Crate training takes a lot of patience, especially at night. Your dog doesn’t understand why they don’t get to be in the room with you and they are determined to make themselves heard. Whatever you do, you must NOT come running every time that they bark or whine during crane training. That will just show them that they can get what they want by complaining and we definitely don’t want to encourage that.

Today we are going to talk about crate training with a heavy focus on how it is done, why your dog cries in the crate, why you don’t want to punish your dog for barking, and finally, what you can do to help minimize the barking so that you can both get some sleep. 

Let’s start with the crate training basics! 

How to Crate Train Your Dog and What to Expect

Crate training is a good idea for your dog. Aside from teaching them to wait for morning before going to the bathroom, it also helps condition your dog to be well-behaved when they have to stay somewhere due to illness or even natural disasters. There are a few ways to go about it but the best thing to do is to keep things simple.

First, we are going to need an enclosure. You can buy crate enclosures from your pet store, generally collapsible metal or fabric types, or even get creative with baby-barriers. Inside the crate you’ll want a small food and water bowl, a blanket, a favorite toy, and a small, faux grass pad just in case your dog has an emergency. Partial covering of the top with a blanket can help to make your dog more comfortable, as their mothers tend to make or find ‘dens’ for their puppies but this last step is really up to you and probably won’t matter as much to an older dog.

Now, for the actual crate training. This isn’t difficult, only tie-consuming. It’s just going to require a lot of patience. You can crate train your dog using the following 5 steps:

• 1. The introduction – First you want to familiarize your dog with the crate. Make sure it’s in a common area where they will see you while they are inside and open up the door and let your dog investigate it. If they lay down on the blanket, that’s good, but for now we just want them to get used to its presence. Start getting in the habit of pointing at the crate and saying ‘crate’ in preparation for them learning this command.
• 2. Fine-dining at ‘Le Crate’ restaurant – Start putting meals in your dog’s crate and you can close the door while they are eating. If they are afraid of going in you may have to start with the food close to the door and start pushing it further in for each feeding to get them to go inside. Don’t forget to point and say ‘crate!’ to reinforce their learning.
• 3. Relaxing and playtime at the crate – A new toy for your dog can be used to get your dog into the crate for a little playtime. Close the door and be sure that you are near where the dog can see you while they play. We’re just trying to get them even more comfortable with the crate at this point.
• 4. Crate time during errands – We need to get your dog used to your absence while they are in the crate. We can start out by pointing and saying ‘crate’ and additionally coaxing them in with a delicious treat or 2 (Hangry Woof Calming chews are a great idea, more on that later!) and once they are inside, stay there for 5 to 10 minutes before going to another room for 5 to 10 minutes and returning. Once they get used to this then try a longer errand while your dog is in the crate. 
• 5. Overnight crating – After the last walk of the day you will want to coax your dog into the crate with the command and another Hangry Woof Calming Chew and this time they will be in for the night. You’ll want to be sure to give them a walk extra-early because they will need to go. Also, while you can put a small amount of water in the food bowl, don’t add dog food beyond the treat you used to coax them in. We don’t want them overfilling and needing to go in the middle of the night.

 While these simple steps are all that you need there is a good chance that your dog is going to cry a little in protest. You will have to be patient and strong about this, so don’t come running! Your dog will get used to the crate but it will take a little time.

Why Do Dogs Cry In Their Crate

Your dog wants to be with you at all times and the crate is still very new to them, so it’s natural for them to be a little stressed and nervous. While you may have heard that this could be separation anxiety you will need to be patient to be sure. Just try to ‘dog proof’ the crate as much as possible for the dog’s safety in case they keep trying to escape and if they show no signs of getting more comfortable with the crate over a few days then they may need some desensitization training. 

Why You Shouldn’t Punish Your Dog

When your dog barks at night is very frustrating but you should resist the urge to punish the dog. Your dog just wants to be with you and will not understand it. Patience through this process is going to be key so just ignore the dog for the night or you can give them another Hangry Woof Calming chew to help them relax.

How to Stop Your Dog from Barking in Crate

Hangry Woof Calming Chewsare a great way to calm your dog if they start barking in the crate, just don’t overdo it. Your dog loves these treats so you can give them one or two to get them into the crate and then give them a treat one more time 30 minutes after. This should get them sufficiently calm so that you can both get some rest.

Hangry Woof Calming Chews contain the following natural ingredients, packed with delicious peanut-butter flavor to ensure their snacking enjoyment while they get the following natural calming agents:

• Chamomile for relaxation
• Passion flowers to calm restlessness
• Valerian to help manage anxiety
• Hemp seeds for healthy fats and a positive mood

Some final advice

With the steps that we’ve provided you should be able to get your dog successfully crate trained but we do have one final bit of advice. NEVER use the crate as punishment. You want to encourage your dog to think of the crate as their own private space and if you use it for punishment then they won’t want to go. Just use it as a place where you dog goes when you are out or asleep and everything should be fine.

 We wish you and your dog the best!