CRATE TRAINING

If we think of a crate as a bedroom for the dog rather than a cage, I bet we would train a dog to use it more easily. Afterall, when we prepare a nursery for the newborn, I’m sure we are not thinking of it as a cell. We decorate it with things that are appealing to a baby. We should consider the same when we prepare the crate for a dog by making it feel a comfortable and safe place to stay in with the gate closed.

I didn’t use a crate for my first dog. They were not the ‘thing’ then. Instead, I shut her in the kitchen and would come in to puddles on the floor and chewed furniture. Not great for toilet-training and keeping her safe! Since then, and with my new puppy, I have used a crate, and what a difference it has made. It has simplified toilet-training, and the puppy is safer and happy in the crate when left alone.

A young puppy needs a lot of sleep (approximately 18 hours per day), so, most of this sleep time could be spent in his crate and learning to associate it with security, comfort and rest.

WHAT SORT OF CRATE SHOULD I GET?

A metal crate with a plastic base is suitable. They do look like a cage but they are well ventilated. Covers can be put over them to make them more ‘den-like’ for the dog and more aesthetically appealing for us. Covers can also provide shade from sunlight, but they can also block out air circulation, so beware in the summer months that the dog does not overheat.

Fabric crates can serve as travel crates but are less secure as dogs can tear the fabric with their teeth and escape. They are also less well ventilated.

The size of the crate is important. When toilet-training, if the puppy is in a very large crate, compared to his size, he may toilet in the crate which defeats toilet-training. So, it can be better if the crate is not overly spacious, and take him out as necessary for regular toilet breaks.

The crate should be high enough so that he can stand up on all fours, wide enough that he can turn around, and long enough that he can lie outstretched.

WHAT ABOUT A PEN INSTEAD WITH THE PUPPY’S BED IN IT?

This is an option. However, a puppy grows fast, and if he is going to be a medium to large breed, the sides of a pen may not keep him in from beyond 3-4 months old (a time when you will still be wanting to keep him safely contained when you are not there to supervise). So, you may find yourself regretting not using a crate from the start.

HOW TO FIRST INTRODUCE YOUR PUPPY TO A CRATE

Prepare his crate before he arrives. Place it in a part of the home where he will be able to rest easily, be warm and not feel vulnerable. When you collect him from the breeder, bring some fabric with you (perhaps a blanket or pillow case) that his mother and siblings have been on, so that it carries familiar smells from his former home to his new home. Put that fabric with his bedding in his crate and when he is due for a rest, place him in the crate together with a food bowl of some of his regular food (not a whole meal otherwise he will probably need to toilet shortly after eating). This should make the crate a welcoming environment to introduce him to the first few times. Some puppies will settle better if they have something warm to snuggle up against, so you could wrap the blanket or pillow case around a warming pad that is puppy-safe. Another soother is the sound of a heart-beat (simulating beating hearts can also be purchased). When he has finished resting, open the gate and take him to the place where he can toilet.

It is important to help the puppy learn to settle without the aid of his mother and siblings, and not always rely on human company as the alternative. Whilst we are bound to want to spend time cuddling our puppy and bond with him, it is also necessary that he learns to cope on his own very early on. If he does not, it could be a hard lesson to learn later, and he could become stressed with separation from the person he has formed an attachment to.

SHOULD I HAVE THE CRATE IN MY BEDROOM?

This is very much personal choice. If you are planning to have your dog sleep with you in your bedroom, then having the crate in there to start could be fine. But if you are planning to have your dog sleep in another room of your home, then it would probably be better to get your puppy used to that location from the start. The first few nights can be disturbing as the puppy adjusts to being away from his mother and siblings, but if you use the crate during the day too, for his short naps, and make the introductions a positive experience as advised above, he should soon regard it as a cosy place to be and settle there at night too.

SHOULD I GET THE PUPPY UP IN THE NIGHT TO TOILET?

Some puppies may sleep all night long without the need to toilet. It may depend on how many weeks old they are, what toilet training the breeder has done, what diet they are being fed and at what times the household goes to bed and gets up.

If you have an 8-week old puppy, you can expect that he may need to toilet in the night. So be prepared to have a few weeks of disturbed nights, and when you hear him wake, take him out of his crate, and to the place where you want to train him to go. Once he has done his business, put him back in his crate and leave him

HOW LONG CAN A PUPPY STAY IN A CRATE

It is possible that some young puppies will quickly learn to sleep through the night (eg. from around 10pm to 6am) without the need to toilet, and can therefore remain in the crate all night.

During the day, he will also need sleep times, but when he is awake, he will need to toilet. Therefore, he should be taken out of his crate so that he does not soil it. Once he has been to the toilet, had some activity, been fed, had a drink and toileted again, he will need another sleep, so he can go back in the crate for another rest, which could be an hour or two or three, (the length of time depends on how long he sleeps and how often he needs to toilet) and he can be crated several times throughout the day.

For daytime use, the dog should have access to water. Water bowl holders can be fitted to the inside of the crate. The bowl could be removed at night if drinking at night increases the need to urinate.

WHAT IF MY PUPPY DOESN’T WANT TO GO IN HIS CRATE?

Puppies don’t always want to go in their crate, just like children sometimes don’t want to go to bed. The way to overcome this problem is to make going to bed, or going to the crate appealing.

Puppies like to chew, especially when they are teething. So, place a tasty a tasty chew inside the crate that he can see so he willingly enters the crate and settles down to gnaw on it. Then gently close the gate. The chew should keep him busy for a while, and the act of chewing can be very soothing. Another relaxing occupation is licking something out, in the way that a dog would lick the marrow from a bone. Good pet shops sell age-appropriate chews for puppies and suitably sized Kongs. These can be good pacifiers that aid resting and crate training. (They are better than snuffle mats, in my opinion which are designed for the dog to search for the food which is a scavenging activity not a restful one).

Make sure a chew is not something the puppy could choke on. If he has chewed it down to a size that he could swallow whole, it is safer to throw the chew away, and give him a new one.

SHOULD I TAKE MY DOG’S COLLAR OFF IN THE CRATE?

When first introducing a dog to a crate, it can be less risky if he is not wearing a collar. There have been incidences when a dog has been restless in a crate and got his collar caught in the bars.

HOW LONG MIGHT A CRATE BE NEEDED?

Certainly, for until he is toilet trained and has stopped chewing things that could be dangerous to him or damaging to you. But also, for as long as he is learning to settle adequately on his own.

Some dogs that are more prone to being restless will settle better in a crate because there is simply nothing for them to do other than rest. This can be a solution for dogs that when they get bored, they become destructive by chewing something they should not eg. the sofa. Or dogs that don’t settle easily when left alone and mope around searching for their human. If they have been crate trained and it is a place they feel settled, then why unsettle him by removing his bedroom?

CAN AN ADULT DOG BE CRATE-TRAINED?

Crate training an adult dog has its benefits eg. if he has to stay at the vet, he will probably be kept in a crate. And if he has surgery, he may need restricted mobility for a period of time afterwards, whilst he convalesces. So, getting a dog happy to rest in a crate is a good idea.

Following the tips above on how to introduce a puppy positively to a crate can be straightforward with crate-training adult dogs too, making the crate a place that the dog is really happy to rest in and be confined, but if crate-training highlights problem behaviours or is needed because of problem behaviours, then please seek professional advice from a behavioural trainer.