Puppy potty training using a crate or kennel

The crate is a wonderful tool to help a puppy learn to control its bladder. (Bowels are typically easier.) A puppy that is well socialized by its mother will learn to never soil where it sleeps. Once Puppy leaves its mother, your job is to step into her paws, as it were. So one of your many jobs is to take Puppy out of its sleeping area on a regular basis to go to the bathroom. When you control Puppy’s ability to leave its sleeping area whenever it chooses, you encourage Puppy to control its bladder. 

Potty training day 1

In the beginning, when bladders are tiny, we can expect there to be a certain amount of cleaning up. “Accidents” happen because your timing was off. If you wish to crate train from Day 1, (which is our recommendation) line the kennel with old towels that can be switched out and laundered frequently. If Puppy came from a breeder, they may have provided something with the scent of the mother that can be kept in the crate that will remind Puppy and be comforting at the same time.

Also, realize that if the crate is large enough to toilet in one corner and sleep in another, you may have to get a smaller kennel or partition off a portion to make it only large enough to lie down in. 

What crate is good for potty training?

When it comes to crates for puppy potty training, we recommend the plastic shell with wire door type. The best are airline-approved so we know that they won’t fall apart when you least expect it. The best-known brand name is PetMate Vari Kennel. We do not recommend wire crates for your home.

Dogs have been known to chew on the wire grills and hurt themselves. Some larger dogs who haven’t been properly trained have bent wires and forced their way out. Some very clever canines have even figured out how to push the tray that slides into the bottom, out of the bottom and thus easily lifted the wire portion to escape. But the main reason we don’t recommend wire show-crates like these is that they don’t provide the cozy den-like feel that a plastic crate provides. A dog wants to feel secluded from the prying eyes of the outside world with his back protected. A wire crate doesn’t do that.

Another problematic so-called crate are the fabric ones with zipper closure. Not only are they not durable when you have a chewer on your hands, the zipper can be very awkward to close when your pup is also an escape artist. 

How does a crate help with potty training a puppy?

As you can see, we are great advocates of crate/kennel training. Puppies sleep a lot in the early days, sometimes 16 hours with brief bursts of energy during waking hours. If they are going to sleep anyway, train them to sleep in their own little room. When you keep the crate near to where you spend most of your time, you can hear when Puppy starts to wake up and get him out to pee right away. Your family room, your home office or your bedroom all work equally well. As your puppy matures, you’ll find one location that becomes its permanent home.

Future you will be thankful you did crate training

Other benefits of crate training include preventing separation anxiety, travelling with your dog in a safe manner, keeping your house generally cleaner and providing a safe place for him to go when otherwise there might be danger. When moving house with your dog, it is extremely beneficial to keep your dog safely in its crate while furniture is being moved in or out open doors. It has happened before that someone put the dog in the backyard and one of the movers left the gate open while removing patio furniture. No one noticed the dog was missing until sometime later. A lot of heartache could have been avoided if the dog had been left in her crate.

Many years ago, we were brought in to help a couple crate-train their mini dachshund. One of the couple had suffered a medical emergency and paramedics had to be called in. Apparently little Ginger had been beside herself yapping at a feverish pitch, running around uncontrollably and a couple of times even nipped at the firemen and paramedics while the front door was left opened with people coming and going. The stress level was already high, and Ginger just added to the pandemonium. Not only did Ginger need general training but if we could teach her to be calm in a kennel, she would be safe, not underfoot and a welcomed afterthought to the emergency at hand. (As a side note: In case of emergency, when a home needs to be evacuated, a dog in a crate is much easier to find than if it is hiding under a bed somewhere.)

There was a real possibility that the medical condition could reoccur, so crate training was a very worthwhile exercise. We were able to address several other behaviour issues along the way as we usually do which made life with Ginger so much more enjoyable. Our training did receive the ultimate test a few months later. Unfortunately, but as predicted, our client experienced another “attack”. The paramedics were called again, but this time Ginger went willingly into her crate and waited peacefully until she was let out. Thankfully our client is completely well now, and Ginger is a happy healthy senior dog living out her best life.

Need help with puppy potty training or crate training at your house? Book a spot today.