Crate training schedule
Enter your puppy's age (or choose adult dog) and a start date. You get a dated week-by-week plan, the longest your dog should stay crated during the day each week, and night-time tips.
Tim de JongYour dog
In weeks (16 weeks = about 4 months)
Day one of crate training
Optional: your longest absence on a normal day
Frantic escape attempts, heavy drooling, injuries, or soiling every time
Max crate time now, daytime
1hour
At 9 weeks, up to 1 hour at a time during the day. The limit rises as your puppy grows, up to 4 hours from about 4 months.
- Plan length
- 4 weeks or so
- By week 4
- 2 hours
- Night potty alarms
- 2 (8 h night)
- Overnight in crate
- Yes, in or near your bedroom
Daytime limits: San Francisco SPCA (8 to 10 weeks, 1 hour; 11 to 12 weeks, 2; 13 to 16 weeks, 3; over 4 months, 4) and Humane World for Animals. Night alarms use the rough one-hour-per-month bladder rule.
Your week-by-week crate training plan
Move on when your dog is relaxed at the current step, not when the calendar says so. Some dogs need days, others need weeks.
Week 1: Make the crate the best spot in the house
age 9 weeks
- Door open, soft bedding and a safe toy inside. Toss treats near the door, then just inside, then at the back.
- Feed every meal in or right next to the crate. Once your dog eats calmly inside, close the door during the meal and open it as soon as the bowl is empty.
- Each meal, leave the door shut a few minutes longer. Short practice sessions with the door closed for seconds, then a stuffed food toy for about five minutes.
Goal: Eats meals in the crate and stays in calmly for about 10 minutes after eating, door shut.Daytime limit: 1 hourWeek 2: Longer stays while you are home
age 10 weeks
- Use one cue word and a treat to send your dog in. Sit nearby for 5 to 10 minutes, then go into another room for a few minutes.
- Come back, sit quietly a moment, then let your dog out. Repeat several times a day, slowly stretching the time you are out of sight.
- Only open the door when your dog is quiet, so whining doesn't become the way out.
Goal: Stays quietly for about 30 minutes with you mostly out of sight.Daytime limit: 1 hourWeek 3: Short trips out of the house
age 11 weeks
- Crate your dog with the usual cue and a long-lasting chew or stuffed food toy, then step out for a minute.
- Build up slowly: 1 minute, then 5, 10, 15 and 30. Don't skip ahead, and mix in some easy short absences.
- Keep goodbyes brief and matter-of-fact, and arrivals low-key.
Goal: Settles calmly while you are out for up to 30 minutes.Daytime limit: 2 hoursWeek 4: Build up to the limit for their age
age 12 weeks
- Stretch absences gradually towards the daytime limit shown for each week, not past it.
- Keep using the crate for some naps while you are home, so it doesn't only mean you're leaving.
- Out for longer than the limit? Use a puppy-proofed pen or small room, or have someone visit.
Goal: Relaxed for your normal absences, never past the limit for their age.Daytime limit: 2 hours
Time limits come from San Francisco SPCA and Humane World for Animals guidance. If your dog panics in a crate, stop and talk to your vet.
How long can a puppy stay in a crate?
Not long at first. The San Francisco SPCA gives a simple table for daytime crate time, which this tool uses for every week of the plan:
| Age | Up to |
|---|---|
| 8 to 10 weeks | 1 hour |
| 11 to 12 weeks | 2 hours |
| 13 to 16 weeks | 3 hours |
| Over 4 months, and adults | 4 hours |
The same shelter adds that no dog of any age should be crated for more than three to four hours at a time, except at bedtime. Humane World for Animals agrees for puppies under six months (three or four hours) and gives adults a daytime limit of 4 to 5 hours. These are welfare guidelines from shelters and welfare groups rather than study results, and they line up with the bladder rule of thumb of roughly one hour per month of age. Penn Vet's behavior service puts it plainly: if your dog must be unattended for longer than they can hold it, they shouldn't be crated.
Crate training schedule, week by week
The plan above has four steps, one per week, taken from Humane World for Animals' method and the SF SPCA's puppy phases:
- Make the crate the best spot in the house. Goal: eats meals in the crate and stays in calmly for about 10 minutes after eating, door shut.
- Longer stays while you are home. Goal: stays quietly for about 30 minutes with you mostly out of sight.
- Short trips out of the house. Goal: settles calmly while you are out for up to 30 minutes.
- Build up to the limit for their age. Goal: relaxed for your normal absences, never past the limit for their age.
A week per step is a typical pace, not a rule. A relaxed adult dog may get through the first two steps in a few days; a nervous rescue may need two weeks on each. If your dog whines, paws or drools, go back to the last step where they were calm and build up in smaller pieces. Put a soft bed and a safe toy inside, and check that the crate is the right size with our crate size calculator.
Crate training at night
Start with the crate in your bedroom or in a hallway close by. Being close means your puppy isn't shut away on their own, and you will hear when they need to go out. Young puppies can't last a full night: plan night-time potty alarms with the puppy potty schedule, and keep each trip short and dull.
Whining at night is the hardest part. Humane World for Animals suggests ignoring it at first. If it goes on, use the word you say for potty breaks; if your puppy perks up, take them out, then straight back into the crate. Once your dog sleeps through reliably, you can move the crate a little further away every few nights if you want it out of the bedroom.
Crate training when you work all day
This is where the numbers bite. A 12-week-old puppy can be crated for up to 2 hours in the day, so an 8-hour absence would need at least 3 visits to stay within the limit, before you even count your commute. The options Penn Vet suggests instead:
- An exercise pen or a small, dog-proofed room (kitchen, bathroom, laundry room) with a bed at one end and a potty area at the other.
- A dog walker, friend or neighbor who comes in to take your puppy out as needed.
The dog alone time calculator works out how many visits you need and when, from the hours you are out.
Crate training mistakes to avoid
- Using the crate as punishment. It should feel safe. Sending your dog to the crate after scolding teaches them to dread it.
- Making departures a big event. Keep goodbyes brief and matter-of-fact, and arrivals low-key.
- Letting crying open the door. Wait for a quiet moment, unless you think your dog needs to go out.
- Expecting a crate to fix separation anxiety. It won't. A dog that panics when left needs a gradual behavior plan, often with help from a vet or veterinary behaviorist.
- Only crating when you leave. Use the crate for naps and quiet chews while you are home too, so it stays a nice place rather than a signal that you are going.
Frequently asked questions
How long does crate training take?
Anything from a few days to several weeks. Humane World for Animals says it depends on your dog's age, temperament and past experiences. Move on to the next step when your dog is relaxed at the current one, and go back a step if they start to struggle.
Should I let my puppy out of the crate when it cries?
Not straight away, or crying becomes the way out. At night, Humane World for Animals suggests ignoring the whining first; if it carries on, say the word you use for potty breaks, and if your puppy gets excited, take them straight outside and back to bed with no play. A puppy that is still crying after that may need a shorter step in training.
Can I crate my dog for 8 hours while I'm at work?
Not in one stretch. San Francisco SPCA advises never crating a dog of any age for more than three to four hours at a time except at bedtime, and Humane World for Animals puts the adult daytime limit at 4 to 5 hours. For a full workday, use a dog-proofed pen or room, or arrange a midday visit.
Is crate training cruel?
Not when it is done gradually, within the time limits and never as a punishment. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior notes that dogs used to a crate are less stressed when they have to be confined at the vet or for travel, and that crates should be places of comfort or play.
Where should I put my dog's crate?
During the day, in a room where the family spends time, so the crate isn't linked with being shut away. At night, start with it in your bedroom or a nearby hallway, especially with a puppy, so you can hear when they need to go out.
Sources
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