Pet behavior > Information > Crate training a puppy

Crate Training your puppy

Information and tips to help you crate train your dog:

You will notice on the menu bar that I have a section for house training and a section for crate training your dog. Some will think that this is redundant, but let me explain the difference.

House training a dog is the act of training your dog to go to the bathroom in a designated area, whether that be outside in the grass, inside on papers or wherever you decide it should be.

Crate training dogs, however, is the use of a crate to train your dog to have proper manners such as no chewing, staying off the furniture, being calm in the house, and a whole host of other behaviors including house training. This section is going to focus on crate training your dog and will leave the specifics of house training and house breaking to the proper section.

As a professional dog trainer, one of the biggest reasons I get calls is for help fixing behavioral problems in the house. Clients complain of chewing, going to the bathroom, jumping on the furniture, and so on. Crate training your dog could potentially be the key in curbing all of this dog behavior.

Let me first talk about the crate. This area is one where I often hear protests from many people. Their argument is that the crate is cruel. That it is inhumane to leave a dog in such a small area for any given amount of time, that crate training your dog is stifling and not right. I often hear, “How would you like it if someone left you in a crate?” My response is always, “I would hate it!! I would also hate to eat dog food, walk on a leash, and be completely covered in fur in the summer time. There are plenty of things I would hate about being a dog!”

I understand why many protest the use of a crate because they themselves wouldn’t like it. What everyone needs to remember is people aren’t dogs (I know, seems pretty self explanatory). What may be uncomfortable and horrible for you might just be completely natural and enjoyable to your canine partner. Crate training your dog is not only humane but it is also kind to you canine companion.

In fact, used properly, a crate will often become a very enjoyable part of your dog’s day.

Dogs have carried over from their ancient ancestors the instinct to use a den for comfort and security. If you can harness this instinct you will not only add a wonderful tool to teach manners in the home, but will also give your dog a place to go when feeling stressed or tired. That’s right, if you train your dog correctly with the crate, he will likely end up loving the time he spends in there.

The idea behind crate training your dog is that a dog has a special association toward his den or crate. His crate is a place where he feels comfortable and safe so it is a place where he won't go to the bathroom or display other bad behaviors. Because he will behave in his crate it becomes a means of supervising your dog. You know that when you aren't around, but he is in his crate, that your house will be safe and sound. It is this association that makes crate training your dog possible.

Crate training your dog depends on the proper equipment. The first step is to pick out the right crate for your dog. There are two basic styles of crate.

1. The all wire crate. This crate is wire on all sides so has a very open feel. Your dog can see out in all directions and it allows for good ventilation. It is also a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the other style of crate. It is also the crate that I recommend the least. Some dogs, in the beginning stages of crate and house training, are able to urinate out of the side of a wire crate such that they don’t have to stand in it. This obviously defeats the purpose of the crate. The wire crate also does not give the same ‘den’ feel as the other style of crate.

2. The plastic crate. If you examine the dens use by the canine family in the wild you will notice a few distinguishing features. These wild dens are enclosed on three sides, are tight and snug, and have one entrance. This is a security feature. The animal inside is able to feel comfortable in the snug area and is able to see out of the only entry/exit to see if there are intruders or other threats. In the wild, the small size also helps to utilize body warmth. The plastic crate best simulates this feeling for your dog. It is enclosed on three sides, normally with some sort of window or ventilation on each of those sides. The front is a wire door that allows for ventilation and for your dog to see out.

Whichever crate style you go with there are a few things to keep in mind when situating the crate. First of all choose the correct size of crate. The correct size is when your dog can stand up in the crate, turn around comfortably, and lie down comfortably. Situate your crate in an area of your house that is relatively calm and free from too much foot traffic or noises, but also in an area that is close to the family so your dog can feel involved and not isolated. Keep the crate clean. Use a pet safe cleaner to clean it on a regular basis.

Once you have the correct crate in the correct place it is time to start your training. Crate training your dog is made a bit more difficult if your dog is a puppy. If you have a puppy younger than 12 weeks of age you will only be able to keep her in the crate for an hour or two at a time before puppy will need to go out to the bathroom. Crate training your dog that is mature is much easier. Dogs that are older will be able to ‘hold it’ for much longer. While it is not ideal to keep a dog in a crate for longer than 4-6 hours at a time, many owners find it necessary to crate the dog for the entire work day in the initial stages of crate training. Like I say, this is not ideal, and if you have any way to avoid such a long stay in the crate, use it. If not, and your dog needs to stay in there for 8 hours or so, just know that crate training is not a forever thing. If you do it properly, your dog eventually won’t have to spend much time, if any time at all, in the crate. My own dogs, for example, were properly crate trained and we now can leave them for long periods of time outside the crate and we come home to the house just as we left it. Our current longest stay out has been 14 hours (we got stuck out of town for the day) and the dogs were fine when we returned. Crate training your dog is a wonderful tool to have the perfect indoor house mate.

Start out by placing your dog in the crate. If she is a little reticent to enter guide her in by pulling her collar into the crate. The most important thing if your dog is resisting is to not let her win. If she puts up a fight getting into the crate and you give in, she is going to know that any time she doesn’t want to get in the crate, all she has to do is throw a tantrum and you won’t make her get in. Make sure that you always win. This goes for all dog training principles but is very important in crate training.

Some dogs will take immediately to the crate and will be able to spend hours at a time in there from the get go. Others will put up a fight by whining or barking while in the crate.

If this happens, DON’T let her out of the crate.

Try to wait out the barking and whining. Show her that barking and whining isn’t her ticket out. If the barking and whining persists for a long time use a spray bottle to squirt her every time she makes noise. This should make barking an uncomfortable and unpleasant behavior. Crate training your dog requires patience.

Gradually get your dog to the point where she can spend several hours in the crate. Getting your dog accustomed to the crate is key to good indoor behavior.

At this point I am not going to cover every indoor manner and behavior that can be corrected through crate training. The basic idea behind crate training dogs is that whenever you aren’t able to supervise your dog or aren’t home, the dog goes in the crate. To reiterate (this is so important, yet ignoring it is the major cause of failure in crate training) 100% of the time that your dog is not able to be in your line of sight, she should go in the crate. If you are making a meal and just can’t supervise her, in the crate. If you are sleeping, in the crate. If you run to the store for 5 minutes or 5 hours in the crate. You can not cut corners when crate training dogs.

Let’s examine quickly how crate training dogs can help curb a chewing problem. If you are constantly supervising your dog you can see when she begins to chew on something. If you catch her in the act you can give her a correction with a jerk on a leash, or a shake of the scruff, or a squirt bottle, thereby showing her that chewing your shoes is wrong. If you put her in the crate when you aren’t around you can be 100% sure that she isn’t chewing anything. Soon, your dog will have been corrected several times for chewing and will have been prevented from chewing whenever you aren’t around. Ideally, this will change your dogs’ perception of chewing. Where once it was enjoyable, now you have both prevented it and made it unpleasant. After following this formula for a while you can now give your dog five minutes of freedom outside the crate while you aren’t home. If she does well, ten minutes. Then a half hour, then an hour, then two and so on. If she messes up go back a few steps. More on how to correct misbehaviors

Now let’s examine what happens if you don’t employ the principles for crate training your dog. Perhaps you are supervising your dog while you are around so you can curb the chewing. But the second you leave the house your dog will soon learn that anything goes. She can chew and there is no one to stop her. Stopping a bad behavior while you are present is only half the equation.

The same for crate training dogs works for house training and other indoor manners. If you can properly crate train your dog, then wean your dog off the use of the crate, you can have a perfect indoor dog.

The following are some articles to help you in your crate training efforts:

- Crate Training Dogs: The Right and the Wrong Way
- Crate Training Dogs: The Right Way and Wrong Way- Part 2
- Crate training your dog- Frequently Asked Questions
- Dog kennels using the proper equipment