Bagel helped me put together a free crate training and housebreaking courses. Click on him to sign up!
I’ve had a lot of conversations with owners about wether or not they should use a crate. Many don’t love the look of a crate, and don’t want to keep their puppy in one. But the reality is that when done correctly, not only is the crate is a safe space for your puppy to hang out, they actually end up loving it too! It’s their own cozy little den. There are things you need to do to acclimate them, but once done you have a safe place for them to stay when you are not watching them. Not to mention the biggest pro of the crate is that when acclimated correctly your pup should also not want to go to the bathroom in it. (Bonus!!) here are the reasons why I always suggest crate training.
Safety
Puppies can get into TONS of trouble. Take your eyes off of them for a second and they are chewing on something they shouldn’t, or going for food that isn’t safe. We as owners do our best to keep things that aren’t safe out of their reach, but that’s hard to do for the whole house. Not to mention when you leave and the pup spends an hour or two alone! The best way to make sure your puppy is safe and secure, is to have them spend time in the crate when you are out of your home, or not paying attention to them. (And I mean 100% of your attention) in the blink of an eye they could be chewing on electrical cords, or using your new coffee table as a chew toy.
Bagel is 5, and had never been crate trained. (He was re-homed when he was 2) he acclimated to this crate in a few days while he helped me film my course.
2. Housebreaking
Housebreaking is a nightmare. At eight weeks a puppy could pee every twenty minutes!! That’s a lot of going outside. Even if you’re using wee wee pads, (not my favorite, but a topic for another time) we need something to help us teach your pup to hold their bladder. They don’t come with the strength to hold it, so we need to help them out. If given the run of your home (or even just one room) they can very easily pee or poop in one area, and hang out elsewhere. They won’t care about the pee in the corner, in fact they will think they’ve done a good job keeping it away from their food. (And this is only if you have a pup that likes to keep things “neat”) the beauty of the crate is that your puppy instinctively doesn’t love going to the bathroom where they sleep and eat. So if we can have them sleeping and eating in the crate, guess what?? They won’t want to go to the bathroom when they’re in the crate, and they will learn how to hold it! You also use the crate as a way to know when they will need to go. Woke up from a nap in there? Take them out. You’ve been gone for 2 hours? Take them out. When put on a schedule It really sets both of you up to succeed.
3. It can help you get some downtime
When you have a new puppy, it’s all hands and eyes on deck. You quickly realize that whatever you’re doing, you need to have someone watching that pup. And if you need to you know, take a shower, cook a meal, have a zoom meeting, you need somewhere for that puppy to be. I as a trainer would prefer that puppy be somewhere they won’t go to the bathroom and will stay safe. (Reasons 1 and 2!) The crate is not only a safe bathroom free zone, but a trouble fee zone as well. If they love their crate, then you are free to get whatever you need to done, and they are cozy calm and holding their bladder. Can you imagine!?!
Click image to watch a YouTube video with quick crate acclimation tips!
4. It’s a place where they can calm down.
We’ve talked a lot about what the crate can do for you, but it can also do good things for your puppy and their nervous system. If your puppy has been properly acclimated to their crate, then the first thing they do when they get in there is calm down. (crate acclimation teaches them that the door only opens when they are quiet and calm. You can check out my free acclimation course by pressing the button at the end. ) So if your puppy is over tired or over stimulated and in desperate need of a nap, but is instead coming after you with those insanity sharp puppy teeth, you now have a place to send them. You can calmly put them in their crate (not as a punishment) and let them chill out. 9 times out of 10, they fall asleep. Puppies don’t know how to come back down when they’ve riled themselves up, and the crate is a wonderful way to force the issue. Then at the same time keep your nice sweaters and clothing out of it. (If you’ve had a puppy, you know exactly what I’m talking about)
5. It’s a safe place to sleep through the night
Like I’ve said, (a lot at this point) if acclimated right, your puppy will love their crate. This is not only helpful during the day, but especially at night. We expect our dogs to sleep through the night soundly and not need to use the restroom, or wander around looking for trouble. The way they learn this is by having them sleep in the crate, with the door closed. If you use a pen with a wee wee pad and a crate, and leave the door open, your pup gets used to waking up at certain times and using the pad. Then when you are trying to get them to use outside as a bathroom, they are so used to waking up to go, that they continue to do so. And in this scenario, they’re either waking you up nightly, or just going on the floor… not fun for anyone involved. Especially because it’s really hard to correct a behavior, unless you see it happening. Now imagine instead you suffer through the first few weeks, closing the crate door at night, and waking up to let them out before they are able to hold it all night. But then all of a sudden they are sleeping through the whole night! And you never have to worry what they are up to while you are getting some much needed sleep. Sounds wonderful, no?
Now whenever i take the crate out, he hops right in!
I hope this has helped convince you on why crate training is so beneficial. I think that it is the fastest way to get a truly housebroken dog. It may be a little more work on the front end, but trust me it’s worth it! You will have a dog you can take anywhere and you will not be worried about accidents. (I’m looking at you pad trained dogs!) That all being said I can understand how daunting crate training can be, so I’ve created a free course on crate acclimation, and an advanced crate training and housebreaking course to help you get through it. Check them out, and let me know what you think!