Leaving toys in your puppy's crate is an excellent idea; it keeps your puppy busy and occupied. You must be mindful of what toys you leave in it, especially if your dog is a serious chewer. Apart from toys, you can also have bedding, blankets, and food in your crate.
Should You Put Anything in Your Puppy's Crate at Night? The short answer is, yes, of course you should. Your puppy—or even your mature dog—should view her crate as a safe haven, a place she associates with warmth, nurturing, and pleasure.
While the essentials like bedding, food, and water are important, that's not all you should consider including in your dog's crate. In fact, you might consider adding some toys and puzzles to their crate, particularly when they are puppies and need a lot of mental stimulation.
Puppies under 6 months of age shouldn't stay in a crate for more than three or four hours at a time. They can't control their bladders or bowels for that long. The same goes for adult dogs being housetrained. Crate your dog until they are able to be alone in the house without accidents or destructive habits.
Other ways to keep your puppy busy when they are alone include providing edible chews like bully sticks or yak milk chews, leaving food hidden around the confinement area, or providing food-releasing puzzle toys. However, only leave your puppy unattended with toys, or edible chews that you know are safe.
For dogs and other pets, toys are not a luxury, but a necessity. Toys are important to your dog's well-being. Toys help fight boredom when you have to leave your dog at home, and provide comfort when they're feeling nervous. Toys can even help prevent your dog from developing certain problem behaviors.
Puppyhood is an important stage of development for dogs, so you need to keep puppy entertained — whether you are indoors or out. Keeping your furry buddy working is also important for training and keeping damage to a minimum. A bored puppy is absolutely a puppy who's getting into trouble!
Leaving toys in the crate with your pup can have many advantages, but, as with bedding, the same goes for toys - durable is best! You should never leave soft, stuffed toys or squeaky toys with your puppy, as she is likely to chew up and destroy them, and could potentially ingest pieces of them.
If you have a family emergency and need to leave your dog in a crate for 12 hours, he will be just fine. However, if you plan to do this as a general management every weekday as you are at work, this is too long! The same applies for car rides. In a car your dog is safest if he rides in a crate.
Most puppies are OK out of the crate at around 7-8 months of age in our experience, while some due to their chewing needs require confinement for longer.
You should never completely cover your dog's crate as it can block airflow. Keep blankets away from heat sources, ensure the fabric is breathable, and avoid using knit blankets that may snag or unravel. Monitor the conditions inside the crate in humid summer weather to ensure it doesn't get too hot.
If your puppy cries in the crate at night, your instinct will be to help him—and that's the right thing to do. Although sometimes people worry that getting him out of the crate might teach him to cry, that shouldn't deter you. In fact, you want him to know that you will help him if he's crying.
While your dog is in their crate, provide them with safe chews, like a bully stick or rubber food-stuffed toy. Dogs love to chew, so this will keep them busy and help prevent boredom. It will also build positive associations with the crate, even more so if you only provide certain special items inside.
What time should the puppy go to bed? Going to bed one hour after meals and an evening potty walk is advisable. Specific times don't matter; you have to build a schedule to suit you. Although tiny puppies can't sleep as long as humans, after 16 weeks, you can train your puppy to go to bed and get up with you.
Some puppies do well with their entire crate covered, while others need at least the door of their crate uncovered so they don't feel isolated or too confined. Be aware of the airflow in your puppy's crate if using a blanket — you don't want them waking up because they're too hot.
Puppies should be crated for the reasons discussed, but once they are old enough and well-trained enough to sleep outside the crate, as long as your dog doesn't disrupt your sleep or doesn't get into any trouble around the house, there really aren't any wrong choices.
Nina Torres says it's fine for most adult dogs to be in a crate “nine hours maximum” during the day (with a walk in the middle), and then eight hours at night – unless they are seniors or large dogs needing to stretch their joints. I work from home, so I observe my dogs' behavior during the day.
Ideally, a dog's kennel will be a safe place for them to relax and enjoy some downtime. However, dogs can very easily become bored in their kennel. This is especially problematic for dogs that naturally have a high energy level and for dogs that spend very large amounts of time in their kennel.
It helps them to feel safe and calm because they clearly know exactly what they should be doing, rather than stressing out or making poor choices. Crate training is a key tool in teaching dogs to be calm. It becomes a habit the more it is practiced. Calm, well-behaved dogs get included in more aspects of daily life.
Many experts agree that a minimum of 2-3 hours of active interaction and engagement is appropriate for puppies. That may not really sound like a lot given it's only 8-12% of the total hours in a day. But keep a couple of things in mind: Puppies need between 18-20 hours of sleep which accounts for majority of the day.
Take your puppy outside frequently—at least every two hours—and immediately after they wake up, during and after playing, and after eating or drinking. Pick a bathroom spot outside, and always take your puppy (on a leash) to that spot.
Yes, sometimes problems can arise from spending too much time with your dog. This is because they can become dependent on your company and become increasingly demanding. To keep your relationship healthy, and for a well-behaved dog that you will love even more; you can make sure interactions are on your terms.