About the Author: Nettie Finley, the Professional Dog Trainer at MyPetDoggie. Specializing in behavior rehabilitation, Nettie leads our team with her effective training techniques. As a certified canine behaviorist, she brings transformative change to challenging behavior cases. Her experience and expertise elevate our content, providing practical, insightful training advice for our readers. Also, she loves her Cavapoo!
Knowing when to stop crating my dogs is tricky for most pet parents, because of variance in their breeds. According to AKC, “Crate training of dogs at a young age is an essential part of potty training. Especially for those who are housebreaking puppies”.
A crate can be a helpful tool when you need to protect your dog or keep him quiet while guests are coming or if you are traveling with him in the car. There are thousands of reasons why crate training is crucial.
If the canine is adequately trained, then the crate will become his safe place, where he will enjoy his special treats and sleep peacefully. When he needs some “HE TIME” he will directly reach his crate. But, do you know exactly when to stop using crates? Most pet owners came with a question, When Can I Stop Crating My Dog? However, It has become his favorite space to chill.
When Can I Stop Crating My Dog?
We can’t directly stop creating the dog if we don’t know the exact age of the canine and age formulas apply to every dog breed differently.
We can stop crating our dogs when they are around 2 years of age. If this is time to stop crating, make sure the crate is still near their sight, so when there is a need for it, dogs can go there and relax for a while.
If the dogs are trained properly, they don’t mind the crate usage. They become used to it. But some larger dog breeds damage their teeth during chewing, so make sure you are making arrangements to prevent this type of damage.
When Can I Stop Creating My Dog at Night?
Completely stopping the crate use is not a good idea. It is not just a tool used for dog training, but it also provides a safe place for the dog. Many dogs don’t leave the use of it, even if they are mature enough.
Most owners at night can’t protect their dogs. If he has no crate at night time, then there are risks of many incidents. The crate is the only item that will protect him from many dangerous situations.
Affect on Health: Usage of Crate at Night
Taking care of your canine is not just a duty, it is a responsibility, which increases at Night. With the proper training, they can sleep there peacefully. They will think it’s their bed. If they are sleeping or not, they will spend their time in it. But it’s suggested to provide him his own bones to eat when he’s in the crate, essentially if you’re the parent of many dogs.
How Long Should You Crate Train Your Puppy?
Usually, it takes 2-3 years to fully mature. But, some puppies are still in their Puppyhood while they are the same age. This is due to variance in their size, breeds, and lifestyles. This is especially true for larger breeds of dogs, which take time to mature.
How Many Hours Should You Crate Train Your Puppy?
Puppies who are under 6 months shouldn’t stay in a crate for more than 3-4 hours. They don’t have enough control over their urine for long periods.
Crate your puppy until they are able to live alone without showing any destruction or accidents in the home. Don’t give them full access to your house, keep boundaries. First, allow him to cover or explore some of the areas of the house, the place should be the same as the crate.
Should I Keep Using My Dog’s Crate?
We don’t really need to abandon the use of crates. A crate isn’t just used for the training of the canine, It’s a safe place provider. Most canines love their crate if they are properly trained on how to properly use a crate.
If your dog has a crowd phobia or becomes anxious with no logic, a crate will provide him with a calming shelter. It can play a role in relaxing them, when canines are aggressive, scared, or want some DOG TIME. They can simply hide there.
Suddenly removing the dog’s crate is not a good idea, Because Behavioral Experts at the HSUS recommend that;
“Crating dogs until they are housebroken
and can be trusted not to destroy the house,
and after that leaving the crates around
as a place where dogs can go voluntarily”
Benefits of Crate Training Your Dog
Crate training is the most essential part of the training, which has numerous benefits itself. Crate training gives a feel of heaven itself if the pooch is trained perfectly on how to utilize it.
Some of the advantages of crate training of your dogs are;
Safe Space
Crates are not just a training tool but also can be considered as a safe space, which provides them protection and a calming effect.
Choosing the Right Size of Crate
Selecting the right size of crate for the pooch to make a perfect safe space is vital. If you have a puppy, he will need a smaller crate. If the crate is big, he can use one side for sleep and the other for potty training. You need to adjust the size according to his body. If you don’t know how to select the perfect size crate, then a general guideline for your dog is, that he should be able to comfortably stand up and turn around in it. If they find it hard, they need a new big crate. Still don’t know how to measure the crate? Hand over it to the Association of Professional Dogs crate chart.
House Training
Crates play an essential role in house training, by helping puppies to hold and strengthen their bladder and bowel muscles, reducing the chances of housebreaking.
“When they’re puppies, the crate really is the major tool that will help you house train,” says trainer Heike Purdon. “It teaches them that freedom is a privilege and you get more space as your house training skills become better.”
Destructive behavior
Crates provide comfort to those puppies who have traumatic pasts or are fearful like rescued puppies. Crate allows them to recognize that they have their own territory and no one can hurt them in it. Like they are the king and this is their empire.
Kroh stated that the biggest behavior issues they faced on rescued dogs “are barking and being destructive”. They don’t have socializing skills, so crate training will improve their confidence.
Safe Resting Area
Crate creates a shelter for your canine to take a rest and relax for some time. Canines are actively seeking spaces for rest and crates can be helpful to them in this regard. It also provides them shelter from miserable moments like in the worst scenarios, when they need a rest to recover from surgery.
Travel and Vet Visits
In traveling and vet visiting, a crate-trained puppy will feel more comfortable than a non-trained one. It gives him shelter during the healing process after some accidents or injuries.
Emergency Situations
If the puppy has a threat of being hurt or hurting someone, the crate can provide perfect shelter for them. They are important because they can play a serious role in natural disasters or other emergency situations.
Managing Separation Anxiety
Crates are helpful tools for managing separation anxiety because they provide a safe place for the dogs. Wolves are the ancestors of dogs who often spend time in caves or dens, so it means that a separate space in the form of a crate is in their genes when facing some stressful situations.
Behavioral Training
Crate training can be invaluable when it comes to behavioral training. Dogs don’t like to potty where they normally sleep, so crate training will teach them how to hold until they reach the appropriate toilet area. They also become destructive when home alone. It will save our beloved friends from getting hurt or damaging our household items.
Preventing Accidents
Crate training is beneficial in preventing unwanted accidents, it’s Training is ideal for those dogs who are naturally aggressive or show negative behavior, which is generally developed due to unsupervised time.
Boundary Training
It provides them a shelter where they can gorgeously spend their DOGGY TIME, it is their fantasy boundary from the busy world.
Secondly, crate-friendly dogs know where to show dominance. It controls their dominant behavior for other small dogs like Great Dane-type aggressive dogs.
Facilitates Training
When we are the parents of small dogs, the crate will provide facilitated training to him.
“When they’re puppies, the crate really is the major tool that will help you house train,” says trainer Heike Purdon. “It teaches them that freedom is a privilege and you get more space as your house training skills become better.”
Do I need to stop crating my dog?
No, you don’t need to permanently “Stop” the use of the crate. It can provide shelter in various situations if they are afraid of visitors or sick and need to take some rest.
These points show that there are probably a few reasons to crate your dog. If they are well-mannered and don’t show any annoying behavior, then you don’t have to create them anymore.
But, it varies from dog to dog due to their variant sizes. Scientifically, Small dog breeds tend to mature faster than larger dogs. But, they have smaller bladders, so they need more time for proper training.
Sign that your Dog no Longer Requires Crating
But, if you want to stop crate training. Here are some signs which show that they don’t need crate training anymore.
Your Dog Must Be 1-2 Years Old
Most dogs are destructive when they are small, therefore maturity is the first thing to consider.
They Are Following Your Command
When you command him to go to the crate he goes there and doesn’t show an unhappy sign. Quietly sleep there. That means he can sleep in the room easily.
Not Showing Any Destructive
If they are not destructive to the household items that means he is now mature enough.
Doing his Potty Business Accurately
If the dog is doing his potty in the toilet, you don’t have to clean up potty accidents in the house, even if you are not with him. You can stop creating him.
How to Stop Crate Training?
Crate training is one of the most demanded tools for pet owners, providing a safe place for dogs and comforting them in stressful situations. However, there comes a time when there is a need to stop the crate training. Don’t suddenly force him to leave the crate. It will make him anxious. Slowly develop the behavior in them by increasing their outdoor timing. Rewards him for his obedience.
Open the crate doors during the daytime and allow him to explore the house and enjoy his freedom.
Create a safe place outside of the crate in your home like a cozy corner having their bed, treats, and toys. Satisfy them that this area is the same as the crate.
Give him positive reinforcement. It is vital to reward him when they show positive behavior. Increase their activities of playing with games and toys to keep their mind occupied. A tired dog is likely to exhibit less anxiety or restlessness.
Give him DOGGY TIME which will enable him to enjoy his freedom for a time.
Do Dogs Get Bored in Their Crate?
Not usually they get bored if you provide them special chews and favorite items that engage them. A crate is most likely to reduce the anxiety of being alone. Dogs don’t often bark at cars and strangers going outside because it is fun, they do it because of anxiety or excitement.
But if the engaging items are not in range they can get bored. Leaving a dog without any mind-stimulating toys for a long time can cause restlessness, boredom, and serious behavioral issues.
It is important to take them for regular walks, or exercises, to keep their mind and body engaged and it is also beneficial for their bodies too.
Should You Cover a Dog Crate with a Blanket?
Covering the dog’s crate with a blanket can provide him with a den-like environment. It can give him a scenario of protection and privacy. Some dogs feel covered crates more comfortable.
Covering his crate will also block the excessive light and noises promoting a better sleep. But check the proper passage of ventilation and airflow, as excessive therms can be dangerous.
But, continuously check the dog’s behavior, if he wants to remove the blanket remove it immediately.
Is It Cruel to Crate a Dog at Night?
Dogs can be created for more than 6-7 hours. Longer than these hours can be unbearable. While it may not be called cruelty to create dogs solely at night for 6-8 hours. However, some experts’ opinions are that it’s not a good idea to create a dog for the whole night.
Where Do You Put a Dog Crate in the House at Night?
There are various corners in the house where we can put a dog’s crate at night. Some of them are mentioned below;
Bedroom
Placing the crate near the bedroom can provide him with a comfortable feel and sense of security, especially for the puppies.
Living area
If the owner spends a lot of his/her time in the living area then it will be a great option. Giving him the feel of a house member.
Hallway or Landing
Placing the dog’s crate in a hallway or landing will enable him to see every activity in the house. This helps him to understand how to watch and protect the house if they notice some unfriendly moments.
Near your Bed
Crate near the parent’s bed can help them to feel how much their owners love him and he is an important part of his life. A crate near your bed can comfort him, especially at night.
Dark and Quiet Space
For creating a calm and relaxing environment, a dark and quiet environment is very helpful.
Temperature Considerations
Ensure the crate is placed in a region that is warm and comfy. Standing a little bit from the floor is also necessary for preventing cold air in cold weather.
Away from Disturbances
Avoid the crates placed near noisy areas, heated areas, and direct contact with the window, as they can disturb the canines’s rest.
Near a Familiar Smell
Place his crate near a familiar scent like hanging your blanket, piece of cloth, or shoes. So he can sense that you’re near to him.
Final Thought
Crate training your puppy is an initial and essential step to take. But many owners don’t know When Can I Stop Crating My Dog? Stopping the dog’s crating depends upon his nature, breed, and size. If you think he is mature enough and not showing any destructive behavior toward the home or people.
Then you can stop creating him. But, keep that crate in your range, these crates are most helpful during car rides or if the dogs have injuries or surgeries. Some dog breeds developed rare types of skin diseases. Which can spread everywhere.
This time creating him is a preferable step to take. Hope this article answers your many questions regarding How to and When to Stop Crating my Dog. All the best for your amazing journey with your pooch. See Yeah!
