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Crate training a puppy, step by step

A crate is a bedroom, not a cage. Done slowly, it gives your puppy a safe place to sleep and gives you a house-training helper.

  1. Leave the door open and toss treats inside

    Let your puppy walk in by choice. No pushing, no closing the door yet.

  2. Feed meals in the crate

    Bowl at the back, door open. Good things happen in here.

  3. Close the door for seconds

    While they chew something safe, close it, open it before they finish. Build up slowly.

  4. Keep it near the family

    A quiet corner of the room you are in, with a safe chew toy.

  5. Add time and distance

    Sit nearby, then move around the room, then step out briefly. Come back before your puppy gets worried.

By breed group. Giant and guardian breeds outgrow crates fast: buy for the adult size and use a divider. Flat-faced breeds overheat: keep the crate cool and well aired.

Never use the crate as a punishment. A young puppy should not be crated for more than about an hour per month of age in the daytime, and less at first.

Crate steps are part of Puppy Essentials in Sitspark, with a session timer and log. The first class and the first lesson of every class are free, with no account.

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