How To Crate Train A Puppy: Positive Crate Training & Alternatives

By Norma Jeanne Laurette

Introduction

Bringing a new puppy home involves making a lot of decisions. Where will the puppy sleep? What happens when you need to leave the house? How will you prevent chewing and accidents when you can't supervise? For many guardians, a crate is part of the answer.
 
A crate can be a useful tool for housebreaking, travel, veterinary visits, preventing destructive behaviour and providing a quiet place for a puppy to rest. When introduced gradually and positively, many puppies become comfortable using one, but there's something I think every puppy guardian should know R1) (R2). You do not have to crate your puppy to raise a well-trained dog. Some puppies love crates, while others are much happier in an exercise pen, puppy-proofed room or gated section of the house. The best choice is the one that keeps your puppy safe while also protecting its need for mental stimulation and emotional wellbeing.

Never Force A Puppy To "Get Used To It"

A puppy in its new home has just experienced an enormous change. It left its mother and littermates to move to an unfamiliar environment, and finds itself surrounded by new people, sights, sounds, smells and possibly other animals. Now imagine how the puppy feels when it suddenly finds itself isolated in a crate with no one around. Although some puppies adjust surprisingly well, many don't. Some will whine, bark, frantically scratch at the door, pant, drool and attempt to escape. This is not a puppy being stubborn or disobedient, it’s a puppy panicking due to emotional distress (R2) (R3).
 
Positive puppy training focuses on understanding what the puppy is experiencing and adjusting your training plan to meet its emotional needs instead of forcing it to endure upsetting experiences. Humane training focuses on setting the puppy up for success while eliminating unnecessary suffering (R1). For more information about positive training see my article Positive Dog Training: The Science, Ethics & Proven Results.

A Crate’s Purpose

Puppies explore their world with their mouths the way children use their hands. Electrical cords, shoes, furniture, children’s toys – in fact, anything within reach can become a chew toy for a curious puppy. When you can’t supervise your puppy, a crate can help prevent it from chewing something dangerous or practising unwanted behaviours. When introduced and used properly, a crate can provide a comfortable, secure place to sleep, relax and enjoy appropriate chew items (R4) (R7).
 
A crate can also be helpful during house training. Because most puppies naturally avoid soiling their sleeping area, crating for short periods of time can help prevent accidents in the house while the puppy learns where to eliminate.
 
A crate should only be used as a management tool and never as a copout to replace our responsibilities. It should never become a substitute for supervision, training, exercise, enrichment, socialization and interaction with the family, and it should never be used too long in one session or for the life of the dog.

A Positive Introduction To The Crate

Never force the puppy into the crate. Start with the door open and let your puppy investigate without any pressure. Toss treats around the entrance and then inside and feed meals in the crate. Put comfortable bedding inside (if your puppy won't chew it), and provide safe toys and something enjoyable to chew on. Once your puppy is happily entering on its own, begin closing the door for very short periods of time and open it again before the puppy becomes distressed. Gradually increase the length of time the door remains closed, while always letting it out before it gets upset. This method combines desensitization with counter-conditioning, which means exposure is introduced gradually while the puppy develops a positive emotional association with the experience. Remember to always let your puppy set the pace (R2) (R3).

Identifying Distress

There's a difference between a puppy complaining because it would rather be with you or out playing and one experiencing significant fear or anxiety.
 
Behaviours that indicate a distressed puppy are:

• Frantic escape attempts
• Excessive panting
• Drooling
• Distress vocalization (barking or whining)
• Refusing food or an enjoyable chew while in the crate
• Diarrhea
• Refusing to enter the crate
• Escalating rather than settling

 
These behaviours need to be acknowledged, and distress should never be ignored in the hope that the puppy will eventually give up. If your puppy is distressed, change your plan (R2) (R3). For more information about stress and anxiety see my article entitled Stress & Anxiety In Dogs: How To Cure Stress & Anxiety While Protecting Your Dog’s Emotional Wellbeing.

Exercise Pens & Puppy Proofed Rooms

​One of my favourite alternatives to a crate is an exercise pen, or X-pen. In fact, I use them in my school when a puppy in class needs space from the other puppies. Exercise pens come in a variety of sizes and consist of eight connected panels that can be arranged in different shapes and configurations to suit the available space. They also fold flat, making them convenient to store when not in use. An exercise pen gives a puppy room to stand, stretch, change sleeping positions, play and chew while preventing unrestricted access to the house. Exercise pens are commonly used for positive puppy management and early training (R4).
 
I learned just how valuable this option could be with my own puppy, Tala. When I initially confined him to a small comfortable space with his favourite chews, he panicked – crying and trying to escape. Rather than forcing him “get used to it,” I changed my setup. Using an exercise pen, I blocked off a larger, puppy proofed area using my kitchen and hallway, and provided him with his bed, toys, a bully stick and frozen stuffed kong to chew on. He settled immediately proving that in his case, he just needed more space.

​Some puppies can be safely left in a puppy-proofed kitchen, laundry room, hallway or other gated area. Puppy proofing involves remove electrical cords, plants, medications, garbage, cleaning products, absolutely everything the puppy could possibly chew or swallow. If these objects are under a counter in the puppy’s enclosed area, child-proof safety locks for cabinets can be used to prevent access. You can use exercise pens not only to block the exit but also to protect cabinetry, walls or furniture if necessary. The idea is simple, instead of waiting for the puppy to make a mistake, control the environment so the only options are correct choices.

Do I Need A Crate To Housebreak My Puppy?

No. A crate can certainly be helpful, but successful housebreaking depends more on supervision to prevent accidents, taking the puppy outside frequently, teaching it to tell you when it needs to go out and rewarding elimination in the appropriate location. Confining your puppy or leaving it outside for long periods of time without a housebreaking program will not be successful. Puppies learns through repetition and good habits are just as hard to break as bad ones.
 
An exercise pen or blocked off area can work well during housebreaking, particularly for very young puppies that are still developing bladder control. Newspapers or pee pads can be used temporarily in these spaces to prevent accidents on the floor. As reliability improves, the newspapers or pee pads gradually disappear, while over time, the puppy earns more freedom (R1) (R4). For more information about house training your puppy see my article Potty Training A Puppy – The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide.

How Long Should A Young Puppy Be Left Alone?

Puppies need to learn some independence however, they’re social animals and should not routinely spend long periods of time isolated or confined. Using desensitization and counter conditioning, I gradually teach my puppies to feel comfortable on their own. For any dog that’s confined, I use approximately four hours as my upper limit, but only after they’ve become comfortable being confined for that length of time. If you need to be away longer, having a trusted friend, family member or professional take your puppy outside to eliminate and play with it or take it for a walk, can help prevent accidents in the crate as well as pent up stress and anxiety. As your puppy matures, becomes reliably house trained and no longer chews inappropriate objects, it can gradually be given more freedom in the home until it eventually earns access to most of the house.

Crying At Night

So far, your puppy has spent its entire life sleeping beside its mother and littermates, meaning that suddenly sleeping alone in a strange house can be  very upsetting. Keeping your puppy's crate, pen or sleeping area near your bed can make the transition much easier. Some puppies sleep through the night almost immediately, while others need night time bathroom breaks. If your puppy wakes up and needs to eliminate, keep the trip quiet and uneventful. Take the puppy outside, calmly reward successful elimination and go back to bed. As bladder control strengthens, night time trips usually become less frequent. For more information about sleeping through the night see my article entitled How To Teach A Puppy To Sleep Through The Night: Proven Tips For Restful Sleep.

Can My Puppy Sleep In My Bed?

A more important question to ask is what you want long term. Dogs learn patterns and routines and changing them can cause stress and anxiety, which can lead to behaviour problems and compromise emotional wellbeing. Because of this, it's better to establish the sleeping arrangement you want for the rest of your dog’s life from the onset, instead of introducing a routine and changing it later (R3) (R6). Although many have strong opinions about this, my opinion is that it’s always a personal choice. Our dogs are allowed to sleep in our bed if they so choose, so our puppies are on the bed from the day they come home. To set us up for success we put little bells on their collars so if they wake up we can take them out to prevent accidents on the bed, and after decades of raising many puppies, we’ve never had one.

Summary

One of the most important things I've learned after all these years is that every puppy is unique and one cookie cutter solution does not fit all. A crate should provide safety and management and not become a place where a frightened puppy is expected to endure distress. Our ultimate goal isn't to raise a dog that can live in a crate, it's to raise a confident, independent and well-behaved dog that eventually doesn't need one.

References

(R1) American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). Humane Dog Training Position Statement.
(R2) Yin, S. (2009). Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats. CattleDog Publishing.
(R3) Overall, K. L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier.
(R4) Dunbar, I. (2003). Before & After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Dog. New World Library.
(R5) Herron, M. E., Shofer, F. S., & Reisner, I. R. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesirable behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117(1–2), 47–54.
(R6) Bradshaw, J. (2011). Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. Basic Books.
(R7) VCA Animal Hospitals. Crate Training Your Puppy.

​Photo By Norma Jeanne Laurette