the door for a few seconds, then open it up again. slowly increase to closing the door for 5, 10, 15 seconds.
4. Leave the crate door open with tempting goodies inside.
Place high value treats or toys inside of it. This will motivate the puppy to explore because puppies are curious by nature. turn the crate into a cozy, fun den your puppy will take pleasure in being in.
5. Feed your puppy inside of his crate.
Most puppies love their food! This will make him associate good things with being crated.
It’s best to plan 3 certain meal times per day for your puppy vs. leaving food out all the time. That way you can get your puppy on a predictable shower room schedule and you can use the meals as a reward for going in the crate.
6. When your puppy is sleepy, put her in the crate for a nap.
If your puppy is tired, that is a good time to put her in her crate for a nap. She might fuss for a few minutes but then will a lot of likely fall asleep. Puppies need a lot of sleep! If she is sleeping, don’t bother her for 30 minutes or so. let her be.
7. offer regular potty breaks.
Young puppies will only be able to hold it for an hour or so during the day. Make sure to supply plenty of potty breaks to stop accidents in the kennel.
Many large breed puppies can hold it for 6-7 hours at night, but some might need a potty break in the middle of the night for the first few weeks.
If you got your puppy from a breeder, she can help give you an idea of the best schedule for your certain breed.
What not to do when crate training puppies:
Never use the crate as punishment
Don’t leave your puppy in the crate for too long.
Don’t give in to your puppy’s initial cries of protest. Instead, take him outside to see if he does undoubtedly have to go potty. but stay focused on the potty job. If he doesn’t go within a few minutes, go back inside and crate him again.
Check out Lindsay’s post how long Do Puppies Cry At Night? for additionally reading.
Sample puppy crate training schedule
Most pet dog and puppy owners don’t work from home and will be gone between 6-9 hours during the day. This indicates you’ll be crating your dogs while you’re out of the house, at least until she’s gained your trust.
It’s valuable to build a support system to make sure your puppy gets appropriate potty and walking breaks if you can’t return home on your lunch break.
This support system could consist of family members, friends, neighbors or a professional pet dog walker.
Crate training schedule for 8 week old puppy
This is a sample puppy crate training schedule for a puppy 8 weeks old to 4 months old:
We recommend you give your puppy her meals in her crate to help associate amazing things with the crate!
This might seem like a lot of time in the crate, but we are thinking of a person who works full time and may hire a pal or pet dog walker to stop by mid-day. also keep in mind young puppies need to sleep a lot a lot more than we realize.
6 a.m.: Wake up, potty break, breakfast in the crate, choose a walk
7:30 to 9:30 a.m.: Crate time
9:30 a.m.: walk with pet dog walker
10 to 12:30: Crate time
12:30 to 1 p.m.: walk on your lunch break
1 to 2:30 p.m.: Crate time
2:30 to 3 p.m.: Walk with pet dog walker
3 to 5 p.m.: Crate time
5 p.m.: Walk or play when you get home
6 to 10 p.m.: Dinner in crate and then hang out all evening (potty breaks as needed)
10 p.m.: Final potty break and back in crate for the night
Most puppies will not need a potty break in the middle of the night once they are 9-10 weeks old but each puppy is different. Take your puppy out at 2 a.m. if you know she needs it.
If you work from home or are home during the day, you can probably have your puppy out of the kennel a lot more!
You must still plan a few structured times a day for your puppy to stay in her kennel, even while you are home. This helps the puppy learn to be calm and not to depend on you for constant interaction.
For example, crate time could be from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Older puppy crate training schedule
Puppies ages 4 to 6 months must be able to opt for 1 to 2 potty breaks less and also shouldn’t need the potty break in the middle of the night. The same schedule applies to adult dogs:
6 a.m.: Wake up, potty break, breakfast in the crate, choose a walk
7:30 to noon: Crate time
Noon: Potty break/walk
12:30 to 5 p.m.: Crate time
5 p.m.: Walk
6 to 10 p.m.: dinner in crate and then hang out all evening
10 p.m.: Potty break and bed time
At a certain age, you can begin leaving your pet dog out of the crate at night or for short periods while you are away. That age all depends on your certain puppy or dog.
With Lindsay’s sporting breeds, it was best to kennel them until they were about 18 months old. Then, she started leaving them loose for short periods during the day.
As they were successful, she boosted that freedom. If they chewed something, then she knew to decrease their freedom for a few a lot more months while they matured.
Our utmost goal is to not need the crate in any way but to have a pet dog that accepts the crate when needed for travel, vet visits, grooming, etc.
What to do about a puppy crying in the kennel
This is stressful, we get it!
Usually the best thing to do is neglect your puppy. If you know she has to go potty, then calmly take her outside (no playtime) and give her a chance to go. Whether or not she goes, put her ideal back in the crate.
For a lot more details on what to do about crying, refer back to our in-depth post on how long puppies cry at night.
Good luck and hang in there!
How to train an adult pet dog to use a crate for the first time
It will likely take older dogs longer to get used to being crated if they never experienced it before.
That’s why it’s crucial to be individual with your older pet dog and to practice crate training consistently.
It’s also crucial not to feel bad for your pet dog when you’re getting ready to crate him or leave the house for a little while. Dogs pick up on our energy and reflect it, so if we’re stressed out and anxious about leaving, so will they.
Set up the crate in an area of your home that’s not a crazy high traffic area, but where your pet dog can still observe what’s going on.
You must follow similar steps that we already detailed for crate training a puppy.
For example, leave the crate door open at first and make the interior interesting to your pet dog by turning it into a comfy hangout spot equipped with a soft blanket or crate mat, a favorite chew toy and high value treats.
Praise him warmly as soon as he shows any interest in the crate, and especially when he makes a decision to walk in there on his own.
Start with short crate training sessions
Start with very short crating sessions when you’re home, i.e. 20-30 seconds and slowly work your way up to a few minutes at a time.
You can start by just turning your back to your pet dog while he’s crated for a few minutes, and then slowly progress from there by walking into another room, and then briefly out of the house, maybe to get the mail or just stand outside the front door for a few minutes.
It’s crucial not to make a big deal out of coming back inside and back into your dog’s field of vision. If you stay calm, your pet dog will have an much easier time staying calm too.
Barbara’s pet dog Wally
Obviously the crate is not indicated to be used to keep your pet dog confined all day long.
Your pet dog will need regular potty and walking breaks, and must only be in his crate for 4-5 hours tops at a time during the day.
Crate training older dogs – an example
One of Barbara’s pet sitting clients is an older Beagle named Maggie.
Miss Maggie was never crate trained as a puppy or younger pet dog and lived alone with her male owner. All was well until her “dad” had a woman enter the picture. now this woman started sleeping over and Maggie was no longer allowed to sleep in the bed at night.
The couple made a decision to start crating Maggie at night to keep her from jumping on their bed. They understandably did not want Maggie in bed with them. If you want your pet dog on your bed, that is fine. but if you do not want your pet dog on your bed, that is also fine.
Well, Maggie’s initial action to the change was strong protest in the form of quite bothersome beagle howls for hours!
But, she ended up accepting the crate because it got turned into a relaxing hangout spot.
Her crate features a comfy blanket or soft towel. She has a pet dog food puzzle in there that gets filled with treats, and she eats both breakfast and dinner in her crate.
Her meals are served with the crate door open, and were the gateway to making the crate a a lot more pleasurable experience for her. Her love of food made her walk into the crate on her own once her meals were placed in there.
Maggie
She just needed a little light bulb moment to help her realize that the crate wasn’t as bad of a place as she originally interpreted it to be.
Her owners also sprinkle a calming herbal powder onto her meals and use an vital oil diffuser in the living room area where Maggie’s crate is located.
Kennel training if your pet dog is not food motivated
Not all dogs are food motivated, and that’s normally because they aren’t presented with food they perceive to be of high value.
If your pet dog doesn’t respond well to dry kibble or a dry treat, try using him a incredibly high value treat, ideally one that smells a little, such as fish treats or green tripe treats!
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