New Puppy Owners Unsure What to Put in the Crate

“Hi everyone! I recently got a new puppy, we live as a family of four, and at least one person is at home the whole day. How long should the puppy be outside his crate and what should actually fill that time? Thanks! submitted by /u/Strange_Positive850 [link] [comments]”

“Hi All! Been reading a lot of posts on here trying to get as much advice as possible but this is my first post. I introduced his crate from the very first day, feed his meals in there and give him high value things like kongs and lick mats. I've got to a place where he sleeps in his crate overnight with 1/2 toilet breaks and minimal fuss. He also goes in for enforced naps throughout the day whilst I work from home. The issue - he can only settle when I am in the room with him. I'm not su”

“Me and my partner bought a puppy dachshund 3 days ago. The first night, she hasn’t eaten or drink anything at all. The next day she still wasn’t eating and drinking much. Later that day she started having watery poops, also with a bit of blood. At midnight we wen’t to the vet emergency, because we were scared she was dehydrated and the blood was also concerning. The vet told us, it’s probably only because she’s stressed. He gave her some injections, so she won’t be dehydrated. She seemed to get”

“I have a 12 week old Cavalier puppy and am looking for recommendations for crate safe toys that she can be left with during enforced naps or when we leave the house. We currently have two Kongs that we alternate between and only give to her in the crate, and we also have a Woof Pupsicle that we plan to introduce eventually. Does anyone have any other recommendations for safe toys or similar alternatives? I am just looking for some variety! She tends to chew on the wire crate when she gets bored,”

“My 5 month old puppy likes his crate. He will go in there at night with ZERO complaining and whining and sleep from 9pm to 7am. He gets treats in there, and sometimes in the day when I place it in his pen in the living room he'll go in voluntarily to hunt for treats or chew his bone. He has a blanket and snuggle puppy in there. He will also go in for naps with no complaining when he's tired. The crate is in my bedroom and I close the door when I leave, so he is fine to be in a separate r”

“Hi! I’ve had my sweet Stella girl for about 3 months now, she’s a frenchie cockapoo mix (insane combo, my aunt and cousins dogs got out and poof Stella was born) and she’s almost fully potty trained, and doing so good in training! When I first got her she would have accidents in her crate when I left a blanket or bed in there. I’ve since removed them but I want her to be able to be comfortable and I know she likes to snuggle under a blanket. I’m wondering if I should try to add her blanket back”

“I Have a 12 Week Old Female American Bully . Sweetest thing on earth . Had struggles with her sleeping in her crate but now she will go on her own and sleep in her bed in her cage at night when it’s night time . I’ve had numerous times where i would fall asleep on the couch and she would be out for 3-4+ hours straight where she has free roam alone by herself ( i work night shift so i sleep when i can during the day when i take her out ) . We have a play pen with puppy pads designed for her to po”

“We are getting our Cavapoo puppy in two weeks. This might be a dumb question but when crate training-do you move the crate? For instance, during the day it would be downstairs and at night-do you bring it upstairs? Do people who crate train have 2 crates? One on the first floor and a second upstairs closer to their people? submitted by /u/Acrobatic_Strategy93 [link] [comments]”

“Hi Everyone, I will be bringing a puppy home in October. It is an Australian Labradoodle that will be 8 weeks old. The puppy is expected to grow to 25-30lbs. What is the best type of crate? I've seen posts about puppies getting stuck in crate wiring, but also chewing soft crates or plastic crates. Plastic carriers still have wire doors. What has been your experience? submitted by /u/PsychologicalGuest32 [link] [comments]”

“First time puppy owner here! My husband and I have a St Berdoodle puppy (currently 14 weeks old). She is well crate trained (she sleeps from 2145-615 and if she wakes up early she will just play with her toys until we let her out) and we have just introduced the pen which she seems happy with. She has enforced naps throughout the day in the crate/pen which she does without issue. The problem we are facing is that when she wakes up from her naps she immediately wants attention, and from when she”

“I am picking up my choc lab 8 week old next week and I bought a 30 inch crate from chewy. Thats too small a size for a lab right? Returning this is gonna be a nightmare. How has dealing with chewy returns been for you as well ? submitted by /u/Stuckatpennstation [link] [comments]”

“Hello! For those who crate their pups, how long have they been able to hold during daytime when you leave the home? I have an almost 6 month old mixed breed who will likely be 50-60 pounds as an adult. My schedule has changed and I’ll be gone anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on the day. I have a relative who will be able to stop by to let her out and spend some time with her. My trial days when I’m out running errands, I’ve noticed she can maybe hold 3 hours and some days a little sooner tha”

“For those who use a crate/crate train! Just curious when did you stop (if at all) doing meal times in the crate? Our girl (little over 5 months and have been crate training since 2 months) gets all her meals in there plus enrichment bowls/lick mats. She occasionally gets a chew outside of the crate. I’m planning to keep the crate for a while, especially when no one is home and until she can be trusted to not get into something lol she gets enforced naps in there too. The other dogs eat in the ki”

“I have an 11 week old lab who LOVES his crate. We use a crate cover or else he’s never settle but I’ve been finding that he’s been waking up hot/panting the last few nights. I don’t zip the cover completely shut and I have the ventilation window open for air flow. I take him outside to try to potty and cool off for a few minutes and give him a small amount of water before going back to bed. Do cooling mats actually work, should I take the crate pad out? I live in the Midwest so it’s not particul”

“We’re picking up our 8 week old Bernese mountain dog puppy in a week! So I’m about to set up her crate, but I was wondering what you put in there with them as a puppy? I don’t know if I want to buy a dog bed yet because we’ll put the divider in the crate so it’s small for her as a puppy. So a blanket? Puppy pads? It’s been 11 years since we had a puppy, so I forget! submitted by /u/capybaras-on-parade [link] [comments]”

“Our golden doodle border collie mix is 20weeks old. He used to reluctantly sleep in the crate in our bedroom for naps, but only 3x for about 2hours each per day. Needed settling on one of us first. Night time in crate also reluctantly but a bit easier when I went to bed 10pm - 6am. So about 14 hrs in total. He did fine with that, no behaviour issues at all. But now we have had to leave him at home alone here and there for 3-4 hours, he stayed in the playroom where he has most of his meals and to”

“I have an approximately 5 month old puppy. She is a shelter dog so we’re not sure her breed but possibly Aussie mix? Definitely going to be a medium to large dog, she is almost 30 lbs now. She has been catching onto potty training well and started sleeping through the night (about 9:30/10:00pm-6:00am. Before, she would whine to let me know she wanted out. I was wondering if I should keep a middle of the night alarm to let her out? She had a UTI when I first adopted her when she was around 2.5 mo”

“We have just picked our 13 week old puppy up 4 days ago. He’s a menace (as expected) and is extremely high energy. We have been crate and puppy pen training. Also been training him not to bite us. We do this with treats of course. These treats include his kibble and the same brand of cookie treats. Cookie treats are for high reward behaviour and kibble for lower reward. This is continuous throughout the day. However, when it is meal time, our puppy doesn’t seem to want to eat. He’ll venture over”

“Hello everyone! I have an almost 5 month old puppy. We don’t know her specific breed since she was from the shelter, possibly Aussie mix? She takes naps/sleeps at night in the crate, as well as eats her meals in there. I have noticed recently she will growl if we walk by the crate and if one of the other dogs walks near it, but it only happens when she has her Toppl (it usually has frozen wet food, kibble, and veggies.) When she gets her meals in a bowl/snuffle mat or a chew in the crate, she is”

“8 week old male goldendoodle. I have had for for a week. 7 weeks is a bit early, but it is what it is. So for bedtime I have one of the plastic travel crates. He likes it now and goes into it a bedtime and naps with little effort. the 1st 2 days I got no sleep with being up every 2 hours for potty, now we are at at least 5 hours. So progress. The issue is the crate is still right next to me all night. I want to start transitioning to a crate that outside the bedroom. I was thinking about moving”

“We got a 7.5 week old Labrador puppy about 4 days ago and we are struggling with nights. Advice please? We have a crate for him inside a playpen area. His basic daily routine is: sleep on tile floor in playpen, wake up and get taken outside for pee/poop. Explore backyard but sometimes he wants to go right back inside. After potty time we play with him with his toys and do 'sit' training. Then he usually walks to his pen area on his own accord to be let back in. He eats his meals in his c”

“Henry isn’t crazy about the crate. We’ve landed on a temporary solution that’s working just okay. I moved a folding table into my bedroom and put the crate on top so he’s right next to me in bed. I put my fingers in the crate to sooth him and he settles down and sleeps fairly fast once I poke my fingers in and pet him a bit. He gets up and I take him to for potty breaks at around midnight and 3 am and he wakes up for good at 5-6 am. He requires soothing when he goes back into the crate but just”

“First dog so looking for some advice. Our cockapoo puppy is 13 weeks old but seems able to sleep for 10+ hours in his crate at night and hold his bladder. He’s sleeping in a crate in our bedroom while he settles in so we think we’d hear/smell if he complained or indeed peed in the night. Is this normal? We expected to be up 1-2 times a night with him and early every morning. I’m literally lying in bed watching him snore in his crate just now…10 hours after his bedtime… submitted by /”

“I have had my beagle mix puppy for 1 week and she will be 12 weeks old this weekend. I have tried every tip and trick, and she will NOT take daytime naps in her crate. The crate is in our bedroom. She will sleep in it all night without complaint. I’ve tried frozen lick treats, special treats, meals in crate, training in crate, covering the crate, and staying in the room. She’ll be okay for a few, like while she has her lick treat, and then panic and start shaking. One problem is she will not sle”

“We’ve been crate training our puppy (now 11.5 weeks) since we brought him home at 9.5 weeks. He’s doing well overall: he sleeps through the night, wakes once to pee, and settles right back down after we take him out. During the day, we make sure he naps in his crate and have been playing crate games as well to make sure he has a positive association with the crate. He sleeps and settles well as long as we are in the room. The problem is that he panics the moment he can’t see us. He barks loudly”

“Breed: Bernedoodle Age: 8 months Hello all! I need some additional advice. My pup refused his crate in the room around 6 months old. Tried swapping him to his playpen in the living room. He did okay and then refused to sleep in there. A point where he would only want to sleep around the living room floor or couch. I would have to sleep on the couch to watch him so I could ensure he was okay. He is a BIG chewer. I got tired and found it was hurting my boyfriend and I’s relationship and I wouldn’t”

“Hi all! I’m looking to buy a crate for my dog, Sunny. When I first got her, I tried crate training but eventually gave up and am looking to start again. Her first crate was way too large for her, and she ended up constantly using it as a bathroom, so I want to avoid that this time around. Her rough measurements are: 30” long, 21 inches tall. she weighs around 50 pounds. I think she’s a staffy mix of some sort, but i’m not entirely sure. Should I get a crate that’s 37”Lx21.8”Wx23.6”H? or would a”

“I have a new puppy, my first time raising one on my own, and I am trying to crate train in a fear free way. She will happily go into the crate for treats and meals, and she will nap there if I sit right next to it. The problem is the moment I stand up and take a few steps away, even in the same room, she pops up and starts whining. If I actually leave the room she ramps up into full barking. I do not want to do any kind of "cry it out," but I also need her to be able to settle when I a”

“We got our ECS puppy last week at 10 weeks, we've slowly been working on making her crate a safe space and seems to be working in the day as she is starting to put herself to be for naps there. Minus the first night she settles alright if we keep a hand near the crate ( not sure if this is good). She seems to get restless in the night and start digging in the crate like shes trying to escape and when she does it doesnt seem to mean she is ready for a pee. Also 2 times now at about 1 am I&#39”

“Hello, I have an 11-week-old Chihuahua mix that I recently adopted from a shelter, and I’m currently struggling with his sleep schedule inside his crate. When it’s time for bed, I play white noise and make sure he’s settled inside his crate (which has a blanket cover over it). However, as soon as I walk away, he always cries. Lately, I’ve been playing YouTube podcasts or videos loudly enough to mask the sound of me walking away. My floors always squeak, so I have to walk very slowly. Overall, it”

“We’ve been crate training our mini dachshund puppy and I feel like we’re following all the “right” steps, but the screaming when the door closes just won’t quit. Here’s what we’ve done: Day one: loaded the crate with treats, let her go in on her own. She slept in there for hours, no issues. After that, we always let her come and go with the door open, treats scattered inside, favorite chews given only in the crate, she even carries her own toys in there to play/chew voluntarily. We try to make i”

“Hello. I feel like I need some help/advice with my 5 month mini poodle. We got her at 10 weeks and she was a sweet little angel. I never had to crate train her because she just went happily to her crate from day 1. She was also sleeping through the night: from 10pm to 6am. Now, 2 weeks ago a friend was taking care of her and she ate something she shouldn't have (fat from a BBQ drip tray). This meant an emergency vet trip, she was hospitalised for one night and she's currently on some ant”

“6 months 2 days. Sheltie. Picked her up at 13 weeks She does great in her crate since day one. I'm a full-time online only student and my partner works from home 4 of the 5 days. Her crate is downstairs in our bedroom where I predominantly hang out. The longest I've left her alone (upstairs fixing the crate in my car) was maybe 30 minutes and it was during her nap time. I could really use an evening out at a restaurant that's not dog friendly. There are about 4 dog friendly ones in o”

“Hi all, I have a 10 week old spoo puppy who has been an absolute gem for the past week and a half. Very few accidents in the house, walks well on a leash, loves people, and has done great with the safe socialization we’ve tried so far. His only issue is the crate, and I’m worried he’s a bit too smart for his own good. We have a crate in our bedroom and an x-pen in our living room. For his enforced naps (one hour up, two down) he does fine in his pen with little protesting. He sleeps in the crate”

“My pup is a border collie x groodle, 16 weeks old. He does sleep in his crate, will go in willingly but only once he’s tired and has calmed down on the couch or in his pen before. He sleeps 10pm ish to 6am ish, has about 3 naps of 1.5hrs-2hrs during the day. So max total sleep is 14hrs per day. Yes we train, yes we walk and sniff. The thing is, he does not turn into a land shark or start chewing stuff, he just hangs out on the couch or wanders about. I’m still anxious and stressing about him sle”

“Hey all! Info: 17 wk, mini Dachshund, I’ve had him since he was 6 wks old So my puppy and I spent two weeks at my grandmas house in NC. He has a crate there and i kept up our routine of keeping it covered and leaving him be so he could nap. We were supposed to leave and get home to MA on Sunday but got into a bad car accident and total lossed my car. I got a new car the next day and we started making plans to leave but had to stay longer than anticipated. Well we got back around midnight last ni”

“We have a 13.5-week-old Toy Poodle puppy, and crate training during the day has become a complete nightmare, even though it was going well before. He used to be able to stay alone in his crate without any issues when we went upstairs for a few minutes, but now he can't. He's especially attached to me. Whenever he's not in his crate, he follows me literally every second of the day. I can't even walk to another room without him right behind me. I also think he's picking up on m”

“We got our mini Dachshund yesterday, and at first she seemed to love her crate. After coming home, she slept in it for a few hours without any issues. During the day we also did some crate training with treats, and she would even go into the crate by herself during playtime. By the end of the day, however, she started howling when placed in the crate, despite having gone to the toilet outside (apart from one accident in the house, which was on us), having plenty of playtime, and a short training”

“Hello everyone, My partner and I are desperate for any advice on crate training with our English Working Cocker Spaniel. She is 6 months old and has been sleeping in her crate every night from 8 weeks old. She took to the crate reasonably easy and from about day 5 she would settle and sleep for most of the night. She is in the kitchen downstairs. We have to crate her during the day as well due to us both having jobs but she is completely fine in the day, the occasional bark at something outside”

“I've had my puppy for about 4 weeks, I was prepared for the overnight toilets, and it's been going okay, crate training has been a gradual improvement.. But, and perhaps I'm sleep deprived or just ill.... But I'm worried that the 2am and 4am wake ups are becoming a habit/routine more than an absolute need to go to the toilet. Puppy is a (large for his age) golden retriever cross collie, he's 13 and a half weeks old. We aren't having house accidents anymore, the back door”

“Need some advice, our 13 week old puppy sleeps with us in bed but now he’s getting bigger and I want to transition him into his own space, I know I shouldn’t have done it to begin with so spare the judgement I just wanted him to feel safe while he settled with us. submitted by /u/EmergencyOrdinary408 [link] [comments]”

“For context, I have a 3 month old Australian shepherd that I’ve had for 23 days. My routine consists of crating him, taking him out for an hour and within that hour we are walking, eating, training for 5-10 minutes, playing, walking again. Then in the crate for 2 hrs. If he’s out longer, he’s put in the crate for that amount of time, and same if he’s out for a shorter amount of time. During this time, he has free access to water. For the past few days, I’ve been increasing his amount outside of”

“Background: My 5 year old bernedoodle loved his crate and it helped dramatically with the potty training. Now he's 80 pounds and rarely goes in his crate but will if told to. The crate was helpful in calming him and keeping hims safe. Now we have a new bernedoodle, 11 weeks old today, and he's expected to be about 90 pounds. I've been introducing him to our crate (with a divider to make it small again) and puppy likes it but when locked in there, he's miserable. He loves eating i”

“I have an 8 week old Rottweiler, and did lots and lots of preparation to care for her. I read that the first three days/nights are usually the most stressful for the puppy, and I’m trying to stay optimistic. I want to make sure that I’m doing everything right so far. I’m entering day 3, and besides the usual puppy behavior (nipping, teething, etc), the crate training seems to be going the worst. I’m trying every possible combination of methods to calm her in the crate. However, she howls/whines”

“Hello, my puppy is a 15 weeks staffy/mastiff and he's currently doing really well with training. However, we are struggling massively when getting him to settle for naps in his crate and in his crate at bedtime. He had been doing well as we were putting our hand in whenever he was quiet, covering his crate and playing white noise. He would cry for around 5-10 minutes until he settled himself and would sleep for hours. If we weren't in the room he would cry as he realised he was alone, th”

“We have a 4 month old Shiba beagle puppy. We have had him for 3 weeks now. We have been trying to enforce nap time using his crate and we crate him when we aren’t home. He does sleep fine throughout the night just refuses to nap during the day. Yesterday he somehow figured out how to escape his crate, zip ties haven’t worked either as he escaped twice more. He drools uncontrollably in his crate to the point we thought he was peeing in it at first. Can anyone help with how they got their puppy to”

“So we have a new puppy. Hes 12 weeks old. Ive been a dog owner for 28 years and this is the first time I've ever crate trained a dog. It seems like a necessity this time as the puppy will not rest unless me or my husband are close by so we are trying to create a safe and comfortable space for him to rest. We have the crate set up with some of his bedding and some bedding from our bed so it smells like us. His food and water is in there and we have it c9vered with blankets. He seems to like i”

“In a few days im going to be leaving my 12 week old pocket bully in his crate for the first time, it’s just for an hour but want some advice. We’ve been feeding him in his crate so he sees it in a positive way and not like a punishment. Should I put his bed in there, a chew toy and some puppy pads down if he needs the toilet? Or just leave it completely empty. He of course chews thing so I don’t know if it’s safe or not. Will he be okay home alone in his crate? Im really worried hes going to be”

“Overall, our 11 week old shihtzu is doing pretty great. She can entertain herself for a while, she eats really well (even had to get a slow feeder), potty training is going pretty well outside of the occasional accidents. She knows to go potty outside and if we miss her cue she goes on the puppy pad. My husband and I acknowledge we’re luckier than most. My issue is the sleeping 😭 she wakes up 2x a night. Once at any point between 2-4am and then 5:30 and then 6:30. We recently started letting he”