Crating or confinement training

Prevent:

• You can use a room with the door closed, wire or airline crates, exercise or play pens, or gates to create confinement spaces in your home.  Ideally, you will also have a crate for the car to transport your pup safely.

• When potty training, a puppy should be confined to a space which is at least large enough for them to stand with their head up and lie flat on their side.  Some crates come with a divider so the crate can grow with the puppy.  Once potty trained, use a crate or puppy proofed space as large and as enriched as you can comfortably offer.

• Multiple crates or confinement spaces makes management easier! At least one in your bedroom and one in the main area of the house gives your pup multiple safe spots, so you can be consistent with management when you can’t actively supervise.  Fade these as they display reliable behavior and earn more freedom.

• Set up the space with easy to wash comfortable bedding, appropriate enrichment (chews, food stuffed toys).  Food and water do not need to be in the space if your puppy will be in the space overnight or for 3 to 4 hours at a time during the day.

What to do:

Introduce the confinement space without closing your puppy in:

• Feed your puppy in their space.

• Offer food stuffed toys inside their space.

• Spend time with them in or next to their confinement space (passive – like watching tv or reading a book) while they do an activity.

• Hide special treats or toys for them to find in their space.  

• Pay them for choosing to rest in their confinement space with a chew, some treats, or gentle attention.

• Do not disturb your puppy by petting or trying to play when they choose to go to their space, call them out if you need them.  This will help them learn this is their safe retreat – so they can choose to rest or avoid something that makes them uncomfortable.

Introduce closing them in:

• Get your pup to go into the confinement space when asked by tossing treats in, then letting your pup come out. Once out, treats happen inside the crate again.

• When that is easy and fun, your pup will be reluctant to leave the crate. Briefly close them in, feed a few yummy treats through the top or door, then open the door while they are still calm.

• Being calm should make the door open.  You can ask your pup to sit before you open the door if they know the cue – treats stop when the door opens.

• Slowly increase the duration – and then replace the few treats with a food stuffed toy.

• Sit next to/near the space while your pup does their activity. Ideally, do training when your pup has had some activity and is getting ready to nap so they learn to settle and rest.

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

• Puppies will potty where they sleep and eat if they are left too long, and some puppies get confused about where to potty when crated too long.  Crates don’t potty train your puppy, they are just a tool to prevent them from sneaking off to potty anywhere in the house while learning.

• Puppies should not be expected to tolerate people bothering them while they are sleeping, especially when they have chosen to go into their confinement space.  Kids (and some adults) need to be told if the puppy is in bed, leave them alone.  Gently wake by calling them or getting some treats if needed. Whenever possible let your puppy rest until they are ready to wake on their own.

• If your puppy is not able to settle in confinement within a few minutes, don’t let them cry it out.  Allowing a puppy to feel abandoned and panic can damage their ability to cope with being confined or alone as adults.  We need to help them cope, not just expect them to figure it out by themselves.