New Puppy Crate Training Essentials For #CrateHappyPets
Think that putting your puppy in a crate is the same as putting your puppy in jail? I want you to change your thinking because crates are not a jail cell and puppies are not people and anyway babies sleep in a crib and cribs and crates look a lot alike. I want you to think of your puppy’s new crate as their very own baby crib. It is a place they can feel safe and be safe when you cannot have your eyes on them 24 hours a day. A crate will keep your puppy out of trouble and will help keep trouble from finding them. A crate is a place for them to sleep or play quietly that no one else tries to invade. Ok fine every little kid that Davinia and Indiana have ever met have all wanted to crawl in the crate with the girls! If you have kids you will want to avoid allowing that because you want your puppy to know that the crate is their special place to get away when they need some quiet time.
A happy crate trained puppy is ready for any adventure that life throws its way. From going on road trips, to staying at hotels, to moving across the country or the world your puppy will be content and see all of these things as one big adventure because it knows that it has its house to go into and everything will be fine. You might even want to have a crate all set up at home before you bring your new puppy home so that when your puppy gets tired on that first day you have a place your new puppy will snuggle right in and fall asleep. (Puppies do eventually sleep. I promise!)
The tips below will help make sure you get the essentials, do things right, and end up with a pet that loves their crate!
New Puppy Crate Training Essentials
A crate!
It is much easier to get a wire crate for puppies instead of the hard plastic but that is completely up to you. Some crates come with double doors, some come with a front door and a top door, some come with a divider that you can use to limit the space while your puppy is young but not need to buy a new crate when they grow up, and some come with only 1 door.
A crate mat
While your puppy is young an inexpensive crate mat makes a great bed for resting while they are in their crate. They can go in the wash easily in case of accidents or dirty paw prints. If your puppy happens to chew on it you don’t feel like it is the end of the world.
A water bowl or bottle
While you don’t want your puppy drinking too much you do want your puppy to have access to water when and if they need it. Sometimes puppy training crates even come with a small food and water bowl.
Multiple chew bones
Davinia was never a big chewer but Indiana was she probably had every shape and size bone that one manufacturer made at the time. Check out a few different shapes, sizes, and textures so that you can switch out every few days so that your puppy doesn’t get bored.
A blanket
If you want your puppy to love their crate the softer the blanket the better. They can cuddle with the blanket, under the blanket, use the blanket as a pillow, or make it into a nest.
A special doll
Give your new puppy something to cuddle with that makes them feel like they have a friend in their crate with them. Sometimes a regular stuffed animal is enough but sometimes your puppy wants something warm to cuddle with. Check out the options in the puppy section or ask someone at the store for help.
Setting Up Your New Puppy Crate
1. Don’t treat the crate like it is a torture chamber. Set it up without having the idea that you will need to force your puppy inside.
2. Put a crate mat and blanket inside along with a chew toy and a doll for your puppy to cuddle with.
3. Make sure that your puppy has access to water while in the crate. Back in the day when Davinia and Indiana were little there really weren’t very many options for water bowls or bottles that attached to the crate now you have so many options to choose from. We prefer a water bottle (the kind that rabbits and other small animals use) because they hold so much water and don’t splash water everywhere.
New Puppy Crate Training
1. Allow your puppy to check it out on their own.
2. Allow your puppy to sniff around and inside the crate without your help.
3. You can throw a toy or favorite chew bone in the crate for your puppy to go in a fetch for you allowing your puppy to pop right back out of the crate again.
4. If your puppy goes inside the crate on their own whether on their own or because a favorite toy is in there reward your puppy! A piece of kibble or a small puppy sized treat is great.
5. Use the crate as part of playtime so that your puppy thinks of it as part of the fun.
6. When nap time comes around entice them in with a cozy blanket or their favorite cuddle doll.
Need some more pointers? Check out these crate training tips from PetSmart® about getting it right from the start.
Whether you are looking to purchase your first crate or need an additional crate check out the sale going on right now at PetSmart® for crates, kennels, and accessories. The crates can usually be found on the side wall near the dog food or back wall of the store while carrying bags are either near the chew toys or flea and tick aisle. If you can’t seem to find what you are looking for just ask! The associate can help you find the product in store or order it to deliver to your house or the store while standing with you!
My dog has some blankets and pillows in his crate. He also likes to hoard his treats in there for later.
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We were so lucky that our Odin was already crate trained. He LOVES his crate. in fact he won’t sleep at night unless he is in his crate. It really makes it easy to travel with him.
We don’t have a puppy, but my sister might be getting one. She’ll appreciate these tips.
I wish we’d puppy trained our last two additions to the family. It certainly would have made life much easier.
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We didn’t crate train our guys. That was a HUGE mistake. Big time. Enormous.
I have always used the crate as a place for my pup to be, just whenever. He’s great out of it now (almost 5), but he loved it as a pup and never got upset by it!
Chelley @ AisForAdelaide recently posted..*EASY* Winter Bumper Repair!
Great tips. I have never tried crate training but you make it sound like I could actually do it. Ha! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the helpful list. My mom just got a new yorkie puppy and this would be extremely helpful for her.
These are really good ideas. I need to pass this along to my son since he’s thinking about adopting.
These are all such a must! I can hardly believe it’s been 8 years since I had a puppy!
We crate trained our 2 pit bulls when they were puppies and it has made a world of difference. I see how some puppies/dogs behave in their homes and I just can’t imagine what I would do if I were their owners. It blows my mind.
I don’t have a puppy but my best friend does so I know she’d love these ideas.
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These are great tips for any one puppy training!! Doing the training right the first time is crucial and essential!
My family’s dog stopped being a puppy years ago. I will keep these tips in mind for the next puppy we get!
We had a dog once and didn’t have a clue how to train him. We ended up giving him to a new family. Decided we would wait to get another dog when out kids were older. Wish I would have known more and researched. Thanks for tips.
We’re in the middle of crate training our CKC, and we’re well stocked and are now giving him more freedom outside the crate. Hopefully this house training business is over soon!
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos recently posted..New Power Rangers Dino Charge
We let our dogs have free rome. But they do have a crate when its bedtime. or guest are around some people are not pet friendly. Great list of tips.
We didn’t crate train our dog, and I regret it. Not just for the ways it negatively affected us, but for him – I think he would have been a happier dog if he’d had that little sanctuary.
These are great tips! I will definitely share with family and friends.
We crate trained Nelly and Sophie as puppies. Theo was already 4 or 5 years old when we adopted him. He was very resistant to going in a crate on his first day home, but with a little positive reinforcement he changed his mind really quickly.
Great tips to make crate training easier!
This is a great campaign. There are so many reasons to establish a crate training routine! My former street dog from The Bahamas lived at a shelter there for a year, and their dogs spent the day outside and then spent the night in their own crates. She still thinks of a crate as a safe place to rest and regularly naps in hers at my house.
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I LOVE crate training. So many good things come of it. One thing I NEVER do though is to use the crate as punishment. Only good things happen in the crate. In fact, our little pittie mix will crate himself from time to time when he’s really tired and wants a break from playing.
We tried crate training once – failed miserably. Jasmine liked the crate as long as the door remained opened. So we scrapped the whole idea; fortunately Jasmine never actually NEEDED to be crated.
Jana Rade recently posted..Symptoms To Watch For In Your Dog: Changes In Behavior
I love that you related the crate to a baby’s crib. It really is a very similar concept. I’m definitely a proponent of crate training as well as long as it’s done properly.
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Great advice! Dogs (and cats) need to know that they have a place where they can escape when they don’t want to interact. It’s a great way to help dogs to manage their own emotions! I love that you are so in tune to your dogs’ needs. 🙂
All of my babies love the kennel – the cats and dogs!! It’s so incredibly important to crate train!
We crate trained Simba and it worked great! Thinking of the dog crate like a baby crib is a great way to put it. Simba doesn’t mind being in his crate at all and it’s like his safe place. The training essentials and all of the tips are great! Thanks for sharing!
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So glad you said don’t treat it like a torture chamber – it is a positive place for some dogs who love to nest 😉
Carol Bryant recently posted..The Everything Guide to Dog ACL Injuries
We used a crate to help potty train our French Bulldog after we rescued her. It worked very well for the potty training. Once that was complete, she didn’t go back into the crate on her own as a place of safety so we put the crate away. We have it handy though in case we have to use it in the event of an emergency.
Great post, and I like the positive associations you can create with being crated… it doesn’t have to be a scary or negative experience for the dog.
These are some great tips for crate training. Making the crate a fun place for your dog will definitely help him form a positive association with it.
This is such a great post – and so important to share. So many people have the wrong idea about crate training and why it is a good, positive thing. Thanks for the informative article and all the great tips!
We always leave Rooney with a Kong. Its the most durable treat dispenser ever!
Rachel Sheppard recently posted..Respect Your Cat Day
Our dogs don’t get crated, I’m all or crate training though! I tired to crate Willow, but my now ex used to kick the crate with her in it, so she hates crates. Putt-Putt was never crated and would probably be confused why he has to do it. Hank was crated for excessive periods of time by his first owner (22/24 hours a day) so we don’t crate him either. Chloe is the only one of our pups who is crate trained and enjoys. Since we only have one who enjoys it, we tend to leave them all out, they all behave so we don’t feel the need to train it, and when we travel we never leave the dogs unattended in a hotel.
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These are excellent tips, the only thing we ever had trouble with was the mat. Some little golden friend, I won’t name any names, liked to chew his mat! We found that a blanket worked best and could be washed a little easier. Excellent post, thanks for sharing!
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