Should I lock my puppy in his crate at night? (2023)

Should I lock my puppy in his crate at night?

We recommend that every dog or puppy should spend the night confined to his crate. There are many benefits to keeping your canine companion contained during the night.

After an hour or so, if he is quiet and settled in the crate, open the door. Remember, when letting him out of the crate, do not say anything, just open the door. At night, move the crate to your bedroom, ask the puppy to go inside, turn off the lights, and ignore any crying.

It is not cruel to crate a dog at night as long as he is properly crate trained, enjoys being in his crate, has had plenty of out-of-crate time during the day, and was given a potty break before going to sleep.

You can usually stop closing your dog into your crate when they are around two years of age. Before then, they are usually more likely to get into trouble. It isn't until they mature fully that they are able to behave properly when not supervised. This is especially true for larger dogs, who tend to mature later.

Puppies should sleep in their crates at night, as this helps them learn to sleep through the night. Place the crate directly beside your bed in early first training so that your puppy will not feel lonely and frightened, and can wake you easily in the middle of the night for a bathroom break.

Under no circumstances take the puppy to bed with you. This will form a very undesirable habit. – trust me…it's difficult to avoid doing when your puppy is whining all night, but it's very important to leave him in his crate. Give the puppy a stuffed dog toy to snuggle with.

It is important to allow a puppy crying in their crate to self-soothe a bit to ensure that they do not whine and cry every time they are confined to receive your attention. If you respond too much to a crying puppy in their crate, they will learn to train you!

Most puppies do best in a crate with a soft and suitable bed or bedding tucked inside. Crates keep your little guy corralled and away from temptations and dangers while you get some shut-eye too.

The first time you close the door while they are eating, open it as soon as they are finished. With each successive feeding, leave the door closed a few minutes longer, until they are staying in the crate for ten minutes or so after eating.

How do I keep my puppy calm in his crate at night?

Get your puppy comfortable with the crate.

“Providing treats, chew toys and bedding in the crate will help with the experience,” she says. Use dog treats to reward your puppy when he is being quiet and calm in his crate.

Try to ignore the whining. If your dog is just testing you, he'll probably stop whining soon. Yelling at him or pounding on the crate will only make things worse. If the whining continues after you've ignored him for several minutes, use the phrase he associates with going outside to eliminate.

In general, you should not need to wake your puppy up to pee or poop at night. Depending on their age, puppies can sleep through the night provided they received a potty break just before bedtime and they did not have access to food or water at least two hours before bedtime.