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10 Tips to Crate Training Puppies

How to Modify your Dog's Behavior and Solve Obedience Problems

A lot of dog owners feel that crate training puppies is cruel. This thinking is wrong and it prevents them from taking advantage of the best house training tool - a crate.

If you can avoid some common crate training mistakes, your puppy will enjoy the time he spends in his crate.

You see, just like wolves, dogs are den animals. A crate provides them with the same sense of security that a den would have provided them in the wild.

The tricky part about crate training puppies lies in the fact that unless you use a crate correctly, you will not achieve the desired result.

What follows are some tips and suggestions you can use right away. Further down, there is a link to a page where I talk more about crate training your puppy.

So, without wasting any more time, let's review some...

Basics of Crate Training Puppies

You probably already know that a crate is the best housetraining tool. If you are new to housetraining, you may want to explore the Ultimate Guide to House Training. In addition to a very good section on crate training, it offers lots of other valuable advice.

Just one more thing - visit puppy crates if you would like to learn about different types of crates and how to choose the right one for your puppy.

The first step in crate training puppies is to decide where to place the crate. Because puppies are social animals, it's best to keep the crate in an area where your family spends a lot of time, but avoid placing it next to air vents or in direct sunlight.

Put a soft blanket inside the crate. To make your puppy feel more secure, put the crate next to a wall and cover the sides with a towel. Or get a Cratewear Pet Dreams 3-Piece Complete Crate Bed Set that includes a mattress, padded bumpers and a crate cover.

Though buckle collars are generally safe, it's not a good idea to use them when crate training puppies. Why? Because even a flat collar can get stuck between metal bars and injure your puppy.

The best time for crate training is when your puppy is hungry, bored, or... both.

Never force your pet to enter the crate. If he needs some encouragement, put some of his favorite toys or food inside the crate (from my experience, food works better than toys).

Initially, leave them near the door and leave the crate door open. As your pet becomes more comfortable, you may move the toys further inside his crate.

If the above doesn't work, try another approach...

Some puppies get anxious when encouraged to enter the crate but will venture inside on their own if there is an incentive. The following video illustrates this point...

Learn more about How to Crate Train your Puppy
One of the most difficult parts of crate training puppies is locking your pet in his crate for the first (and second, and third, and... times). Here is a trick I learned a long time ago.

With my dog inside the crate and eating, I lock the door, but only for the duration of his meal. Even if he notices that I locked the door, most likely, he will be too busy eating to express his displeasure. As soon as he finishes eating, I open the door. As you repeat this exercise, keep the door locked a little longer each time.

Always praise your puppy for doing things right. Did he just enter his crate for the first time? Or maybe he didn't cry when you locked the door? I am sure you'll agree these milestones deserve some praise and a treat or two!

Don't try to accomplish too much too soon. As you begin crate training your puppy, keep the sessions short and gradually increase the training time when your puppy is ready.

A crate is the most valuable tool for training puppies. But to get the most benefits out of crate training, your puppy can't associate his crate with anything negative. So, never use it for punishment.