How to Crate Train a Puppy: Step-by-Step Guide
To crate train a puppy, make the crate comfortable, reward your puppy for going in, feed meals inside, then close the door for short, calm periods and build up slowly. Never force your puppy inside or use the crate as punishment. How long it takes varies from puppy to puppy.
A crate works best as one part of a routine that also includes regular toilet breaks, play, and rest. If your puppy has just arrived, read our first week with a new puppy guide for a daily plan, and our puppy potty training guide for how often to go outside.
Why crate train a puppy?
A crate gives your puppy a safe, quiet place to rest and helps with house training. Dogs instinctively avoid soiling the area where they sleep, so a correctly sized crate can help your puppy learn to wait for a toilet break.
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine adds that crating limits your puppy’s access to the house while it learns, which reduces accidents and chewing on furniture. A puppy that is used to a crate also tends to find travel and vet visits less stressful.
What size crate does a puppy need?
The crate should be just big enough for your puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. Anything larger can give your puppy room for a separate toilet corner, which weakens the training.
If your puppy will grow a lot, buy a crate that fits the adult size and use a divider to block off the back for now. Both UC Davis and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine recommend this approach. Wire and plastic crates both work. Wire crates often fold flat for storage, and plastic crates are usually the type airlines accept. Our new puppy checklist lists the other supplies to buy.
How do you crate train a puppy step by step?
Go at your puppy’s pace. Slow, positive steps work better than rushing.
- Make the crate comfortable
Put a towel or bed inside and place the crate in a room where the family spends time, so your puppy does not feel isolated.
- Let your puppy explore
Leave the door open and toss in a few treats and a toy. Praise your puppy each time it walks in. Never push or force your puppy inside.
- Feed meals in the crate
Once your puppy goes in happily for treats, serve meals near the crate and then inside it. This builds a pleasant link between the crate and food.
- Close the door for a moment
While your puppy eats, close the door and open it again before the meal is finished. Over several days, keep the door closed a little longer each time.
- Build up closed-door time slowly
Only open the door when your puppy is quiet, never when it is whining or scratching. If your puppy fusses, you moved too fast, so go back to a time it handled well.
- Crate at times other than meals
Give your puppy a reward for going in, such as a treat or a food-filled toy. At first, stay in the room. Texas A and M suggests waiting until your puppy has stayed calm for about 10 minutes before you start leaving the room.
- Start leaving the room, then the house
Step out of the room for short periods and return before your puppy gets upset. Only when that goes well, leave the house for short trips, increasing the time gradually.
How long can a puppy stay in a crate?
Texas A&M veterinary staff advise limiting crate time to about one hour for each month of your puppy’s age, and taking your puppy out to exercise and use the toilet before crating. Treat this as a maximum, not a target. Young puppies often need to go out sooner, and especially at night. A puppy that has had enough play and walks settles more easily, as our puppy exercise guide explains.
| Puppy age | Rule-of-thumb maximum in the crate |
|---|---|
| 2 months | About 2 hours |
| 3 months | About 3 hours |
| 4 months | About 4 hours |
| 5 months | About 5 hours |
| 6 months | About 6 hours |
The crate should never be a place for long stretches while you work or for punishment. If you are away for a full day, arrange for someone to let your puppy out at midday.
What should you do if your puppy cries in the crate?
First check whether your puppy needs the toilet, then keep your response calm and low-key, and open the door once your puppy is quiet. Opening the door while your puppy cries teaches it that crying works. In the first nights, though, do not simply leave a worried puppy to cry it out. Check the basics, keep the crate near your bed, and offer quiet reassurance.
If your puppy needs to go out
Accidents in the crate usually mean your puppy was left too long, not that it misbehaved. Take your puppy outside more often and shorten the time between breaks.
If your puppy cries again and again
Constant crying means you are asking for too much time too soon. Go back to a shorter period that your puppy handled calmly and build up more slowly. At night, keep the crate in or near your bedroom so you can hear your puppy and take it out when needed.
What are the most common crate training mistakes?
- Forcing your puppy inside: This can frighten your puppy and make it dislike the crate.
- Using the crate as punishment: The crate should always feel safe and rewarding.
- Moving too fast: Small steps and patience matter most.
- A crate that is too small or too big: Too small is uncomfortable, and too big allows a toilet corner.
- Leaving your puppy in too long: Puppies cannot hold it all day or overnight when they are young.
- Using the crate to manage anxiety: It may stop damage but not the anxiety itself, and it can make things worse.
When should you call your vet or a trainer?
Ask for help if your puppy panics in the crate, drools or pants heavily, hurts itself trying to escape, or refuses to settle after several weeks of gradual practice. These can be signs of anxiety, which a crate does not fix. Your vet can check for health causes and refer you to a qualified behaviorist or trainer.
Frequently asked questions
Many owners find it works well. Keep the crate in or near your bedroom for the first weeks so you can hear your puppy and take it out for toilet breaks. Young puppies cannot last all night at first.
Not when it is done correctly. Dogs naturally look for den-like spaces, and a crate can feel comforting. It becomes a problem when it is used as punishment, for too many hours, or without gradual training.
Both work well, so it comes down to preference. Wire crates often fold flat and let your puppy see out. Plastic crates feel more enclosed and are usually the type airlines accept.
It varies from puppy to puppy. Some settle within days, and others need several weeks. Go slowly, reward calm behavior, and step back to an easier stage whenever your puppy struggles.
Related guides
- New puppy checklist: what to buy before day one
- First week with a new puppy: day-by-day schedule
- Puppy potty training: schedule by age and steps
- Puppy vaccination schedule: what shots and when
This guide has not yet been reviewed by a veterinarian.