Crate training
Crate training without the crying
7 min read
Done gently, a crate gives your puppy somewhere safe to switch off and gives you a way to manage toilet training, chewing and rest. Done in a rush, it becomes a place they fight. The difference is entirely in the first two weeks.
Set it up before the puppy arrives
Put the crate in the room where the family actually spends time, not a back utility room. Add a washable mat, a light blanket over three sides for a den feel, and leave the door tied open.
- Big enough to stand, turn and stretch out — no bigger while toilet training.
- Water in a clip-on bowl for daytime, removed an hour before bed.
- One safe chew inside, nothing that can be shredded and swallowed.
The five stages
Move to the next stage only when your puppy is relaxed at the current one. Most puppies take ten to fourteen days.
- 1. Food appears near the crate, door open, no pressure.
- 2. Meals are eaten just inside, door still open.
- 3. Door closed for ten seconds while they chew, then opened before they ask.
- 4. Door closed for one to five minutes while you stay in the room.
- 5. Door closed while you leave the room briefly, building up slowly.
Nights and the 3am wake-up
For the first week or two, put the crate beside your bed. A puppy who can hear and smell you settles far faster, and you will hear the wriggling that means they need the toilet.
A 3am cry is almost always a full bladder. Take them out on a lead, no talking, no play, straight back to the crate. Puppies can usually hold their bladder for roughly their age in months plus one, in hours.
Things that set crate training back
Using the crate as punishment, leaving a puppy in it for hours during the day, or opening the door while they are screaming — the last one teaches that screaming works. Wait for a two-second pause, then open.