Benefits of Crate Training

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The last thing you want to do is frighten your puppy to the point that he is unwilling or reluctant to get into his crate. Ideally, you want your puppy to get into the crate at your command.

Benefits of Crate Training

There are a lot of good reasons to crate train a puppy. If the crate is set up as a resting space, the puppy will wait until he leaves the crate to do his business.

You will find that the crate is also useful for transporting the dog when you have company over, car travel, and for making sure that the puppy is safe at night-- i.e., not eating thing left within reach, tearing at furniture, or soiling on the floors. Think of the crate as a little cave in which your puppy can feel secure and safe, and he will respond positively to it.

Making Crate Training a Pleasant Experience

To avoid making crate training your puppy a traumatic experience, make sure that he feels at ease throughout the entire process. You can do this by placing an old shirt or blanket on the bottom of the crate so that he is comfortable.



After practicing going in and out of the crate willingly several times, once the puppy appears to be at ease inside the crate and does not show any signs of fright, then you can close the door slowly. Keep it closed for one minute, as long as he remains calm all throughout. After that, open the door and invite him out while generously praising him.

Instead, tempt the puppy to enter the crate by placing some kibble inside. If he does not make a move to enter the crate, pick him up and slowly put him inside with the door left open. Once the puppy is inside the crate for a few moments, call him to come out of the crate to join you.

If it is his first time inside the crate, a puppy must never be locked up and left alone. This can be a very traumatic experience for your puppy and will only make it more difficult for you the next time you try and get him to go inside the crate and behave.

What if He Whines?

You will gradually increase the time the puppy stays inside the crate. Repeat this a few times a day, as consistency in training is a key tool to success.



Once you have passed the initial hurdle of familiarizing your puppy with the crate, you will want to get him comfortable to going into the crate and staying there quietly. Similar to before, the best trick for getting a puppy to go inside a crate willingly is to tempt him with food.

When he starts to whine and bark, tap the door of the crate and say "No" in a strong, commanding (but not loud) voice. With repetition, this will make him stop crying and eventually train him not to whine when he is placed inside his crate.

A puppy should not be made to spend almost an entire day in his crate, nor is it right to imprison a puppy inside his crate for long periods of time. He must be given breaks to walk and play around.

If the crate is set up as a resting space, the puppy will wait until he leaves the crate to do his business. Once the puppy is inside the crate for a few moments, call him to come out of the crate to join you. After practicing going in and out of the crate willingly several times, once the puppy appears to be at ease inside the crate and does not show any signs of fright, then you can close the door slowly. Once you have passed the initial hurdle of familiarizing your puppy with the crate, you will want to get him comfortable to going into the crate and staying there quietly. You can keep him inside his crate until the scheduled outside time-- when you can take him out to relieve himself-- and in so doing, the puppy learns how to control his body functions as an internal schedule is being set, so that he becomes accustomed to the times when he will be going outdoors.

After some time, your puppy will begin to feel at ease inside his crate and may even go to his crate on his own. This is the time to lengthen his stay inside, although you must keep in mind that there is also a limit to the maximum number of hours that your puppy can spend inside his crate before becoming uncomfortable.

You can keep him inside his crate until the scheduled outside time-- when you can take him out to relieve himself-- and in so doing, the puppy learns how to control his body functions as an internal schedule is being set, so that he becomes accustomed to the times when he will be going outdoors. He will learn not to eliminate until he is let out of his crate, and later, at the scheduled time.