Does Your Puppy Hate Their Crate? Here are Our Top Tips for Helping You Crate Train Your Puppy!

After you’ve adopted a sweet puppy, we at Puppington know that the last thing you want to do is leave them in a crate. But even though it’s hard to be away from our pups, sometimes life calls and we have to answer! When you do have to leave your puppy, it’s really important to make sure they’ll be safe while you’re away. Using a crate is one of the best ways to do this, but our pups often aren’t so keen on the idea. Fortunately for you and your pup, Puppington has all the right tips on how to crate train your puppy for the first time!

Benefits of crate training your puppy

• Crate training a puppy is important for establishing ground rules. Remember, it takes a while for your pup to become familiar with their new home! If left unsupervised, they very well may make a mess; puppies commonly have accidents, knock things over, and chew on things they shouldn’t.
• Crates help establish boundaries at home. Through crate training, you can teach your new puppy the places they can access and the places they should not go.
• A crate can help your dog to settle down in their new home. Try to make your pup’s crate comfy with a soft blanket and a few of their favorite safe chew toys. The comfort and safety of their own space can help your new pet warm up to your home as they get accustomed to all the new scents and sights.
• The ability to stay calm in a crate is a good life skill for your dog to have. Even if they do not need a crate to be left alone at home, there may be other instances, such as traveling, where your pup needs to be able to handle being in a crate.

If you have been debating whether to crate train your puppy or not, the honest answer is that it is always better to be safe than sorry. Here are our best tips for how to crate train your puppy successfully:

How to crate train your puppy step by step:

1. First, introduce the crate. Let your puppy inspect the crate without having to go inside it. It’s a bad idea to just throw them in right away! This could cause anxiety or nervousness when the crate is around. This first step may last a day or even a week depending on the puppy. Encourage your dog to be curious about the crate! When they’re no longer suspicious of the crate, it’s time to move to the next stage.
2. Now, start convincing your pup to go into the crate! Start by playing with your puppy near their crate, and make sure you have plenty of their favorite treats with you.
3. Open the door to the crate as you continue to play with and reward your puppy. Now toss one of the treats inside the crate for your dog to grab. Try repeating this in intervals until your puppy is okay with going inside their crate. 
4. Try closing the gate while your puppy is still in the crate. If they remain calm, reward them with a treat. If they panic, that’s okay! Many dogs don’t like being locked in their crates for the first time. You may need to simply continue to help them get used to the crate without actually closing the gate just yet.
5. Open the crate door and feed your puppy a treat while they are still standing inside. If they do not try to leave the crate, reward them with another treat!
6. Continue practicing having your pup go in and out of their crate and closing the gate behind them.
7. At this point, your pup will have learned to trust their crate and associate being inside their crate with a reward (their favorite doggy treat).
8. Now let your dog into their crate and try closing the door for a longer period of time. Start with 5 or 10 minutes as you gradually increase the time frame. Reward your dog each time they remain calm in the crate as opposed to causing a fuss!

 

Dos and Don’ts of crate training your puppy:

Dos:

• Always buy a crate big enough to accommodate your puppy’s growth stage. A good crate has enough room for your dog to sit, stand, or walk around with ease once they’re fully grown!
• Exercise your puppy before letting them go inside the crate. They will be calmer and sleep most of the time due to the happy exhaustion exercise causes! A puppy with pent up energy is more likely to have a tantrum and be unhappy with their time in the crate.
• Ensure your puppy has enough safe toys inside their crate. Fun toys will keep them busy while you are away. Also, it’s a good idea to make sure your puppy has enough water to last the full time you are away. 

Don’t

• Try not to leave your dog inside a crate for extremely long amounts of time. If you have to leave for a whole day, ask a trusted neighbor or friend if they can pop by to let your puppy outside to go potty, spend a bit of time with them, and give them a break from the crate. If dogs are alone in their crate for too long, they may have an accident, become very nervous, and even develop separation anxiety if it happens too often.
• Never leave toys that can be dangerous to your puppy in the crate. Toys that are extremely hard to chew, toys that may come apart in the process of chewing, or toys that they could choke on are all not a good idea for unsupervised dogs.
• Try not to use a crate to punish your puppy. This can cause them to associate their crate with distress and negative feelings.
• Never force a puppy into their crate if they are not willing to enter by themselves. Again, this will only cause distress in the animal and could cause them to hate their crate for good!

Conclusion

The best way to crate train a puppy is to help them associate their crate with positive memories and rewards. Use reward-based training to get your puppy accustomed to the crate. Make sure their crate is a comfortable but safe environment. And always remember to be patient with your pup– crate training can be a long process, but if you use plenty of positive strategies, your pup will be used to their crate in no time!