Part 2—Making Sure Your Puppy Loves His Crate

Look at this face!

Give me that toy!

The goodest boy!

Goodbye for now!

Before beginning any crate training session, (or any other kind of training session) make sure to have a good play session with your puppy so he can burn off his excess energy. Also, don’t forget to take him to go potty!

Once you’ve done that and the crate is set up with the puppy’s bedding and a few toys (keep his “treat-stuffed” toy set aside for later), go sit next to the crate with your puppy. Use the command you’ve chosen that will eventually be his command to go into his crate. “Crate” is the easiest command to use, as it cannot be confused with anything else. So give the command, gesture excitedly to the crate and, as soon as your puppy looks at it, reward him with a treat. This immediately makes your puppy associate his crate with good times.

Next swing the door back and forth, just so your puppy can get used to the movement. Be happy and excited and continue occasionally saying the word “crate” as you interact with the door. If the puppy shows interest in sniffing/exploring the crate, even if he has not stepped inside, reward him with another small treat. Your goal is to get the puppy comfortable with the idea of the crate.

 Progress from there to tossing a treat inside the crate and praising your puppy effusively when he goes inside to get it. If puppy refuses to go inside for the treat, don’t get discouraged. Make a little line of treats leading to the crate and then toss another one inside. Leave the door open and he will eventually venture inside.

And that’s it for his first training session. It should be no more than three to five minutes. As the day continues, repeat these steps every few hours, always remembering to play with your puppy first, take him to use the potty and use the command “crate.” Above all, while interacting with the crate, stay upbeat and leave the door open.

Once your puppy seems fully comfortable with entering the crate, you can begin practicing leaving him in there for short lengths of time. First, repeat the normal steps of having a play session/taking your puppy potty. Once he’s ready, go through the crate-training steps the puppy is already used to. This time, however, you’ll get the treat-stuffer toy we set aside earlier. Stuff the toy with a few treats and toss it into the crate, along with a bone. Let your puppy go inside and shut the door. Sit beside the crate as he enjoys his treats. As soon as he is done with his treats or loses interest in playing with the toys, let him out, even if he was only in there a few seconds. Once again, repeat this step every few hours in three to five minute training sessions until your puppy seems fully comfortable and relaxed inside his crate.

Now that you have a puppy who understands his crate is a happy place, it’s time to try leaving the room. Again, have a good play session with your puppy to wear him out, take him for a potty break and then repeat the same thing you’ve been doing—only this time, instead of waiting next to the crate, leave the room. At this point, your puppy should be fine with playing for a couple minutes on his own. If you are lucky, he may be relaxed enough to even settle down and take a nap. However, if he becomes scared, return and let him out. You may have to do this a few times over the course of the day, but eventually you will be able to leave for five minutes, and then ten etc…

Before you know it, you will be able to leave the house without worrying about your puppy hurting himself or tearing up your belongings! It’s super helpful to have a pet camera so you can check on how your little guy is doing. It’s also important to not go far in the beginning, so if you see your puppy becoming agitated, you can quickly return home.

And that’s it for daytime crate training—before you know it, your puppy will be seeking out his crate on his own when he is ready for some down time! Make sure to check out Part 3—Putting Your Puppy to Bed

*Keep in mind that these are only training tips. What works perfectly well for nine out of ten puppies may not work for the tenth. If the training tips you’ve read here are not working, your puppy may have some separation anxiety, or just be slower to adjust to change. Stay patient and positive—yelling or punishing a puppy is never a good idea. Feel free to call us for further advice, and talk to your vet as well.

*Any and all links included in the blog post are only meant to give you an idea of what to choose. The Puppy Burrow is neither affiliated with nor sponsored by any outside company.