Here at Timberidge Goldendoodles, we put forth a lot of time, effort & energy to help prepare each of our sweet puppies for their new families. One aspect of that preparation is early crate introduction. We introduce the crate when the puppies are around three weeks of age and at seven weeks, puppies transition to sleeping independently in crates overnight. Even with this early, positive crate introduction, occasionally a puppy may struggle with crate time initially once he joins his new family. Here are a couple tricks & tips you can try to help make crate time a success for your puppy:
- Snuggle puppies are a great sleeping buddy. Bring a snuggle puppy for your new furry family member at meet & greet day or ship one to our house. We’ll begin working with your puppy on sleeping with his stuffed buddy so he’ll have a familiar sleeping companion to bring home when he joins your family.
- Beds are great and many puppies love having a soft, comfy place to sleep BUT make sure that the bed doesn’t take up the entire crate. There should be room for your puppy to choose to sleep off of the bed in case he becomes hot. Sometimes a blanket or soft towel may work better than a bed because your puppy can position it how he likes and to achieve the amount of warmth or cooling that he finds comfortable.
- Set your puppy up for success by feeding him dinner several hours before bedtime. You want to make sure your puppy has plenty of time for dinner to go in and out before bedtime. We do not restrict the puppies’ access to water here before bedtime, but you may find it helpful to pick your pup’s water up an hour before bedtime.
- Puppies naturally prefer cozy covered places. If your puppy seems to have trouble settling in his crate, try moving the crate to a more secluded area and/or try covering it to give it more of that den-like feel. You can purchase a specially designed crate cover, but a blanket or towel will also work well. Be sure to keep some of the crate uncovered to allow for airflow.
- Puppies play hard and sleep hard. structure your evening so your puppy has plenty of time to play hard before bedtime. A tired puppy is happy to go to sleep in his crate whereas an energetic puppy is likely protest.
- Set the bedtime mood. After the puppies have gone outside for one last potty and had a few minutes to run those last wiggles off, we put everyone in their crates and turn off the lights to cue bedtime. Similarly, at home you’ll want to turn off the lights and make sure the environment is fairly quiet to cue your puppy for bedtime. If the lights are on and there is a lot of activity happening, your puppy is going to want to join in on the fun.
My puppy cries when I put him in his crate. How long should I let him cry?
More often than not, puppies do amazingly with crate training in their new homes. Occasionally, a puppy may struggle a little, though. Even though your puppy is used to sleeping in a crate in our home, everything he knows has suddenly changed when he joins your family, and it’s normal for a puppy to cry a bit those first few nights. Remember, your puppy is used to being in a crate, so any crying he does are merely cries of protest and not cries of freaking out. It’s okay for him to cry. Your puppy should settle within about 10 or 15 minutes, although occasionally a puppy may take 30 minutes to go to sleep that first night. Try the suggestions listed above, and let me know if your puppy is still struggling.
Should I wake my puppy up overnight to go to the bathroom?
We have worked hard with your puppy to get him used to sleeping for about 7 hours in a crate overnight. You do not need to wake your puppy up to go to the bathroom overnight. Many of our puppies sleep through the night from day one of joining their new families. When puppies go home, they can be a little nervous (which is normal) and being nervous can make a puppy need to potty. If your puppy wakes up overnight those first few nights, try reaching your hand down so he can sniff you and know he’s not alone. If he doesn’t settle with this reassurance, take him outside to potty. As soon as he finishes, put him back in his crate. Remember, it’s sleeping time and not playtime. You do not want your puppy to train you to wake up every morning at 3am for playtime! If your puppy isn’t sleeping through the night within the first 7-10 days, please let me know.
What about daytime crating?
Our early crate introduction with your puppy has primarily focused on night time crate confinement. While the puppies have access to crates during the day, they are generally free to come and go as they choose. Often, puppies voluntarily choose to nap on the bed in the crates. We do minimal daytime crate confinement, which means that being locked in a crate during daytime hours at your home will be somewhat new for your puppy. You can help encourage successful daytime crate time by:
- Make sure your puppy is tired before starting crate time. Your puppy just slept for 7 hours in his crate overnight, it’s not fair to expect him to immediately go back in his crate. Wake up early enough to allow time for your puppy to potty outside, play, eat breakfast, potty outside again, play some more, and then get tired enough for a nap before expecting him to relax in his crate.
- Yummy chews make crate time more fun. When you are home and able to supervise your puppy’s crate time, give him an exciting, yummy chew that he only gets the pleasure of enjoying when he’s in his crate. Bully sticks and pigs ears are great options.
- Take your puppy out to potty before crate time. A puppy who needs to pee will have trouble settling in his crate even if he’s tired.
- Put your puppy’s crate somewhere quiet. Your puppy is going to have trouble settling in his crate if there is a lot of exciting activity happening right in front of him and he feels like he’s missing out.