Puppies are one of the best gifts you can give to yourself or a loved one. Their cuteness and energy will appeal to almost everyone’s soft side.
Puppies aren’t used to waiting to relieve themselves outside because they haven’t learned the “proper” way. As a result, there’s a good chance you’ll catch your puppy peeing in its crate.
Fortunately, with a little practice, this can be remedied. When it comes to puppies, it’s critical to follow certain instructions because this is when they’re most responsive to training.
Puppies peeing in their crate is actually very common, as it is with bed accidents as well. It’s crucial to maintain consistency throughout the training, which brings us to our first and most important topic.
Here, you’ll learn eight terrific techniques that will help you train your puppy in no time and prepare you and your dog for a long and happy life together.
Contents
8 Pro Tips To Train Your Puppy in a Puppy Crate
1: Stay Consistent with Training
When training a dog, the most important thing to remember is to be consistent. This is especially true with a puppy, as puppies learn much more quickly than fully grown canines.
Plus, puppies aren’t going to be puppies forever, so keeping consistent will ensure that you make the most of the time you have. A related proverb for teaching pups is “time is training,” which is derived from the phrase “time is money.”
However, you should avoid overtraining your dog. Puppies have a lot of free energy, therefore they’ll probably be able to train for long periods. If your puppy appears tired, allow him to relax and drink some fresh water to regain his vitality.
A fatigued puppy will not only not train as well, but will also forget a lot of what it has learned, wasting time. Instead, only train your puppy when he is energetic, such as in the morning after he has eaten or in the afternoon after he has taken his midday nap.
If staying consistent is difficult for you, make a timetable and stick to it as closely as possible. It can be placed on the refrigerator, placed near the crate, or as a smartphone reminder.
That way, you’ll remember to do X, Y, and Z every day. This will be very helpful in helping to lessen the chances of your puppy peeing in its crate as you’ll be more likely to stick to the plan.
2: Limit The Time In The Crate
When I initially got my puppy, a Bassador, I was learning how to care for dogs, or pups, at the time. I used to think it was superior to keep him in the crate for longer lengths of time since it felt like it would help him get used to it faster, but that was over a decade ago.
However, this is not the way to go about it. Instead, you should limit crate time to prevent your puppy from peeing in its crate.
Keep him in the crate in another room, for example, while you go about your daily activities. If you want him to get used to it quickly, keep him in the crate for about an hour while you’re watching TV or washing dishes.
This will make him feel much more at ease at first because he’ll know you’re close by if he needs you. If he’s confined in another room, he can feel abandoned, which can lead to worry and anxiety, as well as peeing in the crate.
For the first week, one hour is usually enough time. Once he’s become used to it, you can increase the time to two or three hours, such as while you’re doing housework or napping.
3: Don’t Place The Crate Just Anywhere
Crate placement is important during puppy training, but it’s also important after your puppy has completed his or her training. During the training time, the crate should never be placed in a closed room since, as previously stated, he may feel abandoned.
If you reside in a location where air conditioning isn’t a part of your culture, like England, it should be placed in a cool area with a little breeze, such as under a calm fan. Otherwise, placing it near an air conditioning vent or a screened window will suffice.
Your puppy will be able to stay cool as a result of this, allowing it to remain calm, cool, and collected. Moving ahead, the crate should be kept in an open space that does not feel confining. Closets, bathrooms, pantries, and hallways are just a few examples.
It will be difficult for a puppy to remain calm if it feels trapped. If you leave the crate on a porch or patio unattended, a wild predatory animal, such as a Coyote, may see an opportunity and attack.
If you have multiple puppies, putting them all in one crate may be enough to calm them down; just make sure there is enough room.
Finally, if you have too many puppies to fit in a single crate, putting the crates next to each other may be a huge relief for your puppies, reducing anxiety. Putting more than one puppy into a single crate is going to raise the chances of your puppy peeing in its crate, however.
4: Give Your Puppy Distractions
Providing a few distractions for your puppy, such as a toy, music, or television, is a terrific method to help with training and to stop your puppy from peeing in its crate. A puppy with nothing to do is bound to get into mischief. Some dogs, particularly puppies, will pee just because they are bored.
So giving them a toy or something to keep them engaged would be quite beneficial. Look for a toy that allows you to stuff a little treat inside. These can provide hours of entertainment for a puppy while also assisting in the maintenance of good teeth.
Music is an excellent technique to calm a puppy. Classical music is a good choice because the tones are soothing, sedating, and long-lasting, all of which will help your puppy fall asleep.
Puppies who do not have any distractions are significantly more likely to pee in their crate, break their way out, or simply cause mischief.
Make sure the toy is robust, as puppies’ teeth are typically very sharp. Also, never give your puppy a cloth toy because they may easily be torn and constitute a choking hazard if you aren’t present.
5: Try To Schedule Crate Time
It’s just as critical to schedule crate time as it is to keep consistent. This will be determined by each individual’s work-life balance. Because the puppy will be sleeping when you are awake, folks who work nights will have a far more difficult time training their dog in its crate than those who work during the daytime.
Fortunately, you only need two or three hours per day to effectively train your puppy in its kennel. Place your puppy in his crate after he has eaten his breakfast and received a good amount of water.
This is an excellent moment because after his stomach is full, the only thing on his mind will be sleep. With each passing day, his slumber will make him more and more at ease and prevent your puppy from peeing in its crate.
Place him in for another hour after he’s had his end-of-day meal after work or when your day is nearing its end.
Allow him to sleep in the crate near your bed for one night after a week, or when you think he’s comfortable enough inside the crate. If he does well, that’s fantastic. If he doesn’t respond within a week, try again.
6: Make it Comfortable
Dogs, like most humans, want to sleep in a comfortable environment. In the wild, wolves like to sleep in dens, and dogs have retained this tendency. Dens frequently have rounded corners and are practically perfect for wolves to sleep in.
Because dogs have this tendency as well, it’s crucial to make sure their crate is as comfortable as possible. Keep things simple because you don’t want the crate to grow cluttered. However, try to put a thin blanket on the bottom of the kennel for your puppy to sleep on.
Summer blankets, which are composed of permeable materials, are ideal for this. It’s crucial to remember to stay away from anything that could make your dog overheat, such as a thick blanket or too many layers.
Some dogs enjoy sleeping straight on top of pillows or laying their heads on them. In any case, keep these things in mind: cool, thin, and basic. If you do put water in the crate, make sure it’s attached to the side so it doesn’t spill and wet the entire crate and blanket, and so the puppy has access to water while you’re gone.
This is especially vital if you’ll be leaving your dog in the crate for work, school, or a day out in town (never recommended,) which may raise the chances of your puppy peeing in its crate.
7: Avoid Giving Too Much Water
Too much water consumption is a major cause of puppies peeing in their crates. Puppies require more water and food to “grow.” But, if you do it too often, you may start noticing your puppy peeing in its crate and doing his business inside as well.
To avoid this, don’t give your puppy water any less than one hour before bedtime or one hour before putting it in its crate unless it’s thirsty. A dehydrated dog is a far more dangerous matter. If your dog continues to drink too much water, you can give him a chew toy.
This will help to divert his attention away from the water and toward anything else. However, because water is so essential, make sure your puppy is adequately hydrated before temporarily restricting access to it.
Dehydration in dogs can occur quickly, particularly in young puppies that do not retain much water weight.
This should go away if you and your dog find out a decent water drinking strategy. It’s also a good idea to take your puppy out to potty numerous times a day, and before each crate visit, to avoid a puppy peeing in its crate.
8: Check For Health Reasons
Unfortunately, UITs can also occur in dogs of both sexes. A urinary tract infection (UTI) can produce a variety of symptoms in dogs, including discomfort and incontinence. Although this is uncommon in puppies, it is still conceivable, so it is worth investigating.
Excessive urination can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, including renal disease. Checking your puppy’s pee can help you figure out what’s wrong.
Drinking too much water will most likely result in clear urine. Kidney disorders can create dark brown urine, but dehydration is more likely to cause lighter brown urine. Urine should be a bright yellow color, akin to the sun or a taxi cab.
If it’s any darker, you should see your veterinarian, especially if it hasn’t improved after two or three days of sufficient hydration.
Ensure that your dog does not get into any trash containing spilled liquids such as wine, fizzy drinks, tea, or other beverages. This irritates the urinary tract, which can lead to incontinence and other issues.
In some cases, dogs can be too thirsty for certain health reasons. If you think your puppy is drinking too much water, factors it over food or treats, or even drinks so much he falls ill, it may be related to heating or other health issues.
Some dogs can even develop cases of kidney disease, or infection that can develop into serious health scares. If you think this may be the case, contact your vet. Read here to learn more about this and why it can occur in dogs.
Takeaway
The important thing to remember is to be consistent, not overwork your puppy, and to be patient. Puppies, in my experience, usually catch on after a while. Over time, you’ll notice a gradual rise in crate comfort, and you’ll notice that your puppy doesn’t hate it at all.
Peeing can indicate worry, tension, or a lack of water intake. Use the elimination method if possible. To begin, give the puppy less water and take him out for a toilet break before putting him in the crate. Next, sit close by to help it cope with its separation anxiety.
Lastly, look for any signs of a urinary tract infection. Puppies peeing in the house is fairly typical, and it’s even more common to find your puppy peeing in its crate.
Your dog will become accustomed to the crate and will not urinate in it. If the condition persists, a trip to the veterinarian may be in order. So, if your puppy is peeing in his or her crate, try to remain calm and keep on training!
