How to House Train Your Puppy Using a Dog Crate

To Crate or Not to Crate?

Before we got Shadow, we knew we wanted him to be an inside dog. This meant that we needed a place for him to spend the night and not get into trouble. A dog crate seemed like it might be a good answer. I will admit that initially I had some very negative ideas about dog crates after seeing puppies stuck in them in pet stores.

At the time I didn’t really understand how they could be used for house training or for any other positive use. I saw them as more of a prison for my dog.

I casually asked some friends at work who had dogs what they thought of dog crates. I wanted some first-hand advice from people who had dogs that actually used dog crates. The advice varied quite a bit. People seem to be polarized with either being a big fan of dog crates or not really liking them at all. Some of the people I spoke with had never used a crate. Their dogs were allowed roam the house while they were away and sometimes gave them problems as a result. Some of these dogs would get bored and turn to destructive behaviors, chewing up furniture or other items in the house.  (Think Marley the Lab!)

Wanting to expand my knowledge, I also went to my local library and did a lot of research. It turns out that wild dogs live in dens. They like having a secure place where they can sleep in privacy as this is a natural instinct for dogs.

The more research I did, the more I learned that a properly outfitted dog crate is more like a den than a prison for dogs. Dog crates should always be a positive experience for your pet. In our home we frequently allow our dog to come and go as he pleases from his crate. He keeps his toys in there and is allowed to go in and take a nap whenever he wants. When he’s ready, he can come out and spend more time with the family.

What Kind of Crate?

When we first got our Labrador Retriever puppy at nine weeks old, we had a 42 inch crate set up and ready to go. We wanted to keep the crate a positive experience so we left the door open and let him explore his area. To help lure him into the crate and get used to it, we would throw small treats into the crate and he would go in, get them, and exit as he wanted.

Since we have a Labrador Retriever, we knew he was going to go from being a very small pup to a 70 pound dog and would need to have plenty of room to grow. We decided to go with a metal dog crate with a divider in the middle. This allowed us to have a small crate in the beginning and then move the metal divider as he grew.  We had also heard that metal crates were far more durable, and less likely to be chewed on than a plastic airline carrier-type crate.

The size of the crate is important, especially if you’re going to use the crate for house training. You want to have the crate size adjusted so that he has room to lie down and relax, but not excessive room to move around. It’s a natural instinct of a dog to not want to soil his den. If he only has room to get up and turn around, he’ll be less likely to soil his den since he knows he has to lie in it.

Time for House Training

With our Labrador Retriever this idea worked very well. He learned at a very early age to stay in his crate without having an accident. The key to house training a dog using a crate (especially at an early age) is to remember the limitations. Dogs under nine weeks old should not be left in the crate. They do not have the ability to hold their bodily functions at that point and will probably have an accident. After nine weeks, you can allow the dog to stay in the crate initially for 2 to 3 hours at a time. During this time, you will need to be available every 2 to 3 hours to take the dog out, so they won’t have any accidents. After six months, your dog will be able to go for 6 to 8 hours without having an accident. At this time you will gradually start being able to leave them in the crate for longer periods of time whenever you are away from home or throughout the night.  Of course, these are general guidelines.  Some dogs take longer to train, and some seem to pick it up faster.  Shadow was sleeping through the night without accidents within about a month of his arrival in our home.

Whenever you start to house train your dog in a crate you are going to need a schedule. The schedule in reality is more for the human than it is for the dog. It is to make sure you stick with a routine and don’t stray from it. Remember in the event that they do have an accident, which will happen, don’t punish the dog.

It’s important to remember that a crate should never be used for discipline. If the dog has an accident in the crate he won’t understand if you punish him, especially not at such an early age. Dogs live in the moment and they don’t understand when you punish them for something they did half an hour ago. They simply see it as you being mean to them.

Getting Through the Night

One thing that I found very beneficial to help us get through the night with our dog was to move the crate into our bedroom. A new puppy just recently moved away from his family can be very lonely at night. Being able to hear your breathing close to him will help your dog relax.

Being this close to your dog will also help you learn when the dog is starting to wake up. When your dog starts to stir or possibly whine during the night, this can be a great indicator that he’s ready to go out. At this time it’s your job to make sure you get yourself out of bed and get him outside as quickly as possible. This will help reduce the number of accidents until your dog is able to hold it for longer periods of time.  Don’t worry; this period of night-time waking is far shorter for puppies than for babies!

The good news is that over time and with the proper diligence, your dog can learn that a crate is a positive place for him to spend some time. For us it provided a great way to house train our dog and keep him out of trouble whenever we weren’t able to watch him. After trying the crate in our home, I would highly recommend crate training for any indoor dog. It’s a great way to house train a dog.