Puppy Crate Training

Is dog potty training giving you a headache? Dog crate training can make housebreaking easy on both of you! Don’t let dog potty training get you down—gain control and regain your life!

Photo by John Grillo, Washington, DC

Puppy potty training can be one of the most frustrating parts of having a new puppy. In fact, it is one of the two most frustrating aspects of having a dog—period.

The most frustrating aspect, of course, is dog potty training and the other is the chewing issue. If your dog is chewing valuable items like shoes or furniture or she is soiling the house, she quickly becomes an unwanted guest!

So, the question is…how can you effectively train your new puppy? And, just as important, how can you get the job done…yesterday?

First, we will discuss the items that you will need to make this puppy crate training system work. Then I’ll walk you through the puppy crate training process. If you follow the steps, and do everything consistently, puppy crate training will be a snap for you!

Using a Puppy Crate for Puppy Crate Training

It is important to the process for your puppy to like being in his crate and to associate his crate with positive things. Even though my miniature schnauzer is over a year old, there are occasions when I feel that she should be in her pen for awhile (if we will be gone for a period of time and I don't want to leave her loose in the house).

When Skipper sees me put her water, pillow and a few toys into her crate, she knows that she will be going into her crate for a bit of time.

I always give her a treat (and praise her) when she voluntarily goes into her crate. She anticipates her reward--and, in fact, she happily runs right into her crate--every time.

Photo by James, Mutant Monkey

This part of puppy crate training gets a little complicated if you have purchased a puppy at a pet shop. Pet shop dogs have learned that there is no choice—they just “go” in their pens and the excrement drops through the floor or…they just sleep in it. If your new dog has been in this environment, puppy crate training will be a bit more difficult.

So the first item you will need is a dog crate. I know that you may think that this is cruel—keeping your new puppy locked up in a “jail”. But, as you will see, it really isn’t!

To your puppy, his new crate is a place of security. It feels like his den or cave. It is strictly his space!

If you put his favorite toys, some food and water, and a pillow or rug in his crate, he couldn’t ask for a better place to be!

You should purchase your new puppy’s crate before you bring your puppy home. Improvising until you can get to the store to get one is definitely not a good idea.

If you don’t prepare ahead of time, you are just making more work for yourself and increasing the tension in your home!

Your puppy’s crate can be pretty simple. If you are handy, you can make one for your dog's puppy crate training.

Or you can purchase a simple wire crate that has a locking door. One feature that your puppy crate should always have is a floor that can easily be cleaned.

Most purchased crates will have plastic flooring that can be easily washed and sanitized. If you make one, consider this feature to be essential in your design!

While the wire crates look like little jails to us, they are just fine for your pup. However, if you plan to place the crate in a prominent area of your home (and I suggest that you do), you may want to investigate some of the fancier or more elegant crates. Some are fun and funky and some even approach the look of a fine piece of furniture!

We’ll talk more about the crate a little later. One thing is very important to remember. If you are to be successful with this puppy crate training method, you must never, and I do mean never use your puppy’s crate for punishment. He must not come to think of it as a place that he wants to avoid!

The Travel Pen
for Your New Puppy

I understand. But the travel pen, that you should purchase for your puppy crate training, before bringing your new puppy home, serves more than one purpose.

Photo by Lindsey T, Memphis, TN/flckr

The first, and perhaps most important purpose that it serves is “bed”. The second is for traveling (i.e. airlines). If you go to visit someone, your pet's bed can go with him. It's also part of the puppy crate training system.

And your pup’s travel pen, when he gets a little older, can be a place of respite, when he just wants to get away from the crowd and feel secure or catch a little nap.

The travel pen that you purchase should be sized so that your pup can easily stand up and turn around—but not so huge that she can soil in the rear of the pen and sleep in the front.

For many breeds, if you consider the mature size of your dog, you can probably get a pen that will be useful when your dog is grown (and it won’t be too large now).

If you buy an over-sized travel pen, place something in the rear, so your pup doesn’t have extra space to do his business away from where he sleeps.

More about this, later…

Where to Place the Puppy Crate

Place the puppy crate in an area of your home where your pup can watch the family activities. Even if he is in his crate, he will feel that he is included—if he can easily see and hear what’s going on!

If you have an open floor plan, place it so your puppy can see the area where you spend most of your time. If you work from home, place the crate so he can see you working.

Your puppy crate will sort of serve as a playpen for your pup. It’s the best place to put him when you cannot supervise him. And it's critical to the success of your puppy crate training program!

Just remember that you should not leave him in his crate for more than 3-4 hours at a time. This is not fair to your pup.

Using a Dog Travel Pen as a Bed
for Your New Puppy

Sleeping in the same room serves a couple of purposes. Your new pup is less likely to bark or whine during the night. And, if necessary, you can take him out. However, if you do things right, this should not be necessary!

Another purpose served by having your dog with you at night is protection. If there ever would be an intruder in your home, your dog will alert you to the problem.

Lastly, puppies who sleep in the same room as their people family, are easier to train! Remember, dogs will not soil where they sleep.

If their den is confining enough and they are with their “pack family”, they will learn to hold their bowels and bladder all night. This actually happens pretty early.

As your puppy matures, his muscles will become more developed and he will be able to hold his bowels and bladder for longer and longer periods of time!

Puppy Crate Training

If you follow these steps and do so consistently, your pup should be fully housebroken in 4-8 weeks. Do the puppy crate training right the first time and you won’t have to undo any bad habits! Very simply, these are the steps you’ll need to take:

• Locate the Crate and Travel Pen Where You Want Them Read the discussion above for details on this. Once these are in place, help your new puppy get used to them.

  Place a pillow, blanket or soft rug in them. Put a toy or two in his crate. Put his water and food in the crate. Have a younger member of the family crawl into the crate. Let your pup run in and out of the crate. Give your pup a treat when he goes into his crate. Better yet, and more fun, have a line of treats (or puppy food) leading into the crate. Remember the story of Hansel and Gretel?

  Be creative. Make it fun! Use every means possible to help your pup get used to his crate and travel pen. Don’t just bring him home, shove him into his travel pen at bedtime, and expect him to think that it’s great!

• Control Water Intake I don’t advocate cutting back on the water that a dog drinks. Small puppies can become dehydrated too quickly, and that can lead to serious problems!

  Instead, allow your pup to drink freely during the daytime. However, at 6:00 p.m. remove his water. This will help your new pup control his bladder through the night.

  It is true that a puppy’s metabolism slows down at night. Because of this, he will be able to hold his bladder and bowels for 6-8 hours. However, for the first several weeks, if your pup cries at night, take him out and stay with him to make sure that he is doing his business.

  I know this is not the most pleasant thing for you to do at midnight, but you are teaching your pet that he “goes” outside, not in his den. He also learns that you will help him when he is distressed.

  The good news is that you may never have to do this. Skipper, now 8 months old, only asked once, in the entire time that we’ve had her, to go outside in the middle of the night. Thankfully!

• Food Intake Until your puppy is completely housebroken, it is best to keep him on a fairly rigid feeding schedule. You could start with 3 times a day for a little pup and decrease it to 2 times a day when he gets to be 5-6 months old.

  Let your dog have free access to his food for 20 minutes each time. After 20 minutes, remove the food. This teaches your dog to eat his food at a particular time and it will help you predict when he will have to relieve himself. For most dogs, it will be within 15 minutes of eating.

• Puppy in the Crate In the beginning of puppy crate training, your pup should spend his unsupervised time in his crate. Make sure it’s comfortable and that he has toys to amuse himself while he’s there.

  The only time your pup should be outside his crate—until he is completely housebroken—is just after he’s been outside and has eliminated.

• Going Outside Your puppy’s need for elimination is predictable! Take him outside after eating or drinking (5-20 minutes), after vigorous play, after car rides and just after awakening from a nap.

  These are the times when he will be most likely to need to eliminate. When he does so, praise him! And do so enthusiastically. Your pup will appreciate the support and he will continue to want to please you.

  Pick a designated area outside for elimination. Take your pet there when you take him out to do his business. Clean up after him because dogs prefer a clean place.

  If there is too much feces lying around, your pup will find another spot to eliminate (inside your house) or, worse, he may engage in copraphagia (eating feces) to clean up the area.

  Give your dog time to get his business done. Puppies like to romp, roll in the grass, pee and poop, sniff around, run around the yard and then pee and poop again. Give him time to get everything taken care of.

  As a “pack” animal, your puppy also likes company when he goes out. Don’t make the mistake of just letting him out and then going back inside to watch TV. Your pup will miss you and may be more interested in what you are doing and where you are than taking care of his business outside.

  If you pup does not relieve himself in 10 minutes, put him back into his crate. This is not punishment. It is simply to prevent an accident in the house. Take him out again in 20 minutes. If he goes this time, he might be allowed to be outside his crate for awhile, with supervision.

• Accidents in the House If your puppy has an accident in the house, startle him when you catch him in the middle of the act. Take him outside immediately, and praise him enthusiastically when he completes the act outside. Reward him with a treat.

  Remember, for effective puppy crate training, he should be in his crate when he is not supervised, and you already know when he is likely to have to eliminate. Accidents should occur infrequently!

  DO NOT, under any circumstances, punish your puppy or dog for accidents in the house. Especially, do not use heavy-handed techniques. Hitting your dog or rubbing his nose in the mess will only make your dog fearful (submissive urination—he’ll pee whenever he sees the person who punished him) or aggressive. You don’t want either!

  What’s more. Your dog does not have a memory. If you refer to the accident or punish him 5 minutes later, he’s clueless! He has no idea what you are talking about! In fact, he is likely to associate the punishment with something totally unrelated.

  If your pup was unsupervised, the puppy crate training couldn’t be effective! It is your fault. Clean up the mess, disinfect and deodorize the spot and make sure you put him in the crate when you are not 100% with him!

• Night-time Take your puppy outside just before you go to bed. This is his last chance to eliminate until morning. Then he goes directly to his bed or travel pen.

  We put a pillow in Skipper’s travel pen. She is quite content in her pen and she feels especially content when we put “Duckie”, her favorite soft toy in the pen with her.

  Recently, we decided to try taking the top and door off the pen so that Skipper (8 months old) would be able to come and go as she pleased.

  The first night she stayed in the pen. The second night she followed me into the bathroom (a girl thing)—which was OK. The part that wasn’t OK was that she decided that she would like to go outside.

  As a result, the next night we put the top and door back on the pen. When you feel that your pet is ready, you can test the water too. If it works out, you can gradually transition to a less restrictive environment. If not, wait a little longer and then try again!

• De-worm Your Puppy Most puppies get worms when they are still with their mother and siblings. If your pup has worms, he will have loose stools and will not absorb all of the nutrients in his food. He will also have more difficulty controlling his bowel movements.

  Make sure that your puppy is on an appropriate de-worming program. Depending on where you live, your vet may recommend monthly de-worming with a pill that also controls heart worms.

Puppy Crate Training Tips

• If you notice that your dog is peeing a lot more than usual, consider taking her to the veterinarian. She might have a bladder infection and will need medicine and/or dietary changes to get over it.

• Don’t leave your dog in his crate for more than 4 hours in the daytime. If you must be away all day, arrange for someone to come and let your dog outside for a little exercise and elimination at noon. This will also help to speed up your puppy crate training program's success.

• Don’t give your dog the run of the house prematurely. Just because he doesn’t soil his crate, it doesn’t mean that he won’t have accidents in the house!

• On the other hand, your pup doesn’t have to be in his pen for the rest of his life. Gradually give him more and more time outside his pen—heavily supervised at first. As he gains your trust and perceives that more and more of the house is his “den”, you can give him more freedom.

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