Guide: crate training a puppy
Crate Training a Puppy: A Step-by-Step Guide
Crate training a puppy means teaching them that a crate is a safe, comfortable den and never a punishment. Done in small steps with food and praise, it helps with house training, keeps a puppy safe when you cannot watch, and makes travel and vet stays easier. However, a crate is not a place to leave a puppy all day.
Why crate training a puppy is worth it
VCA Animal Hospitals lists four practical benefits (VCA):
- A safe retreat when the house is busy or the puppy is worried
- Less damage, because an unsupervised puppy cannot chew cords or furniture
- Faster house training, since puppies avoid soiling the place where they sleep
- Easier travel and recovery after surgery later in life
In addition, a puppy that rides home in a crate or carrier is safer in the car. See bringing a puppy home in the car.
Choosing the right crate
The American Kennel Club (AKC) advises a crate just large enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably (AKC). With more room than that, a puppy can sleep at one end and toilet at the other.
For a growing puppy, the AKC suggests buying the size your dog will need as an adult and using a divider panel. Then you move the divider as the puppy grows. Add washable bedding, and put the crate where the family spends time.
Crate training a puppy step by step
- Leave the door open. Let your puppy sniff and wander in and out.
- Toss treats near the crate, then just inside, then at the back. Never push a puppy in.
- Feed meals in the crate. Once your puppy eats there happily, close the door during the meal.
- Stretch the time. Open the door a little later after each meal, until your puppy rests calmly for about ten minutes.
- Add a chew. Give a food-stuffed toy, sit nearby, then step out of sight for a few minutes.
- Build up slowly. When your puppy stays relaxed for about half an hour, start leaving the house for short trips.
These steps follow the AKC and Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States (Humane World). According to VCA, most puppies settle into their crate within one to two months.
How long can a puppy stay in a crate?
| Age | Guideline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 2 months | A toilet break about every 2 hours, including overnight | VCA |
| About 3 months | A toilet break about every 3 hours | VCA |
| Under 6 months | No more than 3 to 4 hours in a crate at a time | Humane World |
| About 6 months | Usually ready to stay crated overnight | VCA |
These are upper limits, not targets. Small-breed puppies have small bladders, so they often need a break sooner. See potty training a small breed puppy.
If you are out for a full workday, a crate alone is not the answer. Our guide to working full time with a puppy covers the options.
Crate training a puppy at night
Humane World suggests keeping the crate in your bedroom, or in a nearby hallway, at first. That way you hear your puppy when they need a night-time toilet trip, and your puppy is not alone. Later, once they sleep through the night, you can move the crate gradually to where you want it.
Keep night trips dull: out, toilet, quiet praise, back to bed. For the very first night, see the first night with a new puppy.
Mistakes to avoid when crate training a puppy
- Using the crate as punishment. All three sources warn against it. VCA notes that it can set training back badly.
- Forcing a puppy inside.
- Leaving a distressed puppy to cry it out. The AKC advises against it. Signs of real distress include pacing, shaking, drooling, scratching and howling. If you see them, go back a step.
- Crating too long. A puppy that must soil the crate learns the wrong lesson.
- Expecting a crate to cure separation anxiety. Humane World says it will not. See puppy separation anxiety.
If your puppy whines, first ask whether they need the toilet. If so, take them out calmly, with no play, and then return them.
Related guides
- Leash Training a Puppy: From First Harness to Loose Leash
- Potty Training a Small Breed Puppy: A 30-Day Plan With Crate Training
- Goldendoodle Training: A Puppy Plan That Works
- Puppy Biting: Why They Do It and How to Stop It
See all our puppy guides, or meet our Havapoo puppies for sale and Goldendoodle puppies for sale.
Sources
- American Kennel Club. Everything You Need to Know About Crate Training Your Dog. akc.org
- Humane World for Animals. How to Crate Train Your Dog or Puppy. humaneworld.org
- VCA Animal Hospitals. How To Crate Train Your Puppy. vcahospitals.com
Sources were checked on October 7, 2026.
Planning ahead for a puppy?
We raise every litter inside our family home in Eagle Mountain, Utah. See who is available now, or check which litters are planned.