The Crate can be your best friend in helping raise your puppy, but there is certainly so much conflicting information out there, that we wanted to compile our best tips to make training incredibly simple.
Let’s set the tone…
Your new puppy has likely, up until now, been raised next to their Mom, surrounded by their littermates. The concept of a crate or even the concept of being alone is likely entirely foreign up until this point.
However, we know that this essential tool is going to be one that will help us potty train our puppy, keep them from chewing on unwanted items, keep them from ingesting unwanted items and as a whole, help keep them safe, when we can not be directly supervising them. So how do we ease the transition for them into this new unknown so we can help build this lifelong skill of independence and safety?
First, you have to be willing to accept that them crying WILL be part of the process. It is going to happen. We will help make this process faster with our other tips, but one major thing I want to point out immediately is that YOU have to be the strong one here. If your puppy cries and you let them out of the crate, guess what they just learned – crying WORKS. And one thing about dogs is – they learn what works fast and they will repeat that behavior. This crying may last…a WHILE. It will get better. It will get shorter – so long as you don’t cave and let them out during the crying. You want to proactively let your puppy out once they have calmed down and BEFORE the next cycle of crying has begun. Think of a baby cooing themself to sleep. Eventually, they will tire out, but they will awake again and the crying will present itself again. So let them rest but be proactive not to wait until the next cycle of crying. To ease your pain and help your sleep schedule, these first two tips should be primary.
1. Place your crate in a location that is conducive to deep rest. This location should not be in a highly trafficked area. Think of a location that cuts off all visual stimulation. A spare bedroom, a spare bathroom, a closet, etc. Your living room, bedroom, etc will only promote restlessness in the crate.
2. Consider the elements that help YOU get rest and apply them to your puppy. A cool, quiet place, potentially with white noise can really go a long way. Getting a sound machine for my own dogs actually prompted me to get a sound machine for myself and we all sleep much better for it as it helps drown out any outside noise and sometimes even my own thoughts haha!
Now, since we are talking about puppies, there are two factors to consider here when choosing your size of crate – 1, your puppy will be rapidly growing and 2, you will simultaneously be potty training at the same time.
For these reasons, we recommend getting a crate that is small enough for your puppy that they can not defecate in one side of it and then escape to the other side. You only want it large enough that they can comfortably lie down with no extra space. This is not their forever crate, so I always encourage clients to get something cheap (maybe even off marketplace) and just sell it later when their puppy grows.
We also have to consider that since our puppy’s bladder is growing, we must learn their potty schedule and let them out of the crate, BEFORE it is too late. Since we do not want to let our puppy out when they are whining, we MUST be certain that the whining is not because it is a potty emergency. If you ARE uncertain, potty training takes precedent here, however, I strongly encourage you to be proactive on the potty training so that this need not be a consideration. We will discuss potty training a different time, since our primary goal in this article is to discuss crate training tips.
Now back to tips on making the crate a remarkable place. Since the concept of the crate and being alone can feel very daunting to a puppy, what we want TO DO is try to make it a FUN place to be. This means that I want my puppy’s association with the crate to always be a positive one. These following tips will help ensure that their association with the crate is a good one.
3. Every time you put your puppy in the crate, give them something enjoyable as well. One of my favorites is either, at minimum, a few pieces of kibble or even better, a frozen kong for them to enjoy. Here is what I like to do:
“Meal prep” some of their kibble by soaking it in water for a few minutes and then mashing it into the kong. You can also (or instead of) mix in some peanut butter, yogurt, pumpkin, etc. Freeze your kongs so that they are ready to go whenever you would like. Having multiples on hand at a time is very convenient since you will be getting your puppy in and out of the crate a lot. This is another reason I like to use their kibble and not tons of high value “treats”.
Additionally, licking, sniffing and chewing are very calming for a puppy. Giving them something “to do” that will help fatigue them is certainly a preferred alternative over toys, which can get our puppy riled up. On that note, do not provide toys in the crate. This should be a rest zone only and not to be confused with an x pen in which toys and play would be allowed. You may also give a chew in the crate so long as you supervise to prevent choking opportunities.
4. Have you ever heard the saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”? Well, a wonderful way to make a great association with the crate for a puppy is the same. Personally, I like to use food for training and in this case, we are CRATE training, so I love to use my dog’s food and feed them IN the crate. You can do this in a few ways:
If you have time (and I highly encourage this), sit in front of your puppy’s crate and make a game out of going into the crate. Simply toss a piece of food into the crate, let them eat it and go back out. You can progress this by continuing to toss food in while they are in their eating the first piece. Make the amount of food they get when they go in variable.
On a very busy day, you can even throw the whole meal in and let your dog eat while you close the door and leave. The key here is to temporarily make them eat all of their meals in the kennel. Ditch the bowl.
Some other tips that will help you shorten this learning phase:
5. When you put your puppy in the crate, DO NOT make a big deal out of it. None of this “you’ll be ok”, “I’ll be back soon”, etc…Just put them in and go. If you look and sound worried, they will feel justified in being worried. Be the energy you want your puppy to match – unbothered.
6. Your puppy will not think the crate is punishment. They don’t rationalize the way we humans do. Can they feel stress? Yes. But we are teaching adaptability. So long as you are doing your homework to make a positive association with it, your puppy will be fine. Even if they chewed something 20 seconds earlier, you can put them in the crate (unemotionally) and there will be no repercussions.
7. Do not JUST put your puppy in when you leave the home. Start creating independence and repetition by putting them in the crate while you are home as well. The crate is the tool to help manage your dog’s space when you can not be supervising them – when you are sleeping, in the shower, eating food, answering emails. Use it often and create the association that you aren’t just leaving forever, you will be back soon.
At the end of the day, this is the most important training you can do from Day 1. The longer you push it off, the harder it gets for the both of you. The sooner you can adhere to these guidelines, the sooner you will get through this phase. Consistency is KEY! Think to yourself, I want to make this location as beneficial to my dog as possible by making it positive, but regardless, I have to use it often and do not want to reinforce the puppy protest. One day you’ll look back and your dog will be running to their crate for their meal with no second thoughts…and you’ll have a happy home and great rest.
You can thank me later – Happy Crate Training!
