One of the best things I ever did for myself or my dog was to crate train her when she was just a puppy. She loves her crate and it is her safe place when one is needed.
I strongly suggest you crate train your puppy. You can still treat your dog to a night here or there sleeping on the bed, but if you train them to be comfortable in their crate you will be rewarded many times over in the years to come. The crate should be a pleasant place for your dog and they need to be comfortable when left there. It can also be a valuable tool when training your puppy or even older adult dogs.
Choosing the Crate
First, make sure that the crate you choose is one that is the right size for your pup. He should be able to stand up, turn around, stretch, and lie down comfortably, but not too big that it doesn’t inhibit him from eliminating. Typically your pup will not eliminate where he sleeps. If you decide to get a larger crate that will be the right size for your pet when it is full grown, you may want to get one that comes with dividers. This way you can create a smaller area while your puppy is little and can be expanded as the dog grows.
Making It Fun
As you first introduce your puppy to the crate you want to be make sure that his initial experiences with the crate are pleasant ones. You can try little tricks like putting treats inside for the pup to get, play fetch with your dog by throwing the toy into the crate, or by occasionally putting his food bowl in the crate. These are all positive reinforcements that will let the pup know that this is a safe and happy place to be.
Once your pet is comfortable going in and out of the crate try closing the door and leaving your pup inside for a few seconds or a minute. Make sure you stay with him and don’t make his initial time in the crate too long. When you let him out just open the door and ignore him. You don’t want to praise him for coming out or it will give him the wrong impression. You want it to be a pleasant experience for the pup inside the crate and when he comes out. If you reward him when he comes out you may inadvertently instill unwanted behavior of him just wanting out anytime he is in there because that is when he gets attention.
Take a break and try the experience again later. Each time slowly increasing the time he is left in the crate. If your puppy becomes fearful and begins to whine, whimper, bark, or tries to escape, wait until he momentarily stops this behavior and then let him out. The next time you try it make the time a little shorter and release him before he gets distressed. Never put your pup in the crate if he is already distressed.
Dinner time is a great time to practice. It not only gives your puppy a safe place to be when no one is available to supervise his actions, it also prevents him from any temptation to pester the family while they are eating, and prevents the family from the temptation to give the puppy unhealthy treats from the table.
Placing the puppy’s favorite blanket in the crate, or whatever is a comfort item for him, will also make the crate more familiar and pleasant. Keep in mind that, especially with a puppy, anything your put in the crate has the potential of being destroyed, so don’t put anything inside that you may not want to lose.
Practice Makes Perfect
Your puppy can now start sleeping in his crate at night. Keep the crate in or near where you are sleeping so that you are sure to hear him if he awakes up during the night and needs to be let out to do his business. If you wait to long it really defeats the purpose of the crate. Some 8 to 10 week old puppies can sleep through the night, however, most cannot and you’ll need to get up with them to take them outside.
If you need to crate your dog during the day, keep the crate near where people are so that the dog doesn’t feel like they are in social isolation and become agitated and fearful.
Once your puppy or dog is comfortable sleeping in his crate at night you can try leaving him in his crate for short periods during the day when you are away from home. Start with only short periods of time. 30 minutes would be a reasonable first time, and if things go well gradually increase the time you are gone. Occasionally crating your dog for short periods during the day will also help reinforce to him that crating doesn’t just mean that you are going away.
Keep in mind that dogs should never be crated longer than their bowels or bladder can be controlled. Make sure your dog gets plenty of playtime after being crated and your pet always had an abundance of social interaction and love.
As with any training be sure to be consistent and that you enforce good behavior. If you take these pointers to heart and crate train your pup early you will be rewarded many times over in the years to come. It was one of the best things I did for myself and my dog.
Note: If your dog displays signs of separation anxiety or other fear related problems do not crate as these conditions could potentially make matters worse. Please find help to resolve these issues first.
