Embrace Crate Training With Blessed Day Doodles

You should expect the first several nights to be loud as your puppy adjusts to not only being in a new environment, but also being away from all of their littermates and all that has become familiar to them. We do recommend you crate train your puppy at night to rather you plan to use it when he/she is an adult or not. Some families wish to let their dog have free run of the house when it’s trained and out of the puppy stage. That’s fine, however, it’s important that you not leave them out and free to roam as a puppy as they can chew up electrical cords and get into many things they aren’t supposed to, most of which are often harmful.

They enjoy having a place to be that is their own (although it’s not something they enjoy at first!). It’s a lot like having to put your baby in their own crib, they don’t like it; however, you can’t let them sleep with you forever! Refer to some tips below to help you in the crate training process and to help introduce the puppy to the crate as a positive place.

1. In the crate, you will want to have a towel or blanket for the puppy to lay on. You will also want to have a potty pad or newspaper in there for when the puppy has an accident because it’s likely he/she will potty if left in there for more than a couple of hours. I would recommend putting the potty area at the back of the crate and the blanket at the front, this way the puppy won’t have to walk through the potty area to get out of the crate.
2. Being the puppy is in a new place, you are the only familiar face to them, I would recommend putting their crate near you at nighttime, maybe even putting your fingers through the grids on the crate so they can feel you, but they’re still in the crate.
3. Wear an old shirt for a while, get your smell on it and then at nighttime wrap them in it at bedtime or when you are gone for a period of time, that way they have your smell close to them.
4. Just to acclimate them to their crate and to get them to walk in it on their own, and at a time when you aren’t going to be actually leaving them, put a trail of treats on the floor and leading into their crate to lure them in, again, don’t close the door and lock them in, but just to give the crate a positive experience link and have them willingly go in. Do this a couple of times a day in the first week or so.
5. Give him/her a toy in their crate, probably something cuddly rather than a chew toy. This might be a source of comfort or entertainment if you are gone for a few hours.
6. Feed his/her meals near the crate, every couple days move the bowl closer to the crate, then just inside the crate, then towards the back of the crate.
7. You might want to put a blanket over the crate if it’s an open wire crate, this will create the den/cave effect and give it a cozy, safe, and secure feel.

At Blessed Day Doodles, we believe crate training is an essential part of your puppy's transition to their new home. It provides a safe space for your puppy and helps establish a routine, especially at night. Our experienced team is here to provide you with all the guidance you need to make this process as smooth as possible.

Get in touch with us today and let's embark on this crate training journey together.