Crating a Dog or Puppy

Leaving your Dog Home Alone
After your dog feels comfortable at being alone for 30-minute periods; you can leave him home alone. Give a command to signal for him to go into the crate such as "bed" and encourage him to go in by pointing to the crate with a treat in hand as in step 3. Vary the time from 5-20 minutes after you put him in the crate to leave so that your dog won't know when you have left. When you return don't make a big fuss over the dog but acknowledge him and let him out of the crate. You should periodically crate your dog for short periods of time when you are at home so he won't associate being crated as being abandoned by you. It is also a good idea to leave few toys in the crate to entertain your dog.

Crating at Night
Get your dog into the crate by using the procedure in step 3. It is a good idea to put the crate by your bedroom or in the hallway just outside of your bedroom so that you can hear if your dog starts to whine which could be him telling you that signal that he needs to eliminate. After a few nights gradually move the crate away from your bedroom to the location where you want the crate to remain.

Selecting a Crate
The crate should be just large enough for your dog to stand up in and turn around in without his shoulders touching the ceiling. If the crate is too large then your dog will find an area of the crate that he can soil.

Whining
Whining or crying when your dog is in there crate may either indicate that they need to be let out to eliminate or he just wants to get out. Wait a few minutes and if he's still whining go and see if he needs to eliminate and if you are pretty certain that he does then let him out to eliminate, after he is done bring him back to the crate, don't spend time playing with him. If your dog continues to whine but doesn't need to eliminate just ignore him. If the problem persists you may need to start the crate training process all over again.

Amount of Time In The Crate
Too much time in the crate can be bad for your dog. Your dog will feel frustrated/trapped if he is in their for too long. In general, an adult dog shouldn't spend more than 8 hours a day in a crate while a puppy under 6 months shouldn't spend more that 4 hours at a time in the crate because they haven't developed their bladder and bowel controls and are prone to soil it.

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