How long can a puppy stay in a crate? The real question you should ask yourself when wondering how can a puppy be in a crate is: how long can a puppy hold its bladder? How long you can crate a pup depends on a number of factors, but the largest factor has to do with age. Generally, you should take a look at the number of months of your puppy and use it as a rough guideline.
A five-month-old puppy, for example, can be crated for four to six hours at most. A four-month old may be able to last three to five hours. Puppies still in house training may need more frequent breaks. Puppies younger than six months will need a potty break during the middle of the day. It is important to err on the side of caution when crating. Crating a puppy during the day for too long can cause separation anxiety and can lead the pup to have an accident in the crate.
This can lead to stress and accidents as well as urinary tract infections if your puppy tries to hold on. You may also have a harder time with training if you keep your puppy in a crate too long and he or she develops a habit of going potty in the crate. If you have a younger puppy, this means you may need to hire a friend, family member or pet sitter to drop by your house to take your puppy out.
Age is not the only factor when determining how long you can create your puppy. Temperament, medical history, medical conditions, personality and other factors all impact how long you can crate your fur baby. Some medical conditions may mean dogs need to use the washroom more frequently, meaning you're going to have to hire a pet sitter or make some other arrangements.
Smaller dogs also have smaller bladders. They may need to be crated for shorter periods of time and may need to get rest breaks more often. A crate that is sized properly read more about size below encourages a dog's instinct not to mess where he sleeps, helping to teach the dog bladder and bowel control.
This tendency to view the crate as a clean place is a huge benefit house training a new rescue dog or puppy, of course! Using a crate prevents a dog or pup from getting into trouble when you can't supervise directly. Those times might include at night, when you are at work provided the work day is not too long and the dog gets exercise before and after , when you are busy cooking, or any other time when your attention is elsewhere than directly on your dog.
Crate training also teaches puppies and excitable dogs to expect and enjoy some down time, and conditions relaxed behavior.
Dogs and pups can be put into a crate with a yummy and safe chew or stuffed Kong to keep them secure, relaxed, and out of mischief for periods of time. There are several varieties of crates available. It can be a bit daunting to figure out the size and style to pick for your dog. The most common crate varieties are wire crates, plastic crates, and fabric crates. Fabric crates are great for small dogs to travel in, for sporting events, or for camping.
With a fabric crate, your dog must be well trained. Since fabric crates are not secure, they are not recommended for long-term confinement without supervision. The benefits of a fabric crate are that it is lightweight and that it folds flat for easy storage and travel. Probably the best bet for a pet's home crate is a plastic or wire crate. I favor wire crates, as they fold flat for storage and are more economical to purchase. Plastic crates are sturdier and often feel more secure for your dog, as the walls are mostly solid.
However, there are very sturdy metal crates that can be purchased, and you can always cover a wire crate with a blanket if your dog needs more privacy. For an escape artist, either a plastic crate or a rugged not collapsible metal crate would be best.
Both plastic and metal crates can be fortified using strategically placed zip ties. If you are looking for a crate that matches your decor, fashionable dog crate furniture combos that double as end tables are available!
Selecting the right size crate can be confusing. Some people are inclined to choose a large-sized crate to give the dog lots of room. If you pick a crate that is too large, your dog may use a portion of the crate as a toilet.
Pick a crate that is just large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lay down comfortably, at least until the dog is house trained. Most wire crates come with a divider to block off a portion of the crate in order to make it smaller. With a plastic crate, place a box in the back half of the crate to make the space smaller. With these adjustment tricks, you do not have to buy multiple crates as your puppy grows.
When your dog is toilet trained but not mature enough to be left loose in the house, feel free to go with a larger crate so the dog really has room to stretch out.
I recommend placing the crate in an area of the house where both you and the dog can access it easily. The crate should be close enough to be handy, but out of the way enough that it is not going to be tripped over constantly. I usually place a crate right beside my bed; it helps teach puppies to sleep in the crate if you are right beside them and they don't feel so alone. I place another crate in a corner of my living room. It works best for a dog to be introduced to a crate gradually, rather than just plopping him in for the night or long periods.
When your new dog or puppy first comes home, acclimate him to the crate by tossing a treat in, leaving the door open so that the dog can enter and exit freely. When your dog is comfortable going in and out of the crate, toss a treat inside and close the door for a second or two before letting the dog out. Place a bed or mat that your dog already likes into the crate. This will help reduce any startling noises when the dog enters the crate. The dog will also be familiar with the bed, which could make him more willing to go into the crate.
When you are not training, leave the crate open and place your dog's toy basket or favorite toys inside. Feed your dog meals in the crate, starting by leaving the door open and, as training progresses, closing it. If you give your dog any special treats, chewies, or bones, give them to him in the crate.
A special bonus of having the mat in the crate is that the dog will begin to associate good things with the mat after being fed on it. Take the mat with you to the vet. Place it on the floor in the waiting room, on the scale, and in the exam room to help your dog become more comfortable and relaxed during vet visits.
When the dog is going into the crate willingly, add a cue for entering the crate. Try "crate" or "bed" or "go in. Or if you want to tire out your puppy more before the crate nap, try running through some quick training exercises and using a more vigorous playtime as a training reward. Remember: those wild dogs sleep up to 16 hours a day because they are working really hard during the other 8 hours!
Give your dog lots of chewtoy hunting projects—a tired dog is a happy dog. But be sure to decrease regular mealtime calories accordingly. The same reasoning extends to children: they can be sent to their room as a consequence for misbehaviour without learning to fear or hate their room. Your dog will only become afraid of his crate if bad things happen while he is in there—so never scold him while he is inside. Time-outs don't need to be long; 30 seconds to 3 minutes is plenty.
The crates is also a terrific tool for the overall management of dogs. Trainers will often divide the plan for fixing a behaviour problem into two components, training and management. Training is where you actively work on correcting a problem—like teaching Lola to sit to greet guests at the door instead of jumping up or goosing them.
Management is where you avoid the situation altogether—like crating her with a stuffed chewtoy when the doorbell rings so that she is physically unable to jump on the pizza delivery man—because you are not ready for a training session at that particular moment. With young puppies we use the crate to manage a whole raft of anticipated problems, such as destructive chewing, nipping at young children, and housesoiling, when unable to supervise them properly.
A good rule of thumb is that a dog can be crated overnight and for up to half the day, provided his social and physical needs are being met while not in the crate. A good estimate of how long a pup can wait before needing to relieve himself is as many hours as he is months old, plus one. So a three-month-old pup can manage for about four hours. Overnight he can usually hold a bit longer, usually about 1.
But don't forget that puppies need to be thoroughly socialized before they are five months old—so those hours awake and out of the crate are very precious for socialization! Puppies are introduced to crates quite easily by tossing food-stuffed chewtoys inside when they are hungry and letting them work away while someone familiar is nearby.
Gradually they can be left on their own with the door closed, and many will readily go to their crate voluntarily for naps or in the hopes that a stuffed chewtoy will miraculously appear. Adult dogs without any crate experience can be trained to like a crate in the same manner, but it may take longer; and the guidance of a pet behaviour counsellor is sometimes required if the dog is anxious about entering.
A great trick for dogs of all ages is to lock dinner inside the crate until poochie is throwing a major tantrum wanting to go inside… then you can open the door and let him in for a yummy meal. The only whining that should successfully elicit crate door-opening services with a puppy is if puppy needs to pee. If you aren't sure, take puppy out of the crate very matter-of-factly and place him outside.
Carry the puppy instead of allowing him to meander at his own speed. If he produces, it was legitimate. If he doesn't, he goes back in the crate for half an hour… he was just whining to come out, and needs to learn another way of asking like sitting quietly.
The other exception is if the puppy or dog has an anxiety problem such as fear of crates, separation anxiety, or fear of noise in the environment. If this is the case, seek the help of a professional trainer or behaviour counsellor. Otherwise, the rule of thumb for crate whiners or barkers is that they need to be quiet for at least three minutes straight before they get let out.
Otherwise, they are learning that whining and barking works—and then who is training whom? Thank you for your support! Login or Register Get Free Newsletter. Love Cats? Visit Modern Cat! Email this page. A Trainer's Truth About Crates. Choosing a crate Crates come in a variety of sizes and materials. The crate as chewtoy habit facilitator Chewtoy not shoetoy fixations are good. The crate as management tool The crates is also a terrific tool for the overall management of dogs. How long is too long?
How to introduce a dog to a crate Puppies are introduced to crates quite easily by tossing food-stuffed chewtoys inside when they are hungry and letting them work away while someone familiar is nearby. What if he is whining to come out? Dog Training , truth about crates , should dogs be in crates. This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Comments 40 Anonymous said:. I feel this article fails to address "how long is too long" adequately.
It states a rule of a pup's age in months plus one is the hours it can stay in the cage PROVIDED his social and physical needs are being met while not in the crate.
This does not tell the novice dog owner what the needs are, how to tell if they are not met dog is going stir crazy! I should think not. Crates should IMHO be used to train and guide the dogs. Once they are potty trained, the cage should have an open door pretty much all the time, with perhaps the exception of when the family is having dinner if the dog is inclined to beg , or there is a reason to keep the dog safe and out of the way from something.
Cheryl Aisoff said:. The article was referring to the length of time a puppy can go before needing to pee. When training I think Gating is far better, just having the pup gated in a safe puppy proofed area when not able to observe them. Cheryl A said:. Linda Reynolds said:. Thank you!!!! Nkosul said:. Now I have read over and over that all these techniques work, and in the past they have for all my puppies.
However, my 6 month old pitbull puppy still hates his crate after all the different ways of trying to get him used to it. What should I do in this case?!? Emily said:. Why do you need a crate for this puppy? He's six months old- and really shouldn't need to be put in a cage.
Dogs are happiest when they can move around. Too many trainers have pushed them on people- that now it's supposedly normal. It's NOT normal or ok. People say, well dogs like dens, but the fact is that dens don't have doors. You sound like a good guy- once you read this you won't want to cage your little angels again. Good luck! Nicnicnic said:.
Emily you do understand that PETA is a worldwide joke and kills more dogs than any organization in the history of the planet right? Just because they write an article tugging at your simple heart strings doesn't make a single thing they say valid. No PETA does not kill more dogs on the planet and they are not a joke. They do euthanize dogs Is that a good life? Also millions of dogs and cats are euthanized with awful methods; at least PETA does it humanely.
They also advocate and alleviate suffering for many other animals. The people that bash PETA are funded by right wing organizations and industries that feel their profits threatened by animal rights advocacy. Some dogs destroy furniture etc. Most people do have jobs, not all dogs can be left to roam in the home. Vbird said:. Jesus, relax. A person a lot of happy birthday greeting cards but you open the charming ones first.
This can be more difficult in smaller boutiques. Eyl said:. My 6 mos.
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