Puppies should sleep in their cages at night, as this helps them learn to sleep through the night. Place the crate directly next to your bed at the beginning of training so that your puppy doesn't feel lonely or scared, and can easily wake you up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Once your puppy can sleep safely and deeply through the night, cage training is worth your efforts. Some puppies are brought into their cages after just a few days; others require weeks or months of sustained night training in cages before the benefits pay off.
Ultimately, cage training is one of many ways you can strengthen your relationship with a new dog. Contrary to what some people think, locking the puppy in the box at night is not cruel. Do not cage the puppy during the day for more than 3 hours. Start training your puppy in cages on his first night.
It may be helpful to use a puppy pen for part of the night while working on cage training. If your puppy is not yet old enough to “hold it through the night” (usually not until seven or eight months) and you are not willing or unable to take them to the bathroom, use a large crate or puppy pen that allows room for a urination pad. Keep in mind that if you want your dog to go to the bathroom exclusively outside, this can affect your training efforts at home. While puppies are obviously precious little things, dog owners know that the adorable gasps and kisses you get during the day turn into whining and crying at night, which isn't exactly what makes you sleep well at night.
Preventing him from eating and drinking late at night is a great way to train your puppy and will definitely help slow down nighttime accidents; however, you will absolutely need to make sure that, before doing so, your pup has been satiated, you don't want a hungry or thirsty puppy on your hands. But think about the worst thing it would be to wake up in the middle of a night with a barking puppy that has had an accident in his cage. Having a puppy is, in a way, similar to having a human baby at home (but fortunately, puppies mature much faster than human babies). When training a puppy, try to make sure he is ready for a good, long nap, and tire him out before bedtime.
As the workout progresses, you can practice how to close the door and put a treat or kibble inside, and then let them out immediately. Crate training provides a safe space for your dog when you have to leave it unsupervised, said Jamie Richardson, chief of medical staff at Small Door Veterinary, accredited by USDA, BVetMed. Just be consistent with your nighttime potty training methods and you'll be well on your way to a nocturnal routine without urinating for you and your pup. A puppy zone can be useful to use during the night if your puppy has problems in the smallest space of a crate.
In your cage training practice, pay attention to when you open the door to let your puppy out of their crate. We'll cover how to set up a puppy crate to encourage nighttime rest, what to do if your pup starts barking or whining during the night, and useful puppy products. If you notice that your puppy spends a lot of time getting blankets out of the way, they may sleep better with less bedding in their crate. For puppies who are just starting out with training at home, they should be given a toilet break quite often during the day, even if they can physically endure longer.
