How do I get my dog to sleep in a crate?

It is difficult the first few nights when you are trying to crate train your puppy. Crating is the absolute best thing to do for your dog (if it is done properly!)

We decided to crate train our Shiba right from the beginning, he is now 8 months old, has not had any problems for months. Infact when it is bedtime all we say is "crate" and he runs into his crate and lays down.

Here is the technique we used.

We put the crate in the bedroom (our breeder - who is also a police dog trainer - certified from the govermnent) says this is the best thing to do, so that your puppy knows it isn't alone. If you put your puppy in a room all by itself it will be scared (hence more whining and barking)

The first night was tough, he whined a lot (mostly because this was his first night away from his mom/brothers and sisters and he didn't know where he was).

Everytime he whined we talked to him and just let him know we were here. He then fell asleep - of course being a puppy they will have to go outside 3-4 times a night. So if your puppy falls asleep then wakes up and starts whining take him outside. However, don't play with her, just simply take her to pee then back into the crate. If you start playing they will learn to just whine because they know they will be let out.

Also, make sure to give your dog a special treat everytime they go into the crate (even after just a pee break) this helps associate the crate as a good place to be because they get a yummy treat.

You can also do what we did and say a word (we say "crate") everytime you put the puppy in it, eventually they will understand and as I said now, our Shiba simply goes into the crate himself with no problems.

Well I hope that helps you a bit! You just have to be consistent and give a little tough love, I know its hard (believe me I was almost crying the first night) but it gets better and better and it is so worth it not only for the puppy but for yourself!

Step1

Purchase an appropriate-sized crate for the dog at the store.

Step2

Set it up at home in a safe, quiet area of the house. (A guest room is ideal so that the door can be shut at times.)

Step3

Put a comfortable bed inside the crate so that the dog can lay on it for a long period of time with no problem.

Step4

On the first night, coax the animal into the crate with a treat or toy after taking it for a nice long walk. Make sure that encouraging words are being said and the atmosphere is happy. It is best to never make the dog think that being in the crate is a punishment or bad thing.

Step5

This is the toughest step and the one that will drive animal lovers crazy. Close the door and exit the room for the night. Make sure to close the door and go to sleep as well. It is important that the rest of the house mimic what is happening in the dog crate.

Step6

The dog is going to bark. The important thing is to remain strong. If the dog is taken out early or learns that barking will get them out of the crate, it will never work.

Step7

Suffer through the barking as long as possible, as the dog is not likely to quit right away. The important thing is to not go to the dog's aide in any reasonable circumstance. Try to leave the animal in the crate for at least 6 hours.

Step8

In the morning maintain that happy tone and remind the animal how good he or she is.

Step9

Repeat the same steps over and over again until the animal does not bark anymore. Make sure to always call the crate the same thing (bed, crate, etc.) so that the animal knows what is being talked about. Eventually the animal will know to go in at night when everyone in the house is preparing to go to sleep.

put a light sheet over it,and 12 weeks is too young to stay all night,puppy has to potty at the least 2 times even if no water bottle is in crate

Presiosa is right. I would emphasize that your dog needs a lot of exercise. It is odd that it would wake up in the middle of the night. This to me indicates that it did not get enough exercise of that it drank too much water before bed and needs to urinate.

Take your dog for a good walk before bed but don't get them hot and panting so they drink water before bed. These are the most important things.

Try a potty break (that may be why she wakes up.)

Otherwise IGNORE IT or she will continue to whine at that time because she learned that it got her out of the crate (or fussed over and moved around.)

You can try covering the cage. I had a poodle and that stopped him from barking.