Crate training is a topic that can divide many dog owners. Some owners would never be without their crate and others feel much more comfortable having their puppy run free.
So I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on crate training and whether it’s necessary to crate train your puppy!
Let’s explore!
Is crate training necessary?
Of course, you can get by without crate training your dog, but it will make life much trickier for both of you.
From teaching your dog the house rules to future travel and vet visits – everything will be easier if your dog learns to love their crate.
If you choose not to crate train your puppy, then there are alternatives, which we’ll get onto shortly. But first, let’s look at the benefits of crate training.
Benefits of crate training your puppy
- Makes toilet training easier
- Prevents your dog practising undesirable behaviours (like chewing your favourite things!)
- Futureproofs your dog for vet visits
- Makes for safer car travel
- Futureproofs your dog for air travel
- May become a place of safety for your dog during events like fireworks
A puppy still has a lot to learn about what behaviours are acceptable and which we’d rather them not do! Puppies explore the world with their mouths, much like babies, and so if they’re free to roam without a constant watchful eye on them – they will chew things you’d rather they didn’t!
Toilet training can also be trickier without the use of a crate. A puppy will favour a nice soft rug or carpet for pee time, and if they’re free to roam then you can be sure you’ll have a few more toileting accidents while they learn where to do their pees and poos!
Outside of the benefits to your puppy training, it’s likely that your dog will have to spend time at the vet at some point in their life. And if they have to stay with your vet, then they will be in a crate.
This can be a stressful enough experience if your dog is crate trained, so by teaching our dogs to enjoy their crate, we can help futureproof and make vet visits a less stressful experience for them.
How to choose the right crate for your puppy
There are various kinds of dog crates available, from collapsible fabric crates to plastic or wire crates.
The most important factor in choosing the right crate for your puppy is the size. Your dog should be able to stand and turn around comfortably inside their crate. They also need to be able to lay down comfortably, so consider how big your dog will be when fully grown.
If you need a large crate which feels too big for your little puppy right now, then you can use crate dividers to create a smaller space until your puppy grows.
Fabric crates can be good for travel since they fold up and are light to transport. They are not so good for leaving your puppy unattended in, as they are easily chewed!
A plastic or wire crate is preferable for use when your dog will be spending time alone.
Alternatives to crate training
If you really don’t want to introduce a crate to your dog, then it’s worth considering alternatives.
You might prefer to use a pen that gives your dog more room to move around or to use baby gates to create a puppy-proofed area in your home.
The kitchen can be a good area to use, as there are often less things for your puppy to chew and the flooring is easier to clean up after accidents while you toilet train.
We want to make it easy for your puppy to get things right, and part of that is preventing access to areas of your home which may be tempting!
Your puppy can still enjoy freedom in your home when you are able to pay them your full attention, but when you’re busy doing other things we want to help your pup stay out of mischief!
When should I stop crate training my puppy?
This is an area that can often trip dog owners up! Often once a puppy is around 6 months old, we decide to ditch the crate. Toilet training is sorted, they’re no longer chewing everything in sight and you might feel they’re ready to have free reign in your home!
But this coincides with your puppy growing into adolescence. When your puppy becomes a teenager, they are growing in confidence and curiosity, so they are quite likely to still need their crate!
If you have crate trained your puppy then the crate will be a pleasant place for them to hang out, so there’s no rush to get rid of it.
You may leave the door open on their crate most of the time, but it’s useful to keep the crate and continue to ensure it’s a great place for your dog to be.
How to crate train your puppy
The most important thing about your dog’s crate is that it’s a positive place to be, not a punishment. So it’s worth investing some time in building up happy associations with the crate, so that your dog really enjoys their time in there.
