Crating or confinement training

• The best tool for confinement will depend on each family and their dog. You can use a room or area of the home with the door closed, create a space with baby gates, an exercise pen or two, or a crate. 

• The minimum size of a confinement space will allow them to turn around, stand, and lay flat on their side when in their space with any bedding provided.  In most cases, if they potty in a space this size, they are being left too long between potty breaks or may be panicking when alone. 

• Once potty trained and appropriate when unsupervised in the environment you can offer them as much freedom as you like. 

• Maintaining comfort being crated or confined for times you may have people in the home who aren’t comfortable with/do not need to meet your dog when they are sick/recovering from an injury, or as a safe retreat when they need a break can be valuable.  

• Extended periods of confinement and isolation are not healthy for a dog.  All dogs have different tolerance levels.  Small breed and older dogs are more likely to require a mid day potty break.  

• If crating overnight, place a crate in the bedroom to reduce social isolation. 

• Offer durable food stuffed toys, and safe chews when putting a dog on confinement to help them self-soothe and build a positive association with their safe space. 

• Use video calling or a wi-fi camera when left alone to be sure they are comfortable when left alone.

What to Do

• When introducing confinement, keep your social feedback calm, and quiet. This isn’t a behavior that you want to be about you. We want the dog to think confinement and alone time is when they get the good stuff, so they want you to leave. Focus on comfort in the space and access to fun activities they do on their own.

• Let the dog see you put some treats inside the crate and allow them to go in and out freely until they do not hesitate.

• Put treats in a closed crate, let them try to get at it, then open the door and let them in - don’t close the door yet.

• Feed some extra treats to your dog in the crate (drop into the crate).

• Let them come out – all the fun stuff stops as they exit the crate.

• Repeat this – until your dog prefers to be in the crate and wants to go in when given the choice.

• Now close the door to the crate without latching.  Feed several treats through the door, then open it.  Encourage the dog out if needed.

• Add latching the door when your dog is comfortable 4 to 5 times.  Pop a few treats through the crate top or door, then open it.  When the dog is reluctant to exit the crate or wants to rush in again after exiting, you can shift to working on duration and alone training.

• Dogs do not love crates because dogs are den animals – if a dog does den, the puppies will leave by 8 to 10 weeks.  Our dogs like crates because we teach them that it is a safe space where good things happen.

• Not all dogs do well confined to a crate, it isn’t an appropriate tool for all dogs.

• Dogs should not be expected to tolerate people bothering them while they are sleeping, especially when they have chosen to go into their confinement space.  

• Crying it out is not a good way to teach a dog to be comfortable in its crate or in confinement. We need to help them cope, not just expect them to figure it out by themselves.