Crate Training a Puppy: 10+ Vet-Approved Tips

If your puppy is around 8 weeks old, it may be time to consider crate training. Crate training a puppy helps them be comfortable and relax if they need to be temporarily confined, whether that’s for safety reasons, emergencies, long travels, or the like. 

Crate training helps your pup associate their provided crate with a den-like environment where they are safe. In this Sploot Vets guide, we talk about the benefits of crate training a puppy, how to crate train a puppy, and vet-approved tips on crate training.

I. Why Crate Train Your Puppy: To Crate or Not to Crate

Crate training a puppy is an essential part of your puppy’s first-year care. This process teaches them to relax when temporarily confined. The objective is to help them associate their crate with safety. Crate training is very helpful in the following situations:

1. Stressful Events

Dogs are den animals, and a properly introduced crate can help them feel secure during stressful events like thunderstorms, fireworks, and gatherings.

2. Temporary No-Dog Zones

During home renovations, general cleaning, fragile school projects, or the accidental spilling of chemicals that dogs must NOT ingest, crates can keep your dog safely away from areas where they shouldn’t be. Crate training your puppy helps reduce their anxiety during such situations.

3. Travel, Dog Boarding, & Dog-Friendly Hotels

By crate training a puppy early, they will have less stress and anxiety during short or long travels, whether you are heading to a local veterinarian or crossing state lines. While they may still get motion sickness, crate training reduces overall distress and the chances of stress-induced vomiting in dogs.

Moreover, crate training a puppy keeps them comfortable within their private kennel or suite during dog boarding. Similarly, some dog-friendly hotels may require crating when pets are temporarily left unattended in the room.

4. Veterinary Confinement & Recovery

If your dog needs to stay in a clinic or hospital for extended or overnight monitoring, they would typically be placed in a kennel or run. Having prior crate training can help reduce anxiety in these spaces by making them feel more familiar, safe, and comfortable.

Additionally, if your dog undergoes veterinary surgery, vets may recommend restricted activity after your pet is discharged. Crate training during puppyhood helps reduce their stress during such situations.

5. Emergencies

Proper crate training can save your pup’s life. In emergencies that need sudden evacuations, a crate-trained dog can be transported more quickly and safely. Because they’re already comfortable in a crate, there’s less resistance and panic during an already high-pressure situation.

II. Crate Training a Puppy: Step-by-Step Guide

While crate training and potty training a puppy are typically done together as part of your puppy’s socialization, this guide focuses on crate training a puppy.

To begin crate training your puppy, you would need: 

• A calm space
• A well-sized crate
• Puppy-friendly treats
• A small towel or puppy bed
• A T-shirt carrying your scent

A. At What Age Should You Crate Train a Puppy?

The optimal time to start crate training a puppy is 8 to 12 weeks of age. Crate training is typically done alongside potty training. In fact, crates are not only safe, den-like spaces for puppies, they are also a helpful tool for potty training.

Note: Because dogs naturally avoid soiling their sleeping area, a properly sized crate helps teach bladder control and encourages puppies to “hold it” until they’re taken outside. Generally, the maximum hours a puppy can hold their bladder is their age in months + 1. Therefore, 2 months = 3 hours; 4 months = 5 hours; and so on.

→ Got questions about your puppy’s overall health and behavioral development? Book a puppy exam before or shortly after bringing your puppy home. Puppy exams at Sploot Vets involve a thorough physical exam, as well as personalized care recommendations regarding your puppy’s care, vaccine schedule, nutrition, and so on.

B. Getting the Right Crate for Crate & Potty Training

The right crate size should support both crate training and potty training. Sploot veterinarian  Dr. Sylvia Berns provides this guideline: 

“To help with potty training, the crate should generally be only as big as the puppy needs to comfortably stand and do a full turn. (Pet parents can use dividers if they’ve already purchased a large crate.) If there is too much room in the crate, the puppy might eliminate in one corner and stay in the other, pushing their potty training back further.”

C. Introducing the Crate to Your Puppy

By the end of crate training, your puppy should see their crate as a safe space. Therefore, making the right introduction is very important. Here’s how to make the crate welcoming as you first introduce it to your puppy:

1. Remove the door of the crate or fasten it – this is so the door doesn’t hit your puppy as they enter, which can frighten them.
2. Place a blanket or puppy bed inside the crate*
3. Place their favorite dog toy inside the crate*
4. Let your puppy explore the crate on their own
5. Keep the crate in a common area so that it doesn’t feel isolated
6. Feed your puppy meals or treats inside the crate

*Note: For steps 2 and 3, Sploot Regional Medical Director Dr. Jessica Apted reminds pet parents: “If your dog tends to chew or tear items, be cautious about leaving them unsupervised with bedding or toys to reduce the risk of ingesting foreign material.”

D. Properly Responding When Your Puppy Enters the Crate

Crate training a puppy is unique in the sense that it has two goals: 1) to form a positive association with the crate and 2) to establish the crate as a calm, safe space. Therefore, it’s important to respond properly to desired behavior without overstimulating your puppy.

Here’s how to respond once your puppy enters or calmly spends time in the crate:

1. Say a verbal cue – you can say “crate”, “bed”, or something similar when you see your puppy inside the crate. This helps your puppy anchor their action to a word. This matters because at 8 weeks of age, puppies start learning simple, consistently used verbal cues.
2. Happily praise your puppy’s behavior, but stay calm – say positive cues like “good job” or “very good”. Say these cues happily, as puppies generally start recognizing facial expressions before 8 weeks of age. However, stay calm and relaxed to communicate that crates are a space for rest, not stimulation.
3. Provide a treat – this further communicates to your puppy that they did something good, especially during the first times that your puppy goes to their crate voluntarily. However, don’t rely on treats. Over time, feeding your puppy their meals inside the crate is enough to reinforce that their crate is a non-threatening space.

F. Closing the Door

Do NOT close the crate’s door right after your puppy enters it, as this can scare them. Instead, try closing the crate gradually. Follow these steps:

• Wait until your puppy enters the crate willingly, stays inside for a few seconds, and shows relaxed body language.
• Gently close the door for 5–10 seconds while you sit next to the crate.
• Open the door before your puppy gets alarmed.
• Reward calm behavior immediately with treats and praise.
• Repeat this over several sessions, gradually increasing the duration to 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and so on.
• Stay nearby at first, then slowly begin stepping away for short periods.

Note: Do NOT leave your puppy crated longer than they can physically handle. This should align with your puppy’s regular potty breaks, which takes into account the maximum number of hours they can hold their bladder—this is typically equal to their age in months + 1.

G. Letting Your Puppy Sleep Inside the Crate

An appropriately sized crate is the best place for a puppy (8 weeks and older) to sleep. Here are general tips to make your puppy’s crate more conducive to sleep: 

• Move the crate from the common area to the bedroom or a nearby space. AVOID busy hallways.
• Remove the toys; these can be hazardous if left with the puppy without supervision.
• Make sure your puppy has a warm, comfortable bed. If your puppy feels cold, this can disrupt their sleep.
• Close the crate’s door to prevent your puppy from wandering at night.

III. Is It Okay to Let a Puppy Cry in a Crate at Night?

If your puppy cries at night, completely ignoring the puppy is NOT recommended, as this can cause anxiety, which can interfere with crate training. There are two common reasons why puppies cry in their crate at night or in the middle of the night. Here’s what to do for each scenario:

A. Your Puppy Needs to Go to the Bathroom

It’s always best to give your puppy the chance to go bathroom before bedtime. This helps them fall asleep. When taking your puppy to go potty, follow these best practices:

• Take your puppy to the yard or to a pee pad if the outdoors is not accessible.. 
• Make sure to say the verbal cue like “go potty’, and give them calm praise and/or treats if they go potty.
• Keep the activity as low-stimulus as possible by keeping the lights dim or turned off. Avoid playing with your puppy as this might overstimulate them and prevent them from falling asleep.

Even if you take your puppy to go potty before bedtime, they still might cry or whine in the middle of the night. Although puppies sleep for around 6 to 10 hours at night, they typically need to go to the bathroom once or twice at night. This is something to keep in mind when setting up your puppy’s potty schedule.

Note: If your puppy needs to go potty in the middle of the night, stick to the above-listed best practices to avoid overstimulation, which can interfere with your puppy’s sleep.

B. Your Puppy is Afraid

If you think that your puppy is crying due to fear, here are some solutions you can try:

• Cover the crate with a towel – this creates a den-like environment that encourages your puppy to sleep.
• Place a familiar-smelling T-shirt near (not inside) their crate – this helps reassure your puppy that you are nearby.
• Calming pheromones for puppies – you can ask your veterinarian about using puppy-friendly pheromones, which mimic their mother’s natural pheromones to help reduce stress.

→ At times, puppies can cry due to discomfort or pain. If your puppy is crying for hours and not responding to a potty break or the above techniques to help reduce fear, it may be time to book a vet visit to check if everything is okay.

IV. What Are Common Mistakes in Crate Training? [AVOID]

The following mistakes can set back your puppy’s crate training. Make sure to avoid the following as much as possible.

1. Using the Crate as Punishment

One of the biggest mistakes pet parents make is sending their puppy to the crate after bad behavior. If the crate becomes associated with anger, yelling, or isolation, your puppy will start to see it as a negative place. This can make crate training more difficult.

2. Closing the Door Too Fast

Many owners introduce the crate and immediately shut the door. For a puppy who has never been confined before, that can feel scary. If the first experience is stressful, your puppy may begin avoiding the crate altogether. 

For this reason, we recommend leaving the door open initially and gradually training your puppy to be comfortable with the crate being closed, as discussed in section II.

3. Crating the Puppy for Too Long

Leaving a puppy crated beyond their physical limits can cause potty accidents, stress, and negative associations with the crate. Puppies have limited bladder control and high social needs, so over-crating can slow house training and increase anxiety.

Note: Even if your puppy is already crate-trained, avoid leaving them inside the crate for too long. As mentioned earlier, take into account your puppy’s scheduled potty breaks.

4. Getting a Crate That is Too Small or Too Large

A crate that’s too small is uncomfortable and restrictive, while one that’s too large may encourage potty accidents in one corner. The right size helps your puppy feel secure and supports successful house training. Refer to our guidelines in section II when choosing the right crate for your puppy.

V. Crate Training Tips: What’s Next?

Once your puppy can calmly enter the crate and relax when the door is closed, your puppy’s crate training is considered successful. So what’s next? At any point, you can level up your puppy’s skills with the following:

A. Travel Crate Training

A puppy who is comfortable in a home crate may still feel unsure in a travel crate or car environment. Travel crate training your puppy builds flexibility and reduces stress during vet visits, road trips, or boarding stays. Here’s how to do travel crate training with your puppy:

1. Place comfortable bedding and a toy inside the travel crate.
2. Introduce the travel crate the same way that you introduced your puppy’s primary crate. 
3. Once your puppy calmly goes to their travel crate, reward their calm behavior with treats and praise. 
4. Next, try lifting the travel crate and walking a few steps. Reward your puppy with treats and praise. 
5. Over time, extend the distance that you lift the travel crate. Keep rewarding your puppy for their calm behavior.
6. Once your puppy is fully comfortable, try placing the travel crate inside the car briefly. (AVOID leaving your puppy inside a hot car.)
7. Reward your puppy’s calm behavior with treats and praise.
8. Over time, you can extend this to short car rides to get your puppy used to being inside their travel crate while the car is moving. Reward your puppy when they show calm behavior.

B. “Go To Your Crate” Command

Teaching a verbal cue like “Go to your crate” can be useful for times when you need your puppy secured inside a crate quickly. Here’s how to teach your puppy this skill:

1. Stand near the crate and say, “Go to your crate.”
2. If your puppy isn’t going inside, you can toss a treat inside to guide them in.
3. When your puppy enters, reward them with treats and praise.
4. Repeat these steps several times.
5. Gradually stop tossing the treat; wait for your puppy to go in after the verbal cue.
6. Reward them with treats and praise once they’re inside.
7. Repeat these steps several times and reinforce the skill regularly so your puppy reliably goes into their crate after hearing the verbal cue.

Final Thoughts on Crate Training a Puppy

This wraps up our guide on how to crate train your puppy! By following the above steps and avoiding the common mistakes when crate training a puppy, you will be able to help your puppy become confident with crating, which has numerous benefits for them.

As a final note, puppies can cry or whine for numerous reasons. While needing to go potty and being fearful are the most common reasons, puppies can also cry due to pain or discomfort. This is why we always recommend scheduling a puppy exam or your puppy’s first vet visit as soon as possible to ensure that your puppy is in great health. 

A prompt initial puppy exam also allows veterinarians to recommend the best puppy food, set up your puppy’s vaccine schedule, treat parasitic worms, and more.

Note: At any point, if you feel uncertain about your puppy’s health, don’t hesitate to contact a vet.

Get Complete Puppy Care at Sploot Vets

Sploot Veterinary Care offers all-in-one vet care for your puppy. Whether you need routine care for your puppy or you’d like to consult our vets regarding your puppy’s health or well-being, we’re here to help. 

Plus, with our Fear Free certified medical team, we will help your puppy develop a positive association with vet visits.

Get unparalleled availability in our conveniently located vet clinics in Denver, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, and Chicago. Our modern veterinary clinics are open for extended hours, 365 days a year (including holidays!)

Easily book an appointment online or through the Sploot Vets app.

Save More on Top-Tier Puppy Care With SplootPack™

Get huge savings on essential vet services for your growing furry friend. The SplootPack™ membership helps you save up to $650+ on essential puppy care. 

Get 3 waived puppy exams or check-ups, exclusive discounts for spay/neuter procedures, 10% OFF on all Sploot’s services, and more!

• SplootPack™ Denver & Colorado Springs →‍
• SplootPack™ Chicago →