Crate training- is it worth it?

[NewPoodleMum]

I have had my first ever dog, a toy poodle puppy, for 2 days.
He is totally adorable and getting the hang of weeing outside already.

He just wants to be on me and with me the whole time and cries piteously when I leave him.

I currently have his bed in a crate, which is in a big pen in my sitting room.

Last night I fell asleep on the sofa with him cuddled up to me, and I didn’t wake up to put him in the crate.

My Dsis says I have to put him in the crate tonight and shut the crate (I haven’t done this yet) and go to bed.
I know he will cry - do I just leave him to cry??

As you have probably gathered, I’m a total softie and he has me twisted round his paw already.

What would you advise?

Here he is 😍

That is one cute dog! I wouldn’t leave a puppy to cry - he’s just getting used to being away from his mum and siblings. I’d be sleeping in the room with him to start with assuming that’s where you want him to sleep. I’m not a crate fan though, my dogs sleep with us.

He needs to get used to the crate slowly and in very short bursts first, then build up. The idea is that your puppy sees the crate as his safe space. To go from nothing, to hours on end overnight isn't the way imo.

My dog has never been crated - he's 8 now and we've never had any issues.

I’ll stay on the sofa with him tonight

We don't crate our dog overnight but we did get him used to being crated for when we go out without him - left to rattle around the house he tries to guard the whole place from every single sound or movement outside so he barks almost constantly. Crated, he seems to feel a lot safer and doesn't make a sound (neighbour-verified!). And agree with PP that it's something to build up to, not just something you suddenly start doing for long periods.

For your dog's sake, sort out the separation anxiety as he grows - short periods of separation to show him you always come back, no making a fuss about leaving (increases anxiety), lots of praise and fuss when you come back - but there's no need to crate a dog every night unless they're causing chaos while you sleep.

He’s too small to cause chaos yet! And very safe in his pen, which is most of my sitting room

We crate trained our border collie, as he was into everything and chewed furniture, plants, cushions, throws, rug etc., The first night he cried for 10 minutes and we were just going to go downstairs, but he stopped and slept till around 3am. The next night, he went in on his own and again slept till 3am. We had to take away soft bedding as he was chewing it, towels seemed ok. Before long, we would just say bedtime and off he went. After a while we started crate training in the daytime, again he was happy, mainly sleeping when left alone, he was never left longer than 2 hours.

Those who are anti crate are very vocal about it being cruel etc. Our last three dogs have all been crated from night one. I was extremely unsure the first time as the very first dog we had wasn’t crated. I wouldn’t have it any other way now. If you cuddle your dog every night it will expect that, which is fine if you’re happy to do that. But after the first one which was, the four subsequent dogs haven’t been allowed on furniture or beds. Each to their own though. I say start as you mean to go on.

My dogs have always been crate trained and I will continue to crate train any others I get.

As a young puppy having a safe space like a crate is very calming for them. It is also for their safety, when you go out/go to sleep you know pup is somewhere safe where they can't eat or chew anything they shouldn't.

It also makes things much easier if your dog ever needs to be placed on crate rest.

Currently, one of mine is one crate rest as she is injured. If she wasn't already crate trained she would be stressed and could injure herself further.

I think it’s worth trying to get him to settle in the crate, at least until you know whether he/she is a chewer, is house trained etc.

But although we can call them crates all day long, unless it’s a soft sided one, let’s face it, it’s a cage. So my goal would be to train the dog to be safe without it.

Do you all shut the crate?

I suppose that’s the whole point of it

Crate training is useful when done properly - slowly, with positive reinforcement - to ensure that should the need ever arise for you dog to be put in a crate, they do not panic or worse. Not all dogs can manage being crated.

Mine are all crate trained. But that is for emergencies only. They have never, and will never, go in a crate unless there is no other alternative.

Quite frankly I didn't breed dogs to have them shoved in a crate - unable to properly stretch and move about - for 7+hrs a day when I'm asleep. My dogs barely sleep more than an hour at a time without moving around the room and experience has shown me most dogs are the same. Some people like confinement for their pets, I don't.

You need to build up slowly. Some dogs take to it easier than others. One of our dogs was crate trained but then as she got older and more reliable we took it down. We had some issues with her being destructive if we were out and it was windy as she was scared. She now won’t go in the crate and we should had probably kept it up.

One of our dogs saw the crate, got straight into it and was absolutely fine. No staggered moving away from him slowly. We would not be able to take his crate down as he would cope.

It's open during the day so it's a sort of haven - doggo can get into it and he knows he's allowed to be there, he's not in the way, and no-one will make him move (and the hoover won't follow him in 🤣). When we go out yes, we shut the crate. That's part of the training - get used to going in, get used to settling in there, get used to the door being shut (all with you there), then get used to staying in there while you leave the room for a few minutes, then 10 minutes, 15 minutes, then while you pop to the nearest shop or walk round the block... Every time just a calm 'in you go', no reassurances or fuss about the fact you're leaving, but lots of fuss and reward when you come back. Being crated becomes a game, never a punishment.

Are you going to live permanently with a huge crate in your sitting room?

Bed train or crate train. So they know where they sleep, have a safe place and somewhere you can send them when you’re fed up of them under your feet or they’re pestering visitors.
I’ve just got a 5 year old ex working dog who is lovely but isn’t bed trained and it’s irritating.

Crate training has its place. I am not a huge fan, but I have seperate dog rooms where they sleep so it’s less of an issue. That said, I have a couple that I do crate, for medical reasons. Both took to it well (older dogs) I feed them in there, give treats in there, a lot of positive things happen in there! I often have to call then out in the mornings because they’d rather lie in 🤣🤣
So, if you decide to go for crate training, make it a very positive place.
I will say though that ime, some dogs will just never accept it. I’ve had a few that I could never have got in a crate without them being massively distressed. And I’m not doing that.

I’ll keep it there for as long as it takes - he’s my priority. I live on my own so there’s no other humans to accommodate.

I've never crated any of mine and never had any problems from allowing them freedom. I use dog gates to restrict them to a 'puppy proofed' kitchen/dining room, at least until they're fully house trained.
Initially I sleep on the living room sofa with pup in the kitchen so I am close by and they can hear me but they are still in their own room. As @TheHungryHungryLandsharks says, dogs do like to move around a lot during the night and being crated isn't really comfortable for them.

I teach them to "settle" right from the start and they all have their chosen safe space where they like to sleep. With our previous dog that was behind the kitchen breakfast bar, for the current girl it's under the dining table.

Three of my nine have needed surgery and were caged at the vets with no problems. Two also travelled on a ferry and were crated then, but at home, we don't crate at all, they are free range from 8 weeks.

Why the coyness in referring to them as ‘crates’?. They are cages - no harm in putting the dog in a cage, but why call it a ‘crate’?

I had a crate for my labrador when he was very young because otherwise he would have chewed through our house. It saved my sanity.

He virtually crate trained himself actually. I had just bought the crate and while I was setting it up with some toys and bedding he just kept trying to muscle his way inside it. Once I had finished he just shot in there, played for a while, had a few treats and went to sleep for a couple of hours. He couldn't have given a shit about whether the crate door was open or shut. It instantly became his den. His safe place.

That was it! Crate trained. He would be in there overnight after we went to bed (crate door closed) and allowed to wander in and out at will during the day when I was around, which I usually was unless I had gone to the supermarket.

He only really needed the crate until he was two years old and definitely out of his very chewy, eat anything phase. After that he was fine with just his dog basket and bed.

I prefer to call it a crate. I don't see it as coy at all. That's the language I choose.

I can see the value for puppies who need to be kept safely out of harms way while you’re cooking or have to pop out to do the shopping but it’s not something I’d ever use for an older dog.