5 Steps to Crate Training Your Puppy at Night
1. Randomly throughout the day, hide yummy treats at the back of the crate.
In order to get your puppy prepared for crate training at night, you’ll want to start during the day first.
An easy way to get your puppy acquainted with the crate is to leave yummy surprises for them to find throughout the day. It’s a passive way to train, and quickly helps your puppy make a positive association with their crate.
To start, place the crate in your puppy-proofed space (you have one, right?) and leave the crate door open. Your puppy has the choice to go in and out of the crate as they please.
Randomly drop yummy treats into the back of the crate for your puppy to find. This strategy helps the puppy make the connection that, “Oh! This space is cool! I always find yummy things. I love it here!”
When puppies associate their crate with good things then they will gradually begin to learn that the crate is a safe place to be.
By helping your puppy make the association that the crate is good, then you are well on your way to being able to use the crate as a management tool at night.
2. Take your puppy to go potty right before bedtime.
Puppies need a lot of potty breaks. You most likely will need to take your puppy out at least once or twice during the night. But giving them the opportunity to potty before bed can help stretch that time out.
Along with nighttime potty breaks, make sure you are providing your puppy enough potty breaks throughout the day.
The rule of thumb is that your puppy can ideally hold their bladder the amount of hours equal to their age in months. Meaning, a 3 months old puppy can ideally hold their bladder for 3 hours.
3. Place the crate in your bedroom or next to your bed.
There is conflicting information regarding where to put your puppy’s crate. Some will tell you to put it downstairs or in a separate room. But I believe, and through experience, that puppies should be as close to you as they can, especially for the first few nights or weeks.
Think about it: a puppy just left their family. They slept with brothers and sisters their whole lives up until this point. And now, they’re in a brand new place, with new people, and new rules. It’s scary!
And what do we do when things are scary? We give comfort and make situations less stressful. So, by having the crate in your bedroom or next to your bed you’ll be providing relief and a sense of safety for your new puppy. And in reality, that’s the absolute best thing you can do!
Before I was a dog trainer I followed the advice of placing the crate downstairs and to let the puppy cry it out. From experience, I wish I hadn’t done that. It caused everyone, including our puppy, lots of unneeded stress. Luckily, we quickly shifted our plan and brought the puppy and crate upstairs to our bedroom. And after that we had a much smoother experience and transition.
4. Don’t let your puppy “cry it out.”
A puppy that is crying or whining is in distress. Your puppy might need to go potty or is afraid or stressed.
You’ll learn quickly how to distinguish between cries. If it’s a potty cry, take your puppy out to potty. You really don’t want them learning that when they have to go, they can simply relieve themselves in your bedroom or in their crate.
And if they’re afraid or stressed it’s absolutely okay and appropriate for you to provide comfort to your puppy.
5. Be patient
Crate training, especially at night, can be frustrating. You just want to go to bed and get some sleep, but instead you have a crying puppy.
It’s hard. You might want to yell, scream, or throw your pillow. But don’t. The puppy stage goes by quickly, even though it feels like an eternity.
But, if you make crate training at night as comfortable and safe for your puppy as possible, you’ll have a crate trained, and sleep trained, puppy in no time.
You can do it!!
Get the Right Sized Crate
The crate should only be big enough for the puppy to comfortably stand and turn around in.
It should be small enough that the puppy can’t pee or poop on one end of the crate, and curl up and nap in the other.
You can purchase a crate that has a divider. That way as your puppy grows you can make the space bigger and bigger. Here’s one of my favorite crate options. Just check the sizing before you purchase.
Estimate how big you believe your puppy might get and purchase that crate with a divider. Then be diligent with moving the divider as your puppy grows.
Choose Where to Put the Crate
Put your crate in your puppy-proofed space or room. A puppy-proofed space can be in a playpen, or a room that is blocked off by gates.
There should only be objects in the space that the puppy can safely chew or play with. No furniture, power cords, curtains, or other items that you wouldn’t want your puppy to destroy.
Place your crate in that space and keep the door open so your puppy can choose when to go in or out. Hiding treats in your crate throughout the day will help your puppy make the association that the crate is a magical and good place.
At night, you can carry your crate to your bedroom. Place it on the floor next to your bed or on your nightstand so that your puppy is closer to you.
If your goal is to have your puppy sleep in a certain place in your room or house you can move the crate farther away from you each night as long as the puppy is still okay.
Common Puppy Crate Training Issues & Solutions
Common Issues &
Issue 1: Forcing a puppy into a crate with little to no training.
Solution 1: Follow a training plan to help your dog feel comfortable and safe in the crate.
Issue 2: Pushing too fast when crate training, and causing the puppy stress.
Solution 2: Go at your puppy’s pace when crate training. Only increase the time in the crate when your puppy is showing success.
Issue 3: Leaving your puppy to “cry it out” longer than 5 minutes.
Solution 3: If your puppy is crying from stress, give them comfort. If your puppy is crying because they have to potty, take them outside.
Issue 4: Yelling or hitting the crate to scare your puppy into being quiet.
Solution 4: Scaring or hurting our puppies is never okay. If your puppy is crying in their crate then go back to your training plan and start from a place your puppy can do.
Issue 5: Leaving your puppy in the crate to go to work for the day without ever crate training.
Solution 5: Crate train before you leave your puppy for long stretches. Or hire a dog walker or trainer to come over to break up the time. Only keep your puppy in their crate for as long as the can handle.
Issue 6: Purchasing a crate that is too big, which results in a puppy going to the bathroom at one end and sleeping comfortably in the other.
Solution 6: Use a divider to make the crate the appropriate size.
Final Tips for Puppy Crate Training At Night
Tip 1: Make the puppy feel as safe and comfortable as possible. That might mean putting her crate right next to your bed, and then gradually moving it further away.
Tip 2: Give your puppy a potty break right before you crate her.
Tip 3: Give your puppy a soothing enrichment toy before bed. Like a Diggs Groov, Lickimat, frozen Toppl, or a puppy appropriate chew.
Tip 4: Place a breathable blanket over the crate. Sometimes this helps a puppy relax because of the visual barrier.
Tip 5: Be patient. Puppy training in general can be difficult and frustrating. The good work you put in now will pay off in the future.
Conclusion
Crate training a puppy at night can be difficult and frustrating. You’re losing sleep because of the midnight potty breaks. You’re unsure why your puppy is barking or crying and it’s causing you stress. And you’re receiving lots of conflicting information from friends, trainers, websites, and novice’s on social media.
Remember that up until now your puppy has had littermates to snuggle with, and has never been alone. Take it slow. Always make the crate a positive experience and predict really good things by hiding treats in the crate for the puppy to find throughout the day. Keep the crate near your bed at the start if that makes them feel better. And always listen to your puppy and help them when they need it.
You can do it! And you can have a crate trained puppy at night in no time!
About Me
Hi, I’m Lauren, a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer with Wildflower Dog Training!
Puppy crate training, especially at night can be so difficult and frustrating. I want to help new puppy guardians start off on the right foot, and hopefully not fall into the “let them cry it out” advice.
If you’d like to work with me on crate training with your puppy or even your adult dog, please contact me.
You can also check out my Wildflower Puppy Program, which is a done-for-you training package where I come to your home and do most of the training for you. It’s great for working professionals and busy families.
Or, if you have other training goals you’d like to accomplish like walking better on leash, or training polite manners like sitting to greet, dropping valuable items, or relaxing on a mat during dinner, check out my Adolescent & Adult Dog Training programs.
Hope to meet you soon!
Lauren
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