You’re exhausted and overwhelmed.
Your new puppy barks, whines, and tries to escape her crate.
You tried leaving her out, but she peed and pooped all over your home, chewed up everything she could get her mouth on, and used you as a chew toy.
You’re overwhelmed by all of the crate training videos online because all of those puppies seem so happy in their crates while your puppy is losing her mind.
A woman holds her head in her hands while staring at her laptop.
You’re starting to feel like a prisoner in your own home. You can’t even leave her alone to simply go outside and get a package, let alone run an errand or go to work.
You’ve done a lot of reading, so you’re getting really worried that your puppy is already showing signs of separation anxiety. You can’t even leave the room without her panicking.
You’re nervous to try the crate again in case you accidentally make her anxiety worse. It doesn’t help that your neighbours complain about the tiniest noises she makes — and the noise she makes in the crate is anything but tiny.
Here’s how to add crate training into your daily routine with your puppy to help it feel less overwhelming.
The thing no one tells you before you get a puppy is that crate training takes a long time. The internet makes it look as easy as baking a cake. Pop it in the oven, walk away, come back when it’s ready. Crate training doesn’t work that way.
A simple cake baking in the oven.
The good news is that if you begin to make crate training part of your daily routine with your puppy, you’ll get lots of repetitions in and see progress very quickly.
So how do you work crate training into your daily routine with your puppy?
Every time you take your puppy out to potty (which is often with a young puppy), you’re going to make sure they:
-potty outside
-play with you
-explore a little bit (with their nose)
-learn (right now, you’re probably teaching them to walk nicely on the leash, be polite at doorways, and how to sit — you’ll keep working on these and also add in a mini crate training session.)
So what does this mini crate training session look like?
Every session is going to look a little bit different, but before you dive into crate training, you need to know another crate training secret: how it feels matters more than how it looks.
It should feel:
-fun
-calm
For both of you.
A woman holding a terrier. She is smiling as the dog sniffs her face.
Here’s an example of what a mini crate training session might look like:
Put some of your puppy’s meal into a treat pouch. Leave their leash on, in case they are overtired and start to bite you all over. Place a few kibbles into the back corner of their crate. Let them go in, eat it, and come out. Yes, we want them to look at you politely before leaving their crate, but you have to start small. If they happen to look at you before coming out, capture that moment by saying “let’s go” and allow your puppy to follow you away from the crate. Come right back and do that again. Notice how you’re not closing the door on them yet? That’s on purpose. As you progress, you’re going to add in closing the door and opening it right back up to get your puppy used to that.
During some of these mini sessions, your puppy may get tired and lay down in the crate. What you do in that moment is going to be what feels right for where you and your puppy are in your training journey. You may leave the door open for that nap and keep an eye on her so you’re ready for that potty break when she wakes up. If you’ve been practicing crate training for awhile and your puppy isn’t panicking when you shut the door, you may shut the door for that nap. The important thing is being there before she wakes up and starts barking and whining. We don’t want to teach her that barking and pawing the door is the key to getting let out.
As you’re working on these mini sessions throughout the day, be sure to take off your puppy’s collar and leash if they will be in the crate unsupervised.
Magic the Rottweiler puppy riding to her forever home at the age of 8.5 weeks. She is napping in her crate on a comfy white fleece. The door of the crate is open.
The sessions you do won’t look the same every time or both of you will get bored. Mix things up by:
-asking your puppy to go in their crate and then asking them to sit (if they already know how to sit.) Invite them back out after they do the sit.
-giving them a frozen Kong or Toppl that has a small amount of frozen kibble, fruits and veggies that are safe for dogs (eg. blueberries and carrots), and/or canned/raw dog food inside
-having them go in one crate door and out the other door (if your crate has two doors.)
There’s a lot of nuance when it comes to crate training. You need to teach them:
-the door shuts, but it always opens again (when they are calm and quiet)
-how to go in on a verbal command (eg. Crate)
-how to wait politely and not barge through the door when it opens
-how to feel calm when they’re in there
Like any new skill you’ve learned before (a language, how to play an instrument, how to snowboard, how to do your current job really well, etc.) crate training takes time to get good at. Be patient with yourself and with your puppy.
Woman playing a violin.
If crate training has you feeling overwhelmed, we would love for you to join us for our Crate Training for Puppies Workshop.
We’ve helped hundreds of clients overcome their crate training nightmares (everything from severe separation anxiety to owners who accidentally used their crate for punishment, creating a puppy who refused to go in their crate.)
This workshop will help you:
-teach your puppy how to love her crate
-decrease puppy biting
-put an end to accidents (pee/poo) in your home
-stop your puppy from chewing household items
-prevent or overcome separation anxiety
We’re limiting the number of participants to four to ensure that you’ll get your questions answered — and we’re going one step further to make sure you’re set up for success: After the workshop, you’ll receive a one hour online session to make sure you’re on track.
Here’s what you need to know:
Date: Sunday, April 27th 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Grand Bark in Fergus (465 St Patrick St W Rear Unit, Fergus, ON N1M 1L7)
You’ll feel so relieved to finally have a crate trained puppy.
Imagine your puppy settling in her crate so you can finally go get groceries or enjoy coffee with a friend.
Envision the peace of mind you’ll have knowing your puppy is safe and your house isn’t being destroyed while you’re out.
Picture your puppy living a happy life that’s free from separation anxiety.
Looking forward to helping you and your puppy live calmer, happier lives.
Alyssa
Photos :Woman with laptop (Upsplash Images); cake (Upsplash Images); woman with terrier (Upsplash Images): Magic the Rottweiler (Alyssa Foulkes); woman playing the violin (Upsplash Images.)