Crate training your Lab puppy, why you should and a guide on how
Labrador puppies are so cute and cuddly, it almost seems wrong to put them in a crate. But crate training is one of the best things you can do for your new puppy and for yourself. There are many benefits to crate training your retriever puppy, but it is a process. Learn how to properly crate train a Labrador puppy and why you should start crate training as soon as possible.
Why should I crate train my Labrador?
While some people think putting a dog in a crate is cruel, experts disagree. Most veterinarians, trainers, and breeders recommend crate training dogs from a young age. Here are some reasons why:
Relieves stress and improves mental health
Crate training can be important for your puppy’s (dog’s) mental health. Dogs are den animals and often feel most safe when they are in a tight, confined area. A crate can represent this den-like experience for your puppy and give them a place to retreat when they feel stressed, confused, or just need some time alone. Dogs that are crate trained properly do not fear the crate, in fact, they love it and will often seek it out for a nap.
Easy and safe transport
Crates are the safest way to transport dogs. A dog contained in a crate cannot move around within your vehicle, get in your way while driving or create distractions. In addition, you can buy crates that are 5-star crash tested, possibly giving your dog superior protection if you are involved in an accident. If a dog is comfortable and content in his/her crate, travel is much less stressful for everyone involved.
Crates help with housebreaking
As discussed in our post on housebreaking your Labrador puppy, crate training can make housebreaking easier and quicker. Crates allow you, as owner, some off-time – time when you do not have to be constantly watching your puppy for potty accidents. In addition, crates help encourage your puppy to hold it, to wait a little longer before going potty, since most puppies hate to mess their bed.
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Can help hunting dogs with blind manners and patience
Hunting dogs often need to sit still and quiet for hours on end. Sometime in dog huts or MoMarsh stands. Crates can help hunting dogs by teaching them there is a place that they should simply lay down, rest and keep quiet.
Better dog to family relationships and more control
Crate training your puppy can provide many benefits for your entire family. No one likes to fight with their dog to get them into a crate when/if the need arises. Crate training your puppy at a young age means that when you need to put them in a crate they will go in willingly and without a fight. If someone comes to the door and your dog is being a problem, simply send him/her to their crate.
As professional retriever trainers, we crate train all the puppies we raise as custom trained dogs. We also crate train all our own dogs. We find that it makes for a better adjusted puppy all around.
Choosing the right crate for crate training Lab puppy
Getting ready to crate train your puppy means you need to buy a crate. And the size and type of crate do matter.
Size of crate for crate training retrievers
You want the crate to be large enough that your puppy is comfortable laying in the crate, but not so big that your puppy can walk around. The puppy should feel snug and protected, but not uncomfortable. The unfortunate thing about crate training this way, is that it means that as your puppy grows, you will need progressively larger crates. While inconvenient and bit more costly, this really is the best way to crate train your puppy.
But if you do not wish to buy multiple crates, there are other methods. Some people buy a large crate, the size their dog will need as an adult and then section off some of the crate. Blocking off a portion of the crate will give the puppy that tighter, den-like, experience and ensure that the puppy cannot walk around inside the crate. While this can work, be careful what you use to section the crate off. You would not want to use a material that can be chewed or ingested by your puppy. Puppies are naturally chewers, so keep this in mind.
Type of crate for crate training retriever
Technically, any kind of crate will work for crate training. But over the years we have found that some crates just simply work better.
Plastic crates seem to be the best option. They can be found easily at a local pet store, superstore, or even bought online. There are some inexpensive options that provide the protection and privacy of a den-like experience for the dogs. In addition, they have a solid bottom so should your dog get sick, or if you are in the process of housebreaking, cleanup is rather easy.
Wire crates, the kind that you can see right through do not seem to work as well as plastic crates. Wire crates are wide open, they do not provide dogs the opportunity to get away and relax. The wire offers little protection and privacy, and many dogs do not like them as dens.
We discuss crate options in more detail here.
How to crate train a Lab puppy?
Crate training is easiest when done with young puppies. We recommend starting crate training the day you bring the pup home from the breeder. Often this is at around 7-8 weeks old. The sooner you start, the easier the process will be.
Crate training can be done with older dogs, but it may take more effort and patience on your part.
Step 1 – Let puppy explore the crate
The first step is to place the crate in an area that is frequented by the puppy. Prop the door open in some way, (a small bungee works well) and let your puppy explore the crate on his own. Puppies are naturally curious, so often they will walk right into the crate on their own. If they do, don’t make a big deal of this. You can say “good dog” as they walk in and out, but otherwise do not react.
It is best if you do not move the crate around the house. Instead, find a place for the crate where the dog will spend a majority of their time and leave it there.
The crate should not be right next to a bed or a bedroom. Your puppy will be sleeping in their crate and your puppy will make more noise and wake up more if the crate is close to you. Also, your puppy is bound to make some noise the first few nights in the crate.
Step 2- Establish a routine
Develop a routine of putting your puppy down to nap inside the crate. After your puppy has been playing for a while and you can tell he/she is getting tired, and after you have taken your pup outside to go potty, place him or her in the crate and close and lock the door.
You can put one or two small toys in the crate if you wish and a small towel that you do not care if it gets ruined. Don’t stuff the crate full of toys and blankets and then try and fit the puppy in. I know this sounds self-explanatory, but I have seen it. Also, do not put a dog bed in the crate. A dog bed is too big and bulky to fit into crates well and your puppy will simply chew it to pieces or accidently have a potty accident on it. Once that happens, the bed will have the scent of potty and will work against your housebreaking efforts.
The first few times you put your puppy in the crate, he/she may cry, whine or bark for a while. That is natural and nothing to be worried about. Simply walk away from the crate and allow the puppy to settle down. Depending on the nature of your puppy this may take a few minutes to an hour or more.
It is vital that you stay away from the crate during this time. Each time the puppy sees you, hears you, or smells you, he/she will likely start crying and whining again. Do not let your puppy out or pet him/her while your puppy is carrying on with noise inside the crate. The puppy must learn that noise will not get him/her out of the crate.
If you follow this advice, your puppy will quickly learn to be content in the crate and over time the noise will become less and less until they finally understand they must stay in the crate.
Step 3 – Watch the clock
While I suggest you do not take your puppy out of the crate while they are making noise, you do need to keep an eye on how long your puppy has been in the crate. If you puppy is young, he/she cannot hold her bladder much over 1-2 hours. You do not want your puppy to have an accident in the crate if you can help it. Sometimes it will happen but be smart about it and don’t leave a young puppy more than a couple hours without a potty break.
With 7-8 week old puppies, I start by leaving the puppy in the crate for 1 hour at a time followed by playtime. By the time the puppy is 9-10 weeks old, he/she can stay in the crate 2 hours at a time followed by play time. As the puppy gets older, they can naturally hold their bladder longer. You can then increase the time that your puppy spends inside his/her crate accordingly.
This should go without saying, but you should never leave your dog in a crate 24 hours a day every day. Your puppy needs time to run around and explore his/her surroundings. Socialization of young puppies is vital.
Step 4 – Encouraging continued exploration
After you take your puppy out of the crate and out to go potty, it is time to allow him/her to play again. Block the crate door open again. The door should be blocked open anytime the puppy has not been placed in the crate for some quiet time.
You can encourage your puppy’s exploration of the crate by putting toys inside the crate. The puppy will see or smell the toys and go inside the crate to get them. Some people play crate games. They will throw a toy inside the crate so that the puppy must go inside the crate to retrieve it. These games can help your dog become extremely comfortable with their crate.
Over time you will notice that your puppy is not afraid to go inside their crate while the door is open. Sometimes, they will even go inside the crate and lay down when they are tired. This is the reaction you are seeking. It means your puppy is loving his/her crate and feels safe and comfortable inside it.
How long does it take to crate train a dog?
There is no set amount of time it takes to crate train a dog. Each dog will progress on their own schedule. But if you continue to place your puppy inside the crate on a routine basis and make the crate available to your puppy at all times, you will reap the benefits of having successfully crate trained your puppy.
Final thoughts on how to crate train a Labrador puppy
Crate training is a greatly beneficial thing for Labrador puppies and other retriever breeds. It can mimic a den for these beautiful animals and give them a safe and secure place where they can rest without stress or fear. This helps them with emotional stability and can curb behavior issues. It also makes for a more enjoyable home life with less dog induced strife.
Very interesting we’ve tried are labrador puppy and he howled and whined so we took him out and give it up because we didn’t like to see him stressed do you advise us to persevere with the crate
Hi Ray,
I do advise you to persist with the crate training. All puppies will carry on when first put in a crate. If you do not give up and let them out, they will eventually calm down. And the next time it will take less time for the puppy to settle and so on, until your pup goes willingly into the crate on command. It does not hurt the puppy to cry, howl, bark and whine. And it is important for the puppy to learn how to calm him/her self and handle the pressure of being crated. I know that it can be uncomfortable to listen to, but it really is in the best interest for the puppy to be crate trained and learn to handle that pressure and stress.
Unfortunately, since you let your pup out for making noise, the next time you put him in the crate you are likely to have a long spell of noise. Your pup learned that if he makes noise, you let him out. So he will assume it will work again. But if you are strong and persevere, you can get your pup crate trained.
Hope this helps.
I’ve had my puppy for a week and it feels like crate training isn’t getting much better. I used to have him in my room but I felt like he freaked out more since he knew I was there so I moved him to the room next to mine. How long do you think until he is completely crate trained? He is 10 weeks and it feels like it isn’t getting any better even though I am doing exactly what training articles are saying.
Hi Laurene
In what way is it not getting better? Do you mean that he still cries and makes noise for a long time?
It definitely is better to have the crate away from your room. Preferably as far away from your bedroom as possible. Each dog is different and so it is impossible for me to tell you exactly when your dog will be crate trained. It will depend on how consistent you are in putting your pup in the crate and leaving him in the crate even through all his fussing. If you give in, and let him out while he is carrying on, it will delay the training. He will have learned that he just has to throw a fit for X amount of time and then you will let him out. So the next time he will carry on for at least that long. Try to only let the puppy out of his crate when he is quiet, that way he will learn that making noise only means staying in the crate longer.
If noise is the issue, you can make a noise correction to the dog. This would involve opening the crate door, taking care to NOT let the puppy out, grab his muzzle and squeeze tightly and gently shake his muzzle saying QUIET, QUIET, QUIET. Then closing the door again. If he starts crying or barking, do it again. If this has been going on for some time, it may take a lot of corrections of your puppy to stop making noise.
Also, are you only putting your puppy in the crate at night? This could be a part of the problem. Your puppy should be put in the crate several times during the day. And lastly, make sure your puppy is worn out when you put him to bed in the crate at night. Play with him or take him for a walk. Get him good and tired so that he will want to sleep.
Hope this helps, but if you are still having problems, reach out to me again.
It’s not getting better as in he is barking like crazy without taking breaths for 20+ minutes each time. I’ve been putting him in there for a few times a day at set times, I feed him all his meals in there, cover the crate with a blanket, don’t let him out when he’s making noise (I try to wait for a full min of silence before letting him out), try not to shove him in there but lure him in with treats, put his toys in there for him and feed him treats when he’s in there. I originally had him in my bedroom but I felt the crying was bad because he could hear me move around at night and he had an accident in there and keeps trying to go potty in there even though it’s been cleaned and sprayed. I was thinking of doing the living room instead since it will be hardwood floors but I wasn’t sure how I would hear him at night if he had to go to the port. I’ve just been setting alarms every three hours at night to take him out but figure I can’t do that for forever. I try to tire him out before bed time or put him in there when he is already sleeping.
Okay, it sounds like you are doing a lot of things right. You have to remember that he is only 10 weeks old, this will get better.
Here are a couple suggestions:
1) take away water a couple hours before bedtime. This will allow you to start lengthening the time he can stay in the crate at nighttime. You should be able to start adding 1/2 an hour to an hour to your 3 hours schedule at night. Taking him out on a schedule is good, don’t take him out just cause he makes noise. If he is able to keep the kennel clean for 3.5 hours, move to 4 hours. Just gradually keep moving the time up.
2) During the day, start correcting him for noise like I suggested in the prior comment by grabbing his muzzle and squeezing it with a QUIET command.
3) Each time you put him in the crate, leave him there for at least an hour or two, no matter how much noise he is making.
4) If he is quiet when you go to take him out, praise him. Say GOOD DOG, QUIET as you let him out.
5) I would stop with giving him treats in the crate, he may be making noise because he wants more treats. And feeding him in there is okay, but not something we do or feel is necessary.
You should see improvement if you are consistent with him. But some dogs are noisier than others. Look for incremental success and build on it.
Hope this helps.
One other thing that I just thought of. Not sure what size of crate you are using. We start our puppies in a very small crate. Just big enough for the puppy to lay down in. This makes it far less likely that they will go potty in the crate. We then gradually move the puppies up to slightly larger crates as they grow and get more bladder control. If the crate is large, a puppy will also not feel safe and comforted. Dogs are den animals and like tight confined spaces. So just something to consider if your crate is large.
Hi ,
My puppy is 8 weeks old , we just got him and started crate training. I saw that he need to be let out every 1-2 hours in your post. We have been taking him out during the day every 1-2 hours to go potty. What about at night? He cries a lot when he goes into the kennel. Then I have been waking up in the middle of the night to take him potty when I am up with my toddler. I am usually waking the puppy up to do this. He has pooped in the kennel still but not peed. I think he poops when he is going through the initial fit of going in the kennel. So my question is should I even wake him to go potty at night? He is down stairs so I don’t think I will hear when he just whines although I can hear when he is howling and crying when I put him in the kennel. Also I have taken your advise to have him in the kennel randomly during the day. And soon he will need to be in it when I am at work , then my husband will be able to let him out a lunch and then about 4 hours later., this will be about 3 days a week. Thanks you!
Hi Rebecca,
At 8 weeks old, your puppy needs to go out every couple hours during the day. At night, you are going to want to start with 3 hours and slowly increase the time as long as the crate remains dry and clean. It generally takes around 3 weeks to get a puppy to last through the night (8 hours). You should set an alarm and get up to take the puppy out, not wait for him to start crying. We don’t want to teach the puppy that making noise gets him out of the crate. Try to get your puppy to go poop before you put him in the crate. You want to stop him from pooping in the crate, that is a really bad habit that can lead to a dirty dog.
Hope this helps.
We will have 8 weeks old, 2 lab. Sister puppies coming home in a few weeks. We are trying to prepare for crate training. Should puppies be put together or crate train them apart. Both my kids want to crate their puppy in their respective room but I am not sure that is a good idea.
Hi Yesenia,
Thanks for reaching out. I would recommend that each pup has her own crate. And I would not recommend that the crates be in the kids room. Puppies wake up easily so any movement of your kids may wake the puppies and once they wake up they will likely need to go outside. Also, the puppy noise, especially those first few nights, will make it really hard for your kids to get sleep. Lastly, the puppies will need to go out every 3-4 hours those first few days, even at night, so whoever is going to take the puppies out to go potty would need to go into the kids room to get the puppy. Again , waking your kids and interrupting their sleep.
I would like to give you one more piece of advice since you are getting two dogs at once. We have a lot of experience with this and it is crucial for you to make an effort to spend individual time with each puppy and do not let them be out together all the time. When dogs are allowed to socialize mostly with other dogs, they become more attached to dogs than to people. I would recommend that you only let the pups play together for an hour or so each day and the rest of the time you could alternate them out of their crates so that each puppy gets lots of people socialization.
Hope this helps.
Hi There
We have brought a lovely 8 week old Fox Red Lab into our home.
Crate training has been positive so far, sleeps in crate for about six hours in night ( 2&4 hour bursts).
Although l, She does whine/ cry if she is awake and we lock the crate with her in.
We have attempted the ignoring method and have only returned when quiet. How long would you suggest we ignore the cries each time?
Hi Ross and Zoe,
It depends on the age of the pup. At 8-10 weeks, your puppy needs to go outside during the day to go potty every 2-4 hours. But there is a tricky balance you need to maintain. You do not want to let her out while she is whining if it can be avoided. Because letting her out while she is making noise will only teach her to make noise even longer next time because she gets rewarded for making noise. This is not what you want. As your pup gets older, you can allow her to remain in the crate longer and longer. If your puppy is in her crate, and she finally starts being quiet but it has only been an hour or two, try to let her out while she is quiet even if it is not the length of time you wanted. This will result in her getting rewarded for being quiet, not noisy. At night, you should be setting an alarm and taking her out when the alarm goes off, not when she makes noise. You should start with 3 hours for an 8-week old puppy and slowly add 1/2 hour every day or two until she is sleeping for 6-8 hours. Hope this helps.
Would you recommend putting puppy toilet pads in their crate in case they do wee or poo?
Hi Elizabeth, No I would not recommend using pee pads in the crate. You are better off, if there is an accident, to just clean the crate and try again. Pee pads would hold the odor and encourage the dog to go potty in the crate. That is not what you want to happen.
Hope this helps.
Hi! We are preparing for our puppy to join our family In a few weeks. We have a 2 story house, I planned on the puppy being in his kennel in our bedroom at night should he have one downstairs to use during the day as well?
I do not recommend having the puppy in your bedroom at night, it will lead to much more noise if he can see, hear or smell you. But that is your call. If you are going to have her in your bedroom at night, yes, you will need another crate downstairs for the day or you will need to carry the crate up and down the stairs each day.
Hope this helps.
Jody
I read that it was recommended not to have a bed in the crate? What do they sleep on if this is the case? I was going to place our crate in the garage which is off the kitchen area. Thanks
We use an old towel when we have puppies, young dogs that are not completely housebroken. We use it mainly in case they have an accident in the crate, it makes it easier to clean up. But most breeds do not need anything in the crate to sleep on. Our older dogs simply sleep on the plastic crate floor and we have no problems.
If you decide to put any bedding in the crate, be it a towel or something else, be careful. Some dogs will chew on the bedding and eat it. This can have very dire results as the bedding or towel strings can cause major problems in a dog’s digestive tract. Often requiring surgery.
This is one BIG reason why we don’t put anything in the crate with the dogs except a chew proof toy like a Nylabone or similar. Another reason I don’t recommend beds in the crates is because beds are generally very bulky and take up a lot of the room in the crate. Also, if you dog gets hot, he/she has no way to get away from the bed while in the crate, which can add to his/her heat.
I currently have a 12 week old chocolate lab and he loves his crate! He sleeps in it through the night (8 hours) with no whining and chooses to take his day time naps in there. We have been feeding him in the crate since we got him to establish that the crate is a “happy place” where good things happen. I’m wondering when we can/should stop feeding him in the crate and start feeding him in what will be his permanent feeding spot? We’ve established a solid foundation for him liking his crate, but don’t want to make any moves to early. Thanks!
Sounds like you are ready to move the food out. Great job of getting your dog to love his crate!
Ok great to hear! I appreciate the info.
Thank you!
We have 11 week old puppy. He’s only with us a week. We live in Michigan and have cold nights still. And keep house 64 degrees for sleeping . You said put nothing (bedding) on bottom of crate. What if he gets cold? Also how can crate be positive experience if left to cry? Wont he hate his crate if left to cry?Thank you!
Hi Kathy
I live in WI so I know a little bit about cold. 🙂 If you feel the need, you can put a small towel in the crate with the puppy, but be careful because puppies tend to eat everything and eating any type of fabric with strings is dangerous if they ingest the strings. Put a small indestructible toy in with the puppy too, such as a nylabone so the pup can chew on something other than the towel.
As for the crying, no, the crying does not make the puppy hate his crate. He just needs some time to get used to the confinement, then the crying will stop. If you follow the advice in this post, and do not give in to your puppy’s whimpers, he will learn to love his crate. I have crate trained hundreds of dogs. They all cry at first, but they always learn to love their crate over time.
I take my lab puppy out around 11:00pm to pee & poop & then put her to bed. She is quiet for about 5-6 hours. When she starts crying I take her outside to go potty but she usually doesn’t because she has peed & pooped in her crate. This happens every night. She is 10 weeks old & I have had her for 2 weeks. I also have a portable fence that I put her in when I have to do other things around the house. She always pee’s in the pen. I can take her outside to pee & there are times when 20 minutes later she has pee’d in her pen. I am so frustrated & don’t know what to do. HELP
Hi Lorraine,
I understand your frustration. All puppies are different, but let’s see if I can help diagnose the problem.
I few things to consider:
1. How big is the crate you are using? Is is a very small puppy crate? You want the crate to be just big enough for your puppy to lay down in but not so big that she can walk around inside it. The reason for this is that if your puppy can walk around she is more likely to go potty in the crate.
2. Are you limiting food and water in the evening? I would not feed her after 4-5 pm and I would take away all water for about 3 hours before bedtime. If you puppy has access to water throughout the day, she will be fine without water for that amount of time.
3. Your puppy is still very young and she doesn’t have a very big bladder. If she usually goes potty in her crate after 5 hours, I would set an alarm prior to that time and get up and take her out. You should take her outside on a schedule, not when she cries. If she gets out of her crate every time she cries, you are going to create a very noisy dog. Instead of waiting until she cries, set an alarm for yourself and take her out on that schedule. As she gets a little older, make that time a little longer. We usually extend the time by 1/2 hour segments.
4. I understand that you have things to do around the house, but putting your puppy in a fence pen inside your home is not helping your housebreaking efforts. Have you read my post on housebreaking? Every time your puppy is out of her crate, you need to be watching her closely. If you are unable to watch her, she should be in her crate or outside in a pen where it doesn’t matter if she goes potty. Every single time your puppy gets away with going potty in the home without a scolding she is building a habit that will be harder and harder to break. It is better if she is out of her crate for 1/2 hour with you watching her every move than if she is out in a pen for hours with no one watching her. You NEED to catch her going potty in the home in order to stop the behavior. Right now, she doesn’t know its wrong to go potty in the house.
Read through my housebreaking post, if you have not already. Consider my suggestions above and if you have other questions, let me know.
Hi there,
I have a 12 week old golden lab who has no problem going in her crate. She goes to bed at 10.30pm after a wee walk at 9.30pm.
Problem is she is awakening anywhere from 4.30am – 5.30am and barking which I assume is due to needing the toilet. I let her out to go and put her back in the crate but then she just goes to town and won’t stop barking. It’s getting a little frustrating – any tips?
Cheers
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
It actually sounds like your Golden is doing pretty well. A 12-week old puppy that is making it 6-7 hours through the night is not bad. I do have a few suggestions though that may help.
If you want to stretch your dog out, to get her to last longer at night, you should start delaying the time your get up with her in the morning. I understand that you have been getting up with her when she barks. That is part of the problem. When we crate train and house break our pups, we set an alarm to get up and take them out at a certain time. We do not rush to the puppy whenever she barks. We do not want to teach the puppy to make noise and then the pup gets rewarded for making that noise. So, I would just let her bark at 4:30 and delay for a half-hour, then slowly delay even longer. It is going to be hard going at first, because she is going to carry on barking and howling because that has worked for her in the past. But eventually she will figure out that you are not going to come let her out. If she is still barking after the half-hour, I would delay a bit more. Try to not let her out when she is making noise. If she quiets down for a few seconds, that is when you want to let her out.
Lastly, if you have not been putting her in the crate during the day, you should start. And you again should not let her out when she is making noise, only when she is quiet.
It is a lot to expect a 12-week puppy to go right back into a crate after being in there all night. But if you teach her that noise will not get her out of the crate, then you will end the problem you are currently having.
Hi! I just got an 8 week old black lab pup, she’ll be 9 weeks in three days. We have been feeding her in her crate and also doing enrichment exercises throughout the day like getting her to go in the crate, giving her a treat, closing the door and then letting her out once she sits or lays down. We also have been filling her Kong toy with her food and putting that in her crate to play with. However, she still whines at night while in her crate, she hasn’t had any accidents in her crate and we try to take her out about every 3 hours but she is still whining. We keep the crate beside our bed have a cover over it and when she whines we typically will stick two fingers in there just to let her know we are still there. We also try to move her to her crate during the day anytime she naps. We haven’t even attempted to leave the house without her/ with putting her in the crate because we worry she’ll whine or bark the whole time and do not want to risk that with out neighbors in close proximity (we live in a townhome). Is there anything we are missing or shouldn’t be doing. I know it’ll take time for her to adjust but with my fiancé and I both working out of the home, crate training is a must.
Hi Lacey,
Here are a couple thoughts.
I do not recommend that you keep the crate near your bed. That most certainly is making the problem worse since she can smell that you are near and she will use noise to get your attention. Which is working for her, since you are putting your fingers in the crate in an effort to calm her.
While this may seem illogical to you, the more you try to “calm” her the more she is going to make noise. Put her crate in a different room away from you, and set an alarm to get up and take her out. 3 hours is good right now, but you should be able to start increasing that time by 1/2 hour every few nights. You need to teach her to calm herself. That is not happening right now.
Second, don’t move her to her crate when she naps. Put her in the crate at set times during the day to rest. She needs to learn to fall asleep and comfort herself while in the crate. You moving her does not help with this.
She is an 8 week old puppy, she is going to make some noise. And you need to let her make that noise so that she learns to comfort herself. You wouldn’t bring home a baby and expect that the baby is going to be quiet all the time, would you? She is a baby puppy. She just recently had her whole life uprooted, she was taken away from her litter mates and her mom, she is adjusting to a new life. Whining and crying will be a part of that, and that is fine. In fact, it is good. But if you constantly try to stop her from making noise, you are going to create a dog that actually makes more noise because every time she makes noise you run to her to quiet her. She is being rewarded for making noise and so she will make more noise.
Also, she needs to spend more time in the crate. She should be in there multiple times during the day, not just at naps and night time. Anytime you are not able to watch her intently, she should be in the crate. And when she is out of the crate you should spend time with her, play with her and exercise her. Then, put her back in the crate. It will not hurt her. And, in fact, it will make your life easier. Once your dog understands that the crate is a good place, a den where she can rest and calm herself, she will not make noise while in the crate.
Hope this helps.
Hi. I have read your advice with interest. What size crate would you recommend for a labrador puppy. She will be 8 weeks when we collect her. Thanks.
We start with a very small crate, 19 inch, and then move the puppy into larger crates as the pup grows. The very small crate really only lasts a week or two, but we like to use it because when the puppy is very young we don’t want them to move around a lot in the crate because this will likely result in a potty accident. After the first week or two, we move them into a 24 inch crate and that lasts for a little longer. If you don’t want to keep buying new crates, you can get a larger crate and then section off a part of it so that your puppy doesn’t have full access to the whole crate. Some people do this by putting a plastic crate or something inside the dog crate. I, personally, find that a hassle so we just keep moving up the crate size as the dog grows.
I have a 6 month old silver lab and we have been crating her for bedtime, naps and instances where we need to run errands. She is never crated for more than 2-3 hours at a time. She gets a treat to chew while she’s in there, and when she sees the chew bone, immediately follows me to her crate and gets in when I tell her “Bed.” However, in recent weeks, she has resorted back to persistent whining and howling when she’s crated and left alone for any duration of time. Today she shredded her dog bed (which will be removed after reading this post!) She gets so worked up, and she pants so hard! Could this be a trait of boredom or could it be early signs of separation anxiety?
I will note she is awake in the morning by 6, and we go for walks and play until she naps around 12pm. She will nap for approximately 2 hours before she is awake and comes out. After that mid-afternoon nap, I don’t put her back in (until bedtime, usually around 11pm) unless I need to run errands. She does not usually enter the crate on her own to just lay down and take some space. When she’s resting between nap time and bed time, she is usually on the floor at my feet or on the couch beside me, but any time I move or get up, she is right there with me. She tends to protest being left alone uncrated for even short durations, such as taking the trash outside to the bin, by stealing things that aren’t hers, or jumping on counters to see what she can get ahold of.
If this is the beginning of separation anxiety, how can I help her before this gets out of hand?
Hi Jessie,
I do not see this behavior as boredom. This is an anxiety issue.
It is always easy to Monday morning quarterback a problem, but it would have been better if, when she was a young puppy, you would have started a schedule of having her in the crate more often during the day and for longer periods of time. By only putting her in the crate for short periods of time and often when you have to leave, I fear your dog may have associated the crate with you leaving and has become overly attached to being with you.
Regardless, this is an anxiety issue and you may want to look into some calming supplements to help her relax more in the crate. Do not stop putting her in the crate and do not start limiting the crate even more. This would feed her crate anxiety. Put her in the crate on a schedule, every 1-2 hours, even while you are home and around. Leave her in for a couple hours then let her out for an hour. Repeat. Do not try and comfort her while in the crate, with petting or words. You need to break her dependence on being with you all day every day. She needs to learn to comfort herself, something she should have learned while much younger, but she still needs to learn it.
Purina makes a good calming supplement, my son uses this for his older lab that has started showing anxiety issues and has found it very helpful.
I live in MN and will be driving to Texas next month to take home. 8 week old chocolate lab do you have any tips or tricks for things I should do on the way back?
Mostly you just need to understand that your 8-week old puppy will need access to water often and that you will need to stop and let him/her out to go potty every 2 hours or so. The trip will be very stressful for the puppy. You can hold the puppy some (bring lots of towels with), but I would have a small puppy sized crate with and the puppy should spend some time in there also. Some puppies are very noisy when they are removed from the litter, so you may have a very loud stressful trip ahead of you! Just give the puppy lots of love and a consistent schedule of being let go potty and run around. Hope all goes well.
We will be bringing home our 8 week old yellow lab pup in 2 weeks. Should we plan to have her ride home (1 hour trip) in her crate in the car ? Or do you think this could create a negative/scary first experience to the crate and she will associate the crate with being removed from her Mom and litter mates? Is it better to introduce the crate once home? Or would the ride home in the crate be beneficial?
We usually hold our puppies during the car hide while we bring them home from the breeder. It is a good time to bond with them and comfort them. You can certainly use the crate for the ride home, but it will likely be a very loud and painful trip for you all, because most puppies cry a lot during that first few hours of being separated from the litter.
Hey!! I am fixing to get a 6 week old boy lab we have three other dogs two of which Omar cockapoo and other is a dog Shepard the smaller dogs sleep in my parents room while the Shepard stays on the house. We have a den area where I was thinking of putting the puppy in a crate do I need to leave it open at night and should I get a pen with the crate ,?? This is our first puppy.
No, you should never leave the crate open at night for a puppy. You need to get up several times a night an let the puppy out and slowly decrease the number of times as the puppy gets older and is able to hold his/her bladder longer. If you want to housebreak your puppy, the crate is the best way to do this. For more information, read our post on how to housebreak your puppy.
Okay! We are also traveling 4 hours to get the puppy should we let him sit with us or in the crate? Should I put anything in his crate at home? What kind of treats do you recommend?
We like to have our puppies ride on our laps on their way home from the breeder. This gives you lots of time to bond. I would not put any blankets or stuffed toys in the crate, because the puppy will chew on and eat whatever is in there with them. One Nylabone or Bamboo bone is safe to put in the crate with the puppy. We don’t use treats. The puppy gets all the nutrition they need from the feedings.
Hello,
So we have a 4 month old puppy just got him from the shleter. Where he was raised and born in. We got him a crate where he does sleep but of course while and barks for quite some time, where he eventually goes to sleep. Since he is a little older what tips or recommendations for the smooth transition from the shelter to our loving home. We are both military with a new born so we are trying to get him used to being alone for some time, so when we go back to work is not Chaotic.
Hello,
So we just got a puppy from the shelter he was born there. We got him a crate which after a couple minutes of whining/barking he calms down. What are some tips we can enforce on him since he his a little bit olde (4 months) so that we can have an easier transition from his shelter to our home. And also command training, and socializing we noticed he growls after meeting a dog couple sniffs
Hi, Our training is aimed at pure-bred retriever breeds, and I don’t claim to know everything about every breed. Having said that, I understand the desire to get a dog from a shelter, but it’s important to understand there will be some baggage that comes with a dog that has been in a shelter. It will probably take a bit longer for the dog to adjust, and there will be bad habits that need to be overcome. It sounds like the crate training is working since he is settling down after a few minutes. Keep using the crate when you have to leave him alone and also for sleeping through the night. The crate will be a safety zone for the puppy. In addition, you will need to be very consistent in your commands and expectations of the puppy. This is important for all puppies. I would be extra cautious when exposing him to other dogs, you do not know his entire history and experiences and if there is any dog aggression. Proceed with all socialization with caution.
9 week old black lab who has been home for almost a week. Tried cold turkey crate training at night in separate room, but very loud whining/barking. Tried for potty etc and right back in but still very loud cries. We have the crate out during the day and he rarely goes in on his own but chews and sniffs the outside. I’ve transferred him in there when he falls asleep a few times but as soon as I walk away he is up and wanting me back. How can I practice keeping him in there during the day when it’s nearly impossible for me to stay out of sight/sound. I also have a toddler who cannot abide by this either, so he will definitely know we are here. What’s a realistic way for us to practice during the day without actually leaving the house ? Thank you!!! FTDO
You have to leave him in there until he stops whining and barking. Anytime you let him out when he is making noise, he is learning to “make noise” since it gets me out. I understand that this is hard. Listening to a dog cryand whine is tough on the nerves. But the quicker you teach him to be quiet in the crate the better life will be for all of you. If you cannot stay out of sight, drape a blanket over the kennel so that he cannot see you. For some dogs, this is necessary, and it will help. But over time he will learn that he must be quiet or he will not be let out.