Do I Need to Put Food and Water in the Cage With a Puppy?

Your puppy is a cute little bundle of energy who is likely to destroy your shoes or leave you a poopy present while you're gone. Crate training your pup keeps your puppy and your house safe when you're out, but it's not a good idea to leave food and water in the crate.

  1. Crate Duration

    • Your puppy's body is still developing, which means he can't hold his pee or poop for very long; when he's got to go, he's got to go. The length of time you can leave him in a crate without expecting an accident varies with his age, according to the ASPCA. When he's 2 months old, he might only be able to make it 30 minutes, but by 3 months old, he should be able to wait at least two hours in a crate. When he's 4 months old, four hours in a crate is reasonable. If you're leaving him in a crate while you go to work, come home on your lunch hour to let him out or have a friend walk him so he doesn't spend more than four hours without going outside.

    Wet Mess

    • Your pup should easily be able to wait four hours between snacks and drinks. If you include bowls of food and water in the crate, your active puppy is likely to dump them over, create a wet, mushy mess. Since he can't get out, he might not be able to avoid getting into the mess, leaving you with a dog in desperate need for a bath when you get home.

    Can't Hold It

    • Allowing your puppy unlimited access to food and water means he's going to need to go to the bathroom more often. When he loads up on food and water in his crate, it's likely he'll need to unload some of it before you get home to let him out. Not only does this make a mess in the crate and likely on the dog, but it teaches him bad habits, making him think it's acceptable to pee or poop in the house.

    Sticking to a Schedule

    • As part of your crate-training process, get your pup on a regular feeding and walking schedule. Most puppies need to eat at least twice a day, so start early enough in the morning that you have time for a nice, long walk after he has his breakfast. This helps him relieve himself often before spending a few hours in the crate. When you let him out after four hours, he might not need food, but he'll probably enjoy a drink of water and another nice walk. Feed him again in the evening, walking him at least a couple more times before bedtime. He might need to go out at night as well; the four-hour rule for 4-month-old puppies still applies at night in most cases.