When you bring your puppy home, there are a lot of things you are going to want to teach them to help them fit into their new life as a companion dog.
The very first things you are going to be thinking about is sleep training and toilet training – and of course you are going to want to be able to keep your puppy safe for those moments when you can’t keep 100% of your focus on them.
There are lots of different ways to do this but one of the more common, and often the simplest, is by using a crate.
Read on to find out why you might use a crate, how to introduce it to your puppy, and how it can help with your puppy’s training.
When to use a crate
Introduced and used properly, a crate provides your puppy with a comfortable area to rest, sleep and relax in – while keeping them safe and in a restricted space so they can’t get into mischief while your back is turned.
This can be helpful for:
- Toilet training
- Sleep training
- Daytime naps or during the day when you can’t keep your eye on your puppy
- When you have guests
- Visiting family or friends
- Travel
- Recovery from injury
Crates have however become controversial in recent years with some countries legislating against them. There is no doubt that they can be misused – with people keeping their dogs in them for long periods of time. Used properly however, they can be a useful training aid – so read on and find out how a crate can simplify your puppy’s training.
What is crate training?
Crate training is the process of gradually introducing your puppy to a crate in different circumstances and situations, which can in time become a safe space where they feel comfortable and relaxed.
How does a crate help with sleep training and building your relationship?
In your excitement, it’s often easy to forget that when your puppy comes home with you, they are just a tiny baby and are alone for the very first time in their life – without their mother or their littermates. For a puppy, this can be a scary time, so to help them settle, feel safe and not alone, they need to be close to you. This includes at night.
In addition, in these early days, they are looking to form social bonds to replace the ones they have lost - and sleeping close to you and having your company kick-starts your relationship as you become their trusted caregiver.
While some people decide that the best way to do that is to sleep with their puppy – either in their bed or camp out beside them – most find it easier (and more restful) to keep their puppy next to the bed. While you want them close to you however, you do want them to relax and sleep – and be safe - and not be able to wander off and get into mischief while you snooze! Up until now, your puppy will have woken up several times through the night, maybe had a game with their litter mates, and then gone back to sleep. Sleeping through the night is something totally new for them.
A crate set up next to your bed can be invaluable here as it means your puppy can be beside you but still be safely contained, so both of you have a chance to get some sleep – and your puppy can begin to learn that night times are for settling down and sleeping.
Using a crate for toilet training
As well as using a crate for sleep training, it also simplifies toilet training - as a puppy won’t want to soil the area where they sleep (their mum has already taught them that from being very young) and so they are more likely to try and hang on if they are in a reduced space. It also limits any physical activity which stimulates the need to pee and poo. You can use this instinct to gradually help your puppy learn to hold on through the night.
Asking them to hold on like this all night however isn’t fair on a young puppy – and they won’t have had to do this before. They are unlikely to have developed the bladder or bowel control needed to go through the night and this can take for a few weeks (and far longer in small breeds with tiny digestive systems) so it does mean you have to be ready to take them out when they wake up (this includes in the middle of the night and/or early in the morning) - as you don’t want them to get distressed from needing to go and having to hold on – which in turn will disrupt their ability to sleep.
The puppy will have the comfort of your presence, you are beginning the bonding process and building trust, and even better, you will know if your puppy wakes and needs to go out to the toilet – which will make your toilet training quicker and easier.
Sleep training and toilet training are linked – as a puppy won’t sleep if they are uncomfortable and need to go to the toilet.
Day time naps
An 8-week-old puppy needs 18-20 hours sleep a day – and while sometimes they will crash wherever they are, other times they are too involved in day-to-day activities to want to stop and rest. This can lead to over-tiredness, fractiousness, and even an inability to learn – plus they need a lot of sleep for their mental and physical development.
A crate close to you will give them the opportunity to snooze during the day and you can schedule these nap times into your puppy’s daily routine.
Using a crate during the day
There will always be times when you can’t watch your puppy 100% - and they can get into all kinds of mischief the moment your back is turned! Having a crate handy for while you are busy with other things can keep your puppy safe and give you peace of mind.
Other uses of a crate
Once your puppy is happy in their crate, you can use it when you travel – allowing them to come on road trips with you, stay in homes of family or friends or hotels without causing potential chaos - or it can be used at times when the household gets busy. A crate allows your puppy full visibility around them and so they can still feel part of what is going on but be safe and secure.
When should I start crate training my puppy?
Crate training can be started as soon as you bring your puppy home – and many breeders will have already started the process which will make it even easier for you.
How Do I Crate Train My Puppy?
If a puppy has never been in a crate before, this will be something new for them that you need to introduce slowly – always making the crate a safe space with positive associations.
1. Get the right-sized crate
Make sure you get a crate the right size for your puppy – and this may mean you upgrade it several times as your dog grows. Having two crates to start with can help as then you don’t have to move it around if you are using one for your puppy to sleep in and another in your main living room for those times you can’t watch them all the time in the house!
The crate should be big enough that your puppy can stand up comfortably, lie stretched out and be able to get up and turn around. It shouldn’t be so big however that they can use one end for sleeping and the other end as a toilet!
2. Make the crate comfortable
Line it with veterinary bedding that goes up the sides to keep the pup warm and comfortable. You can also use blankets, old duvets, or a small, low-sided doughnut-shaped bed on top to keep it cosy as long as they are washable. Avoid things with zips or poppers that your puppy could chew and eat.
3. Introduce the crate
Start introducing the crate during the day. - When you are playing with your puppy, encourage them to go into the crate by their own choice – possibly to chase a toy, or to get a treat. You are teaching them that the crate is a safe and rewarding place to be. Don’t shut the door yet!
4. Feed your puppy in the crate
Give your puppy treats or chews in the crate or even give your puppy a meal in the crate - and while they are chewing or eating you can push the door over (not latched) for a few minutes.
Whenever the pup is sleepy, put them in the crate beside you - even if you sit on the floor next to them to start with, so they feel comfortable about sleeping in there.
Always stay close by and where your puppy can see you, so your puppy doesn’t feel abandoned or ‘locked away’ from you.
5. Sleeping in the crate
Once the puppy is happy and relaxed about being in the crate, they can be put in there to spend the night and for daytime naps. For most pups this doesn’t take long at all, and they may well be ready on the first evening.
Many breeders will have already crate-trained their puppies (as it is a lot easier for them not to have puppies running riot around their house) and this will make things much easier for you– so ask the breeder about that before you bring your puppy home.
Every pup is different though and so you need to be sensitive to your own dog and not rush this or continue if your puppy seems scared or distressed at any time.
Alternatives to crates
For some puppies – and their people – a playpen is preferable, and that has the advantage of being able to grow as your puppy does. More athletic or adventurous puppies can however learn to climb out – and for toilet training, you need to start with it small enough that puppy can’t designate an area away from where they sleep as a possible toilet.
You could also co-sleep - although you have to be careful to avoid injury so it can be useful to use a baby bedside crib that attaches to your bed and keeps your puppy close but safe. During the day, a puppy pen – or just being eagle-eyed – can work just as well as a crate if you prefer.
FAQs
There is a big different between using a crate as part of puppy training, to keeping your dog in a crate. The latter is mostly what has given rise to controversy, and in some countries, legislation.
If it is done properly and used appropriately, it is a great way to simplify early training and keep your puppy safe and out of trouble.
It can however be misused. If training is rushed or forced, your puppy may develop negative associations with the crate, and therefore not want to be in or near it. Or if a crate is used to leave your puppy ‘home alone’ or to keep them away from you, this can cause stress along with significant and lasting behaviour problems. And of course, being put in a crate should never be used as a form of punishment.
While for now, your puppy’s place is beside you, an advantage of a puppy crate is that once your puppy is settled, you can gradually move this to wherever you ultimately want your puppy to spend the night. They do not have to stay in the bedroom forever (unless you want them to) - but for now and in these early weeks, they need the comfort of being beside you.
You might want them to stay in the bedroom but in their own bed – and once they are fully toilet training and sleeping through the night, you can easily substitute the crate for a comfortable bed.
Your puppy should always have positive associations with their crate and never be put in a situation where they get distressed. They will not ‘cry it out’ or if they do, it will not be without causing distress and potential behaviour issues in the future (such as separation-related behaviour problems).
Leaving your puppy to cry in their crate will cause them stress and will create a negative association with it. It will also severely damage the trust your puppy has in you as a caregiver and cause future problems/insecure attachment.
Make a firm rule that no one disturbs the puppy when they are in the crate. It’s important that the puppy looks on their crate as a safe haven where they can totally relax. For many dogs who have been properly introduced to a crate, this can go on to be a sanctuary from the craziness of family-like – or at potentially stressful times such as during fireworks or storms.
A crate is a place of safety and security designed to help you manage the puppy’s early training and at times when you are at home but can’t give them your undivided attention – it is not something to use for long periods of time.
A crate is to be used to keep your puppy safe beside you - not to lock them away from you. Your puppy should spend their life out and about with you, learning about this new world and bonding with you.
NOTE: If your puppy wears a collar in the house, always take it off before you put them in the crate.
Conclusion
A crate can be an invaluable aid to help you with toilet training, sleep training and for keeping your puppy safe and secure – and by introducing it carefully and using it appropriately, it is something that can go on to have its uses all through your dog’s life.
Purina Editorial Team
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