Dogs are natural den animals. Puppies and older dogs feel safe inside the confines of a crate, especially at night. Crates are excellent training tools to use when housebreaking. They also offer dogs a sense of security and safety. Once accustomed to a crate, most dogs will readily seek it out at night or during the day for naps.
Things You'll Need
- Crate
- Blanket or bed for crate
- Toys
Instructions
Provide a crate that is an appropriate size for the puppy. The puppy should be able to stand up in the crate and turn around. She should be able to lie down stretched out. If you have a very small puppy, purchase a divider to adjust the space as the pup grows. A crate that is too big for a dog will allow him to eliminate in one corner and lie in the other. If the crate fits the dog's size perfectly the dog will not eliminate in it, which makes housebreaking easier.
Place a blanket and stuffed toy inside the crate. If possible, rub the toy on the dog's mother first, or let the mother sleep with the toy overnight before giving it to the puppy. The scent of her mother will help ease your puppy's fear and insecurity during the night. Two puppies who are litter-mates can be housed inside one crate.
Take the puppy outside to potty before bed. Be sure the puppy eliminates and then place the pup into the crate. Most puppies will begin to whimper and cry. Do not remove the puppy. Turn the lights out and ignore the puppy. Dog trainer Ed Frawley suggests placing the dog crate in a basement or other area if you cannot sleep with puppy crying through the night. He advocates ignoring the puppy and letting him cry himself to sleep. Removing the puppy when she's crying will reinforce the idea that crying gets her released from the crate.
Praise the puppy for lying the crate quietly. Even if the room is dark and the puppy cannot see you, he will appreciate your words of encouragement such as "good puppy."
Place the puppy's crate inside your bedroom at night if you can stand his whining. The puppy or puppies will take solace in listening to you sleep and knowing that you are in the same room. According to Frawley, puppies are pack animals who crave sleeping beside other pack members. They consider their human family to be their 'pack' and their human owner to be the leader of the pack. This dog mentality makes them crave the companionship of their human pack during the night as a substitute for their canine pack family.