Crate!

Your puppy’s home inside your home. Dogs used to be den animals, meaning at the end of the day, they need a dedicated place to sleep (a den!). Just like you and I have our bed, it’s a good idea for them to have their own crate.

Crates give your puppy an environment that can mimic a den and can help them stay out of trouble later down the line. It’s not “imprisoning” your puppy, it can actually help teach them how to be responsible, independent, and cope with their anxiety.

Our goal with the crate is to make this their safe space as they grow up - somewhere they can nap or go to when they’d just like to relax. Having a crate trained puppy at home can make your life much easier and can be a useful tool when you have to leave your puppy unattended for an hour or two. What’s not to love?

The Training

• Start by placing the crate in an area of your house where you spend a lot of time, like your living room or bedroom.
• Place a towel or a blanket inside their crate, open the doors and let them explore the crate on their own.
• Some puppies will naturally start exploring and sleeping in their crate on their own, but you can try some of these if they aren’t:
  • Bring the two of you next to the crate and try to talk to them in a happy & reassuring tone. Try to make sure that your crate’s door is out of the way or completely off so that it doesn’t hit and scare them.
  • Grab some treats & try encouraging them to enter their crate by dropping them near the front of the crate. Then progressively start dropping them deeper and deeper into the crate until you reach the back. If they are apprehensive or refuse to go all the way in, that’s actually ok - it happens! Don’t force them to enter.
  • Continue tossing treats into their crate until your puppy starts to calmly enter on their own and get their food. If they lose interest in their food, you can try tossing in their favorite toy. It could take a few minutes up to a few days for your puppy to get comfortable - be patient and trust that they’ll warm up to their crate with time.
• Once your puppy is comfortable with the crate, try closing the door with them inside for longer and longer periods (maybe 5 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a minute). Remember to reward them each time they go in and come out. Try to do this naturally and gradually increasing the length of time they spend in it - make it something they enjoy and can positively associate with getting treats.
• When your puppy starts to get familiar with the trick, you can start to include a crate command like “crate”.

Note: A fully crate trained puppy might take up to 6 months. Be patient and continue to practice the training! Below are some tips if your puppy is doing well with their crate. If they’re struggling, take it slow at your own pace.

The Tips

• Every puppy is different, but it’s a good idea to grab them a towel or a bed they can sleep on - the floor isn’t always the most comfortable! You can think of getting them a bed outside their crate later down the line; however, be warned - you may buy it and they may never use it (my puppies slept everywhere but their bed).
• Try to keep your crate covered, find a tablecloth or a big enough fabric that can go over your puppy’s crate to keep the light out. Remember - our goal is to mimic a den as your puppy needs a good and unbothered sleep every night. When you put your puppy to sleep, you can close the crate and keep the lights out.
• A tip I picked up from a friend was to drop treats inside their crate when your puppy isn’t looking. When your puppy comes back to their crate or starts to use his/her nose around the house, they’ll start to smell and find out that there’s a reward in their crate. They should naturally start to associate their crate with rewards and your job should become even easier the next time you try to practice crate!

Leaving your Puppy Alone

• It’s a healthy habit to crate them during the day for periods of up to two hours at a young age but be careful of not going more than 3-4 hours - you may come back to an accident and it can be harmful to their bladder control in the long term.
• When you have to leave your puppy unattended, you can use your crate to keep them inside and safe from hazards inside your home. Even if you’ve fully “puppy-proofed” your home, we don’t want them chewing up your shoes or choking on garbage that might have fallen on the ground while you’re gone.
• You can leave your puppy unattended in the crate for 1-2 hours. Puppies under 6 months don’t have proper bladder/bowel control and there’s a good chance you’ll come back to an accident.

Never use their crate as punishment

• Your puppy will negatively associate with it meaning puppy will start to fear the crate and refuse to enter. You can use the crate as a timeout if your puppy is not respecting your boundaries (no, you cannot keep trying to chew my shoes) or gets the “zoomies” (those random bursts of seemingly uncontrollable energy) but try not to keep them in longer for 10-15 minutes.
• They’ll know when they messed up and apologize for it, so there’s no need to keep them locked up longer than necessary.

Disclaimer

The video and/or my content cannot guarantee that this learning method is right for your dog. The information I give is based on my knowledge and opinion of different learning types and is not directly endorsed by professionals. The methods shown within the video are meant to be demonstration purposes and does not guarantee success with all dogs. If you have any specific questions or concerns regarding the given information, please reach out to us through our Contact Page and we can get in touch.