When introduced properly, crate training helps puppies feel independent and manage themselves when left alone.
Goals For Crate Training
- Puppy is happy to go into their crate.
- Puppy learns to sleep in their crate overnight.
- Puppy learns to relax in their crate for up to 3 hours during the day whether people are home or not.
Steps for Crate Training a Puppy
Step 1: Placing the crate
Place the crate in the room where you and your family spend most of your time. The family room or kitchen might be good options during the day and your bedroom at night. Make sure the puppy can see you and what is going on in the room. Keep the crate away from drafts and direct sunlight so that the puppy will be comfortable. Always stay close to the puppy in the early stages and don't try to close the door on them yet. Adding a cover to the crate will make it feel more "den-like."
Step 2: First Steps Inside
Start by leaving the crate door open and sitting next to it. Toss a piece or two of the puppy's food into the crate, starting near the open door. Do not force the puppy in, but rather wait until they decide to look for the food. When they get the food, praise them then toss another piece in, but this time a bit further back. Repeat a few times until the food is retrieved from the back of the crate. Do this for a few short sessions of 5-10 minutes over a few days until the puppy happily enters the crate when food is placed inside. Adding a cue such as "on your bed" will help them understand what you are looking for.
Step 3: Crating Overnight
While the puppy is in the crate overnight you will be able to monitor their behaviour, reassure them that you are near and, it keeps them safely away from hazards. It will also prevent unwanted relieving accidents in the house while you are asleep.
Here are some strategies for overnight crate training:
- Try to keep the puppy awake in the evening, then, for an hour or so before going to bed, start to tone down the play.
- Take up their water about three hours before bedtime so that they can go longer between relief breaks.
- Make sure that their crate is ready ahead of time with a comfortable blanket inside.
- After you have given the puppy one last visit to their relief area, place them in the crate near your bed, or at least somewhere you can hear them and preferably where they can see and hear you.
- At 8-10 weeks of age, the puppy will not likely sleep 8 hours straight, but with some perseverance, this can happen quickly.
- A toy (such as a Kong) can be placed inside the crate to help make the experience more positive.
- Ignore any whining or barking with they are first placed into the crate, with door closed, so they can learn to settle on their own.
- Do not take the puppy out of the crate when they whine or bark as that will reinforce this undesirable behaviour. There may be a few nights of interrupted sleep, but this state should end quickly.
If the puppy wakes during the night and starts to bark or whine, first try to give them a reassuring, "I'm here. Go back to sleep". Often the puppy just needs to know you are near and that little bit of reassurance is enough to send them back to sleep. When they wake up in a dark, unfamiliar place, they may feel scared and alone. Hearing a comforting voice is often all they need to feel secure again.
If the puppy does not settle back down despite your reassurances, they may genuinely need to relieve and should be taken out. In this case, when they have been quiet for a little bit, open the crate, pick the puppy up and without talking to them, take them to the relief area. Tell them to go “Busy" and once they come back in, there should be no play time, no treats or anything else that may discourage them from going back to sleep. Put them back in their crate, close the door and let them settle down once again until morning.
In the morning, the puppy may start to whine to get out as soon as they wake up. Remember not to let them out until they are quiet, even for a few seconds. The puppy will be quite desperate to relieve themself as they have gone so long without going out, so you will have to carry them to their relief area in the first few weeks or they could pee and/or poo on the floor. Once they start to get more control of their bladder, they can be put on a leash to walk out to the relief area.
Step 4: Starting to Close the Door
Once the puppy is happily going into the kennel for a treat or toy, you can start getting them used to being closed in for very short periods of time. As you have previously done, take the puppy to the crate and put a piece of their food inside. Once they are inside, close the door and sit beside the crate. Do not leave them at this stage because they will soon start to feel that every time they go in their crate they will be abandoned, which would break down the pleasant association you have already developed with the crate.
They may whine or cry and paw or even bite at the crate to get to you. Do not give in. Wait for them to be quiet before you let them out or they will quickly learn that whining and crying is what they need to do to get let out. No matter how long they have been in their crate, never open the door and let them out while they are noisy.
Once they are quiet, even if they have only been in the closed crate for five minutes, you can let them out. Without making a fuss of them, pick them up and take them out to their relief area. When they come back in, give them a chance to play and run around before trying again. You can repeat this several times during the day but make it as positive an experience as possible for the puppy, so they soon see the crate as a nice place to be.
Step 5: Leaving the Puppy in the Crate
After practicing for a few days closing the door to the crate, the puppy might be ready to be left for a short time on their own. The best time to try this is when the puppy has just had a chance to go to their relief area and they are ready for a nap. Puppies will have frequent naps during the day, so you will have many opportunities for this.
Take them to their crate and put a piece of food at the back. When they go in, give praise and close the door. Wait by the crate for a couple of minutes and then walk away, but initially stay within view of the puppy. Once the puppy settles, you can leave the room for a few minutes. If all is quiet, take a peek to see what the puppy is up to. If they are sleeping, you can leave them, but remember that as soon as they wake up, they will likely need to go out to relieve. If they are not sleeping, leave them for 5-10 minutes initially. Over the next few weeks and months, you can increase this time to up to 3 hours maximum.
Here are general guidelines on duration you can leave the puppy in the crate during the day:
- 9-10 weeks: Half an hour
- 10-12 weeks: An hour
- 12-16 weeks: Two hours
- 16 weeks onwards: 3 hours max
Step 6: Withdrawing the use of the crate
Most puppies should be weaned off their crates by 8 months of age, but some can be younger. It will be different for each puppy, depending on the progress of their house training and whether they are still destructive or chewing.
Initially the door can be left open for short periods of time when the puppy is left alone and, if there haven't been any accidents in the house or destructive behaviour, you can gradually increase this time. Once the puppy can be left alone without the need to close the door then the kennel can be removed. The bedding used in the kennel can be used as its bed to ensure a feeling of continuity. If undesired behaviours return it may be necessary to reintroduce the crate and withdraw its use more slowly.
Pet dog owners do not necessarily withdraw the use of the crate, but Guide Dogs should be able to be settled, comfortable and non-destructive in or out of a crate.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
- Reward the puppy for willingly going into their crate.
- Remove the puppy’s collar when they are in the crate to prevent snagging.
- Gradually increase the time a puppy spends in the crate while you are at home, before leaving them crated and home alone.
- Hide appropriate toys in the crate for the puppy to find.
- Give them a kibble-stuffed frozen Kong to enjoy in their crate.
- Place a blanket over the crate.
- Do an activity with the puppy to tire them out before they go in the crate.
- At first, puppies may whine or bark in the crate, give them time to settle and stay nearby for reassurance.
- Make sure the puppy has relieved before they go into their crate for longer periods.
Tips on Crate Training
- Never use the crate as punishment.
- Introduce the crate gradually.
- The crate is the puppy's safe space, so tell other family members, especially children, that when the puppy is in their crate, they should be left alone.
- Place a microwavable heat pad such as the "Snugglesafe" in the crate under the puppy's blanket when they are very little to provide warmth and comfort. Before arriving at your home, they were used to cuddling up to their mother and littermates for warmth, so this is a nice replacement.
- Do not leave the puppy in the crate for more than three hours in any 24-hour period except for overnight.
- Provide a chew toy and/or a few treats to create positive experiences in the crate. It should be tough, safe and something they like.
- Feed the puppy inside the crate on occasion to help develop a positive association with the crate.
- Give the puppy access to the crate when they are not expected to be in it.
- Do not let the puppy out when they are whining. Wait for them to be quiet, even if it is only for a few seconds.
- Provide a t-shirt or towel with your smell, that can possibly be chewed, as it can make a puppy feel more secure if they have your smell near them
- Stay close at first until the puppy is relaxed.
- Take collar and leash off while the puppy is in the crate.