Crate Training Your Dog: A Step-by-Step Guide

Crate training offers several advantages for a puppy's development. It provides a secure space that helps prevent indoor accidents, offers a retreat from excessive handling by young children, and prevents destructive or dangerous behavior when no one is home to supervise. A crate-trained dog is also better prepared for travel, veterinary hospital stays, and recovery from surgery, when confinement may be necessary. Done well, crate training teaches a puppy to settle calmly on their own, which is an important life skill.

The goal is a dog who walks into the crate willingly and relaxes there. Following the steps below will help make crate training a positive experience and set your dog up for a lifetime of good behavior and independence.

Benefits of Crate Training

  • Helps prevent accidents in the house during house training
  • Gives your puppy a safe place to escape excessive handling by small children
  • Prevents destructive and potentially dangerous behavior, such as chewing electrical cords, when you are away
  • Teaches your puppy to settle calmly and be comfortable spending short periods alone
  • Makes travel, boarding, and veterinary stays less stressful

Choosing the Right Crate

Choose a crate that is large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably, but not much bigger. A crate that is too large leaves room for a puppy to sleep at one end and eliminate at the other.

For a small puppy who will grow into a larger dog, buy a crate sized for their adult size and use a divider to block off most of it. Move the divider back as your puppy grows. Wire crates are well ventilated and often come with dividers, while plastic crates feel more enclosed and are usually required for air travel. Some dogs relax better when a wire crate is partly covered with a blanket.

Step 1: Make the Crate a Happy Place

  • Place the crate in an area where your family spends a lot of time, not in an isolated room.
  • Make it comfortable with soft bedding, unless your puppy chews bedding, in which case remove it for safety.
  • A dog-appeasing pheromone diffuser nearby may provide extra comfort.
  • Toss delicious treats and toys inside and let your puppy explore the crate on their own.
  • Leave the door open at first, and let your puppy walk in and out as many times as they like.

Step 2: Feed Meals in the Crate

Once your puppy goes in willingly, feed their meals and give food-stuffed chew toys inside the crate. Start with the door open. When your puppy is eating comfortably, close the door during the meal and open it as soon as they finish. Over several days, leave the door closed for a few minutes longer after each meal.

Step 3: Build Up Time Gradually

  • Start with short periods in the crate while your puppy works on a food-stuffed toy or a safe chew.
  • Sit nearby at first, then leave the room for short periods while your puppy is busy.
  • Gradually increase the time your puppy spends in the crate, as long as they stay calm and relaxed.
  • Vary the length of your absences, and keep your departures and returns low-key, so the crate does not become a signal that something upsetting is about to happen.

Step 4: Create a Bedtime Routine

Have your puppy sleep in their crate, ideally in your bedroom or close to you, at least at first. Being near you helps your puppy settle more easily, and you will hear them if they need to go out during the night. Give a special treat or chew in the crate at bedtime so it becomes a positive part of the evening routine. Young puppies usually need a trip outside during the night, so take them out calmly and quietly, then put them straight back to bed.

Responding to Crying or Whining

  • If your puppy cries or whines, the training may be progressing too quickly. Go back a step and build up time more slowly.
  • End sessions before your puppy becomes stressed, so each experience in the crate is a successful one.
  • Watch for signs of anxiety, such as panting, yawning, drooling, or frantic attempts to escape.
  • If your puppy wakes and cries at night, they may need to eliminate. Take them out on a leash, keep it boring, and return them to the crate.
  • Never punish your puppy for vocalizing in the crate.

How Long Is Too Long?

Never confine your puppy for longer than they can realistically be expected to hold their urine and feces. Young puppies need to go out every few hours during the day, and even adult dogs should not spend most of the day crated. If you will be away longer, use an exercise pen or a puppy-proofed room with a bed, water, and a potty area, and consider hiring a dog walker or asking a neighbor to take your puppy out.

A crate is not a solution for separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety can panic in a crate and may injure themselves trying to escape. If your dog shows distress whenever they are left alone, crate or no crate, read our article on separation anxiety in dogs and talk to your veterinarian.

Consistency and Positive Association

The key to successful crate training is consistency, and making every experience in the crate a positive one. Never use the crate as punishment, and do not let children or other pets bother your puppy while they are resting in it. With patience, most dogs come to see their crate as a safe, comfortable den of their own.