How to crate train an 8 week old puppy

[Retreatbynameretreatbynature]

We’ll soon be picking up an 8 week old ball of fluff.....soooo excited!
But I’m not sure how to start the crate training. It worked really well with my last dog but I can’t remember how to introduce it. Any ideas?

[Wolfiefan]

If you’re on FB there’s a brilliant group called dog training advice and support. They have brilliant files on this and toilet training and bringing a pup home. And lots of things. Good luck.

[Mamabear12]

When you pick the dog up from the breeder, hold the other pups in the litter so their scent is on your shirt and let the puppy sleep with your shirt in the crate. Cover the crate with a blanket. Make sure puppy is stimulated during the day, has enough play time etc, so is ready for bed at night. We never had a problem with the crate. Our dog slept through from the first night at 8 weeks. I woke to take her out, but she didn't need to go at night. We are very lucky with her though, as I heard from others its not that easy.

[Wolfiefan]

Puppies need to be close to you. Either have the crate by you or sleep where you are putting the crate.

[Spidey66]

Our puppy (now 16 weeks) has never slept in the same room as us. Initially she was in a dog bed in the kitchen (with the door to the hall closed) but we changed to a crate to help with housetraining. Apart from being a bit whiney from about 6am to be let out for a wee, she's never been bothered by sleeping away from us. We got her at 9 weeks.

With regards to the crate training, the important thing is that the dog must see it as a safe place where they want to be. It's not to be used as a punishment. We made it comfortable and put a blanket over it to make it like a den. For the first few nights, we kept it open while she got used to it. Now she's fine with it. In fact the border collie streak has not left her, towards the end of the day she starts herding her toys up and putting them in the crate ready for bed.

[PuppyMonkey]

We just picked our pup up and put him to bed in the crate straight away. Not a peep out of him and he immediately took to it as his safe den.

We did put a barrier/wall up half way down to enclose him more when he was really small though. It needs to be a quite tight enclosure. Then as he grew we moved the barrier back further and further until he was big enough to have the entire crate as his space.

Crate worked brilliantly and he liked napping in there and would never poo or wee in it do you could cook dinner or have a shower or nip out for a bit knowing he’d be fine.