Rules of Crate Training

Crate training a dog is a method of housetraining that builds on a dog's natural den animal instincts. Dogs will not soil their dens, therefore, crating while they are left at home is a good way to keep them from having accidents in your house. While most people crate train their dogs as a means of housetraining, it does have other advantages. For example, the dog won't mind being confined to a crate while traveling.

  1. Start Slow

    • Don't begin crate training by simply putting the dog in the crate and leaving him there. Place the crate, with its door open, in an area of the house where the family spends a lot of time, such as the den or the kitchen. Put a soft blanket in the crate along with some of the puppy toys. Let him go in and out as he wishes. Begin feeding him meals inside the crate with the door open. The point of this is to make the crate a pleasant place for him.

    Confine

    • Begin by confining the puppy in the crate for short amounts of time while you are home. Choose a command for him to enter, such as "crate" or "kennel." Sit in the same room with him for a few minutes, then leave. Let him out after 15 or 20 minutes, at first, and work your way up slowly until he comfortably stays in crate with you at home for 30 minutes or more. Then begin leaving him in the kennel when you leave for short periods. Even if a young puppy is used to the crate, they should not be left inside it for more than three or four hours at a time because they can't "hold it" for that long.

    Tired

    • Tired dogs will go into a crate more willingly. So prior to leaving the house for a length of time, run around, or throw a toy with the dog to tire him out. He will be happy to go in the crate and go to sleep by the time you have to leave,

    Punishment

    • Never use a crate for punishment. A crate is not a place to give your puppy a "time out" when he has been bad. If the puppy begins to connect the crate with punishment, training him to the crate will take much more time and could be impossible.