Crate Training
By Scotty Valadao – Friends of the Dog

The concept of crate training your dog or puppy is a relatively new one to most dog owners in South Africa. However, crate training has been around for ages, especially in USA and UK and is used in obedience, showing, agility etc in our own country; it just hasn’t been introduced to the every day pet owner as much here in SA, more the pity.
On first hearing that people put their dogs in crates, many people have the thought of ‘oh no, how cruel’. This is not the case at all and it will actually make not only your dogs life happier by giving him a ‘safe’ place, but will also impact positively on your own life as you will be able to control elimination, chewing, cut down on separation anxiety etc.
If we look at dogs in their natural environment, they are ‘den’ animals and an adult dog will instinctively look for a safe area to sleep. When a dam is about to give birth she will set up her own den where she will give birth and keep her pups till they are old enough to go outside by themselves. When the pups are very small the dam will eat the faeces in order to keep the den clean and when the pups are a bit older, the pups will be taught by their dam where the elimination area is. The golden rule – you don’t mess where you sleep. When pups are kept in cages when up for sale, this causes problems with toilet training.
Take a look at dogs in the home environment – you can normally find them cuddled up sleeping under a piece of furniture or in a favourite place. If we look at dogs that are fearful of storms, the first thing they do is try to find a place to hide where they feel safer, this will often be in a cupboard, behind a couch etc. So crate training our dogs, either as puppies, or later on in life, is not cruel in any way at all and can be really beneficial, both for the dog and the owner.
What is important is the way the dog is trained to use the crate and the manner in which the owner uses it. I can assure you that after you try crate training you will never have a dog again without crate training it, especially a puppy. You can liken it to a child’s playpen, it allows the child to be safe, the difference being that a crate has a roof.
Here are some of the manybenefits of crate training your puppy:-
On first hearing that people put their dogs in crates, many people have the thought of ‘oh no, how cruel’. This is not the case at all and it will actually make not only your dogs life happier by giving him a ‘safe’ place, but will also impact positively on your own life as you will be able to control elimination, chewing, cut down on separation anxiety etc.
If we look at dogs in their natural environment, they are ‘den’ animals and an adult dog will instinctively look for a safe area to sleep. When a dam is about to give birth she will set up her own den where she will give birth and keep her pups till they are old enough to go outside by themselves. When the pups are very small the dam will eat the faeces in order to keep the den clean and when the pups are a bit older, the pups will be taught by their dam where the elimination area is. The golden rule – you don’t mess where you sleep. When pups are kept in cages when up for sale, this causes problems with toilet training.
Take a look at dogs in the home environment – you can normally find them cuddled up sleeping under a piece of furniture or in a favourite place. If we look at dogs that are fearful of storms, the first thing they do is try to find a place to hide where they feel safer, this will often be in a cupboard, behind a couch etc. So crate training our dogs, either as puppies, or later on in life, is not cruel in any way at all and can be really beneficial, both for the dog and the owner.
What is important is the way the dog is trained to use the crate and the manner in which the owner uses it. I can assure you that after you try crate training you will never have a dog again without crate training it, especially a puppy. You can liken it to a child’s playpen, it allows the child to be safe, the difference being that a crate has a roof.
Here are some of the manybenefits of crate training your puppy:-
- Dogs by nature are ‘den’ animals, and when the crate is introduced correctly it becomes the dogs den.
- Teaches puppies bladder and bowel control
- Limits destructive chewing, puppy is given and learns what objects can be chewed.
- Limits the chances of ‘accidents’ – dogs chewing electrical wires or ingesting harmful substances.
- Crating your dog helps to teach the dog to be confident by itself and to settle and lie quietly.
- It allows you to have a bit of a time-out!
- When travelling, a crated dog has more change of surviving a car accident and less chance of causing one.
- You can take your dog on holiday with you and be welcomed into hotels
- If your dog goes to the grooming parlour or kennels, it is already used to the crate and feels safe rather than stressed
- When you have workmen in your house fixing electricity etc, you can pop your dog into the crate. This limits the chance of the repairman leaving the door open and your dog going walkabout.
- It is a place where your dog feels safe and will go by itself if it wants a bit of privacy or time out, or is feeling stressed in any way – if you have a dog that suffers from Brontaphobia (Storm Fear Phobia), a crate will go a long way to helping the situation.
- If the dog ever needs to be kept quiet after an operation, the crate is excellent
- If your dog needs to be separated from other dogs or children, it can be put into its crate and still be part of the situation without danger and less stress.
- If your dog has to travel by train or plane (in this scenario, habituate your dog to the actual crate to be used a few weeks before travel).
- If you participate in dog shows or obedience, you have a safe place to leave your dog if you want to take a quick walk around without him/her.
- It teaches a dog to be able to lie quietly.

The crate should be large enough to allow the dog to lie down, stand up and turn around in comfortably, but not large enough to let the dog relieve itself at one end and sleep at the other. Bear in mind as well, the size the puppy will grow too. If you do buy a bigger crate, make sure that your dog will fit into it comfortably when it is an adult. Until then, simply block off part of it with a chew-proof obstacle until the puppy grows into it. This is much cheaper than buying several crates. The following sounds like it is a lot of work, but it is very seldom that I come across a pup or dog that does not enjoy the crate if the introduction to it is done properly, the dog adapts to it very quickly. The exceptions, and I have only had two, were dogs that had been adopted and had obviously been abused (perhaps being locked up was part of the abuse) and it just took a little longer to get them crate trained. As soon as they had accepted it, they happily went to lie in it of their own accord and used it as their night time bed, even with the door left open.
With a puppy who is introduced to a crate when it first comes home simply have the crate ready with either the blanket you brought back from the breeder, or a nice cuddly blanket and a really interesting chew toy or two. Lure the pup in the crate with a piece of food and offer the new chewy to have a nibble at (it is often helpful to ‘spike’ this a bit by smearing a little peanut butter in the cracks – if possible use organic peanut butter as excess peanut butter can be toxic to dogs). Do this as often as possible, leaving the door open. This allows the pup to come in an outside by itself and will eliminate any fear associated with the crate. A good way to speed this up is to hand feed the pup its daily ration by having the pup go in and out the crate to get individual pieces of dog kibble.
When the pup appears tired, again lure it into the crate with food, offer the chewy to the pup (or even have a new one, already spiked, for interest) and then close the door. At this time I don’t leave the pup alone, I just sit in front of the crate to give the puppy a sense of security. If it cries or whines, I just ignore it and the pup will soon drop off to sleep. What is very important here is that if your dog is crying or pining to get out, that you do NOT take the dog out till it is being quiet. If you take the dog out whilst a noise is being made all you are achieving is having the pup train you that ‘when I make a noise and cry, mum and dad let me out or come and see what I am doing!’
I do try, where possible to have a CD on with some quiet calming music which I find helps the pup to settle easier. Keep an eye on the pup and when it wakes up, open the door, pick the pup up and take it to the toilet. By picking up the pup you eliminate the chance of an ‘accident’ happening. Doing this often during the day will ensure that the pup gets used to the crate and you will be able to close it the first night. Then simply put the crate next to your bed, and pop the puppy in with its blanket and some nice chewies.
An additional method is to have the crate in the safe area for the pup and then it can come in and out by itself. If you are at home to supervise, I would suggest that you move the crate to the area you are working or sitting in, and then when you see the pup wake up, immediately take the pup to the toilet.
The following is for puppies that have not yet been introduced to a crate and have slept in other areas.
HOW TO
Make sure that the crate is inviting before starting the training. Put in a favourite blanket or toy and make it comfy and inviting. Here be careful not to put in too many blankets or it may make the crate too hot. The exact same procedure can be used for adult dogs as well.
If you are starting crate training with a pup that did not start his new life off in a crate then start off by throwing in a nice tasty piece of food into the crate - allowing the pup to go and get it and then come out again. Make sure your pup is hungry when you do this! If the pup prefers toys to food, then simply substitute a toy instead. Practise this over and over; with the puppy happily going in and out, at this stage don’t attempt to close the door. When the puppy is happily going in and out, you can add a cue, such as ‘bed’ or ‘crate’. Whenever it is sleep time for your puppy, take him/her to the toilet first, then simply pop him in as described above, and let it have its sleep inside, remembering to take puppy straight out to the toilet on waking.
When your puppy is happy with this, you can start closing the gate. Do this for short periods initially, always starting with a treat and leave a nice chewy inside to keep your puppy happy. You can slowly make the time period longer.
As above, it is very important here is that if your dog is crying or pining to get out, that you do NOT take the dog out till it is being quiet, for the reasons mentioned above.
I personally feel that having the crate next to your own bed helps the pup to settle down as he hears and smells his human pack and he also starts to match our own patterns of sleep.
I keep the crate in whichever room I happen to be in when I am home when I have a puppy. You will find, in a very short period that the pup/dog will start going into the crate of its own accord.
Here are some of the crating rules to bear in mind
With a puppy who is introduced to a crate when it first comes home simply have the crate ready with either the blanket you brought back from the breeder, or a nice cuddly blanket and a really interesting chew toy or two. Lure the pup in the crate with a piece of food and offer the new chewy to have a nibble at (it is often helpful to ‘spike’ this a bit by smearing a little peanut butter in the cracks – if possible use organic peanut butter as excess peanut butter can be toxic to dogs). Do this as often as possible, leaving the door open. This allows the pup to come in an outside by itself and will eliminate any fear associated with the crate. A good way to speed this up is to hand feed the pup its daily ration by having the pup go in and out the crate to get individual pieces of dog kibble.
When the pup appears tired, again lure it into the crate with food, offer the chewy to the pup (or even have a new one, already spiked, for interest) and then close the door. At this time I don’t leave the pup alone, I just sit in front of the crate to give the puppy a sense of security. If it cries or whines, I just ignore it and the pup will soon drop off to sleep. What is very important here is that if your dog is crying or pining to get out, that you do NOT take the dog out till it is being quiet. If you take the dog out whilst a noise is being made all you are achieving is having the pup train you that ‘when I make a noise and cry, mum and dad let me out or come and see what I am doing!’
I do try, where possible to have a CD on with some quiet calming music which I find helps the pup to settle easier. Keep an eye on the pup and when it wakes up, open the door, pick the pup up and take it to the toilet. By picking up the pup you eliminate the chance of an ‘accident’ happening. Doing this often during the day will ensure that the pup gets used to the crate and you will be able to close it the first night. Then simply put the crate next to your bed, and pop the puppy in with its blanket and some nice chewies.
An additional method is to have the crate in the safe area for the pup and then it can come in and out by itself. If you are at home to supervise, I would suggest that you move the crate to the area you are working or sitting in, and then when you see the pup wake up, immediately take the pup to the toilet.
The following is for puppies that have not yet been introduced to a crate and have slept in other areas.
HOW TO
Make sure that the crate is inviting before starting the training. Put in a favourite blanket or toy and make it comfy and inviting. Here be careful not to put in too many blankets or it may make the crate too hot. The exact same procedure can be used for adult dogs as well.
If you are starting crate training with a pup that did not start his new life off in a crate then start off by throwing in a nice tasty piece of food into the crate - allowing the pup to go and get it and then come out again. Make sure your pup is hungry when you do this! If the pup prefers toys to food, then simply substitute a toy instead. Practise this over and over; with the puppy happily going in and out, at this stage don’t attempt to close the door. When the puppy is happily going in and out, you can add a cue, such as ‘bed’ or ‘crate’. Whenever it is sleep time for your puppy, take him/her to the toilet first, then simply pop him in as described above, and let it have its sleep inside, remembering to take puppy straight out to the toilet on waking.
When your puppy is happy with this, you can start closing the gate. Do this for short periods initially, always starting with a treat and leave a nice chewy inside to keep your puppy happy. You can slowly make the time period longer.
As above, it is very important here is that if your dog is crying or pining to get out, that you do NOT take the dog out till it is being quiet, for the reasons mentioned above.
I personally feel that having the crate next to your own bed helps the pup to settle down as he hears and smells his human pack and he also starts to match our own patterns of sleep.
I keep the crate in whichever room I happen to be in when I am home when I have a puppy. You will find, in a very short period that the pup/dog will start going into the crate of its own accord.
Here are some of the crating rules to bear in mind
- The crate is NEVER used as a punishment
- A dog should not, apart from during the night, spend long periods of time confined to a crate. Especially when teaching a pup to accept a crate, try to make sure that it is tired – having gone for a walk, exercise etc, which will make it easier for the pup to settle. A pup that is full of beans will not lie for a long period of time, even with a chewy.
- Ensure that the experience is taught slowly and carefully making it a positive experience
- Make sure the crate is always clean
- The crate belongs to your puppy/dog and is to be left alone by children or other family pets.
- Don’t use the crate if the pup has diarrhoea or vomiting or if the pup has a temperature
- Keep the crate in a section of the house with the family
- NEVER use a crate in the event of separation anxiety to stop the dog destroying