| Reasons you should crate train your puppy or dog |
Safety
Many people feel it is cruel to crate a puppy or a dog. I know that it was one of the most important things that you can do for your dog. It keeps the puppy safe from chewing things like electrical cords, your new shoes, getting into things that will hurt them when you cannot be around to supervise. Think of it like a playpen or crib for a child. It is not cruel to crate your dog or puppy!
Housetraining
Puppies and adult dogs don't like to soil their sleeping area. Puppies are already instinctively trained not to soil the area where they sleep. You spend less time training and cleaning up. Your puppy or dog spends less time being confused about where is the right place to go.
When you have to leave the house
A puppy or dog that has been crate trained properly is a much less stressed dog left alone. You can't be there all the time. In the crate your puppy or dog is safe from the hazards a bored or frighten dog can get into. Your house is safe from the destruction that can result from a bored or frighten dog. It is safer than your yard! They may dig out, climb over, or someone could accidently letting them out.
Holidays
Can you imagine what your dog must think about Halloween and the 4th of July? What about Christmas when the house is filled with people they don't know? A crate is your dog's safe haven. More dogs are lost during these times as they are scared and confused.
Traveling
If you have to stay at motel or hotel, your dog has his own bedroom with him. He will feel much more secure should have to leave them in the room by themselves. Most hotels don't want pets as so many are untrained. If you have a crate trained dog, you won't be paying for what they destroyed.
Staying with friends and family
Not everyone will welcome your pet. A crate trained dog is a more welcome guest in a home that either isn't used to a dog, or already has one. Again, your dog has his home away from home. Your dog will feel safer in new surroundings and is less likely to get into trouble.
Flying
Flying is stressful enough for the dog who is already crate trained. Add the stress of never having been in a crate to a dog that has to fly for the first time.
Boarding
What if you have to go out of town and need to leave your dog? A crate trained dog will adapt better to a strange place if he has been crate trained. Usually, you can bring the dog's own crate with you to the kennel. It lets him take his bedroom and familiar things with him.
Riding in your car
Keeping your puppy or dog safe in the car is a good reason to crate train. What would happens if your in a car accident. What if the door came open or your dog was ejected from the car? Your dog stands a good chance of leaping out into traffic and getting hit by a car or running off. If you have your dog crated in the car your dog may get bounced around but the crate will most likely protect the dog. The crate will help contain the dog in the car itself. If you are hurt in the accident, the emergency services people can easily transport the dog to a safe area.
Satisfying Instinct
Wild adult dogs will find a den or safe area to sleep. Pups in the wild are born in a den. Domestic dogs will also look for a den. You will often see a dog sleeping under a table or desk. They are looking for a den.
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How to crate train your puppy or dog
Start this process the day you bring you bring your puppy home. Your puppy will whine when you first put him in his crate. This is because he would rather be snuggled up close to you the way he was with his littermates and Mom. Consider the adult size of your dog will be. Do you have room in your lap, bed, etc. for the adult dog? You need to decide what the "rules" will be and then stick to them from the start. It may seem mean in the beginning but think of it from the puppies' point of view. Why could I get on the couch before and now I can't? Start early, stick with it! Think of the crate as their very own bedroom.
If the breeder has provided a crate for the puppies to sleep in, your off to a good start. Now all you have to do is get your puppy used to it's new crate. If possible, get a familiar piece of bedding from the breeder, one that has the smells of the litter and Mom on it. Put this in the crate along with the other towels or bedding. Don't wash that towel or bedding from the breeder until you are sure the pup is settled in. It may not smell good to you, but it does to them. Generally a couple days is all it takes and then you can wash it if you feel the need. I recommend you continue to use that as part of the bedding for the put for a couple weeks, washing it when necessary.
Puppy crate training should all be done with no negative reinforcement. When you first bring the puppy home from the breeder, have the crate ready for the puppy. We use a towel or a pad in the crate. Be sure it is something washable. We use small treats (check out the treat recipe page) and allow the puppy to sniff it and then lure the puppy into the crate with the treat. When the puppy goes into the crate to get the treat and explore the new area we leave the door open and let him come out as he wishes. Don't force the pup into the crate. Don't make him stay in there the first few times. Repeat putting a treat in the crate, allowing the puppy to go in on his own for the treat. Praise the puppy while they are in the crate and begin to associate a word or phrase for going in the crate. We use "kennel up", you can say "Go to bed" or "Bed" , what ever works for you. Say this AS you are putting the treat into the crate and the puppy is following it in. Do this about five times and then quit for awhile. Repeat this several times the first day.
Closing the Crate Door
When the puppy is going in after the treat comfortably and when the puppy has just finished playing and gone potty, lure the puppy into the crate with the treat only this time close the door. After you close the door, sit on the floor in front of the crate and talk to the puppy if necessary. If the puppy cries or whines, put your fingers through the grate in the door to reassure the puppy that he isn't alone. Usually, they will only whine for a short while and may even fall asleep if they are tired. Stay there until the whining subsides and the puppy calms down and then open the crate door. 5-10 minutes usually. If the puppy happens to fall asleep, great! I let him sleep in the crate until he wakes up and then it's right outside to go potty. Don't use a lot of praise when you open the crate door and ignore the puppy for a few minutes after he is out so that he doesn't get the idea that getting out of the crate is play time. Do not let the puppy out of the crate until he is quiet for at least 30 seconds and has calmed down. You might try to distract him with a toy to give him a chance to be quiet so you can let him out while he is quiet but DO NOT let him out until he IS quiet. Don't yell or correct in any negative way. Never let the crate be associated with punishment.
The First Night At Home
If you have gotten your puppy during the day and had time to do the above steps, great! The puppy will already be familiar with going in the crate after a treat. If not, and you want to begin the puppy's life at his new home sleeping in a crate here's what to do. Play with the puppy till he's tired, make sure he has gone outside and place crate next to your bed where you can reach it while you're still lying down. Remove any collar that might be unsafe, place your tired puppy into the crate, go to bed and turn out the lights. You are setting a routine for the rest of his life. If the puppy whines, place your fingers in the grate of the crate and talk softly until he falls asleep. You may lose a little sleep the first night and possibly the next but DO NOT open the door for the puppy unless you are sure he needs to go out. Do not get angry with the puppy or yell at him, but do not give in and let him out if he has been out in the last little while either. If the crate is comfortable and warm enough, the lights are out and you are right there to talk softly to him and let him lick your fingers, then usually he will fall asleep within an hour.
At eight weeks of age you cannot expect the puppy to go more than four hours without a trip outside. So, as soon as the puppy whines after waking up, be ready to take the puppy outside. Dress yourself quickly before you open the crate, carry the puppy to the potty area immediately, praise him gently for a job well done. Without getting into a play session with him, return the puppy to his crate, turn the lights out. Remember your setting a pattern for life. If the puppy fusses, talk softly and put your fingers in the grate of the crate. Two or three nights of this and your puppy will be used to the routine. If you happen to sleep through the puppy whining and he is forced to potty in his crate because he can't hold it, don't blame or scold the puppy. It is your responsibility to get the puppy out BEFORE he has had a chance soil his den. Clean it, put clean towels or pads in the crate and return to your routine. Set an alarm clock if you have to.
The crate should not be too big for the pup. To large a crate and there will be enough room for the puppy to soil in one corner, and sleep in the other corner. As the puppy grows you may need to use a larger crate. Some wire type crates come with a divider that can be moved as the puppy grows so that you will only need to buy one crate. Later on, after the puppy is used to the routine and after he no longer needs to go out every four hours, you can put the crate in another room if you choose to.
Crating When You Leave the House
At some point you have to go to work or go out somewhere and can't take the puppy. If he is familiar with his crate and it does not have any unpleasant associations linked to it this is easy. It is helpful if he has played a bit and is tired. Make sure he has gone to the bathroom. Take off his collar, lure or place him into the crate with a treat and your association word. Close the door and leave the house without making a fuss. This only increases his anxiety level. Don't stay away too long. An hour or two is best. If you have to go to work, arrange to come home at lunch to feed, exercise and potty the puppy. If you can't do that, have someone else come in and do this for you. A puppy cannot be expected to go longer than four hours without a potty break and it is very hard to retrain a puppy that is used to going in his crate. As they get older, you can expand the time.
After the puppy has grown a bit and is used to being put into his crate, you will see something interesting happen. When the puppy is tired and wants some alone time, possibly away from the children (who should not be allowed play in or around the crate) you will find him in his crate, curled up and sleeping. We leave the doors of our crates open and my dogs are often in the crates taking naps on their own.