You are probably reading this because you have adopted, or thinking of adopting a puppy, right? A friend of yours tells about puppy crating—that you’d need to lock your puppy in a crate at night. You are like, no They are so adorable, warm, and fluffy, then why not keep your dog in bed with you? Why would you even keep them away from you?
Well, if your brain is filled with such questions, you are not alone. Read on this blog where we discuss if you should lock your puppy in a crate or not?
1. It is not easy to tidy up your home every day so…
As much as your little buddy wants to hang out in your house, play with your shoes, drag your clothes all around, you should be aware that such habits are not good for your dog.
When you bought a puppy, you must have in your mind that your dog would listen to you and obey your instructions at once. Well, if you want that, then you have to put some boundaries on what he does all the time.
Imagine you cleaned up your house at night, arranged your shoes and clothes properly. You wake up, lo and behold, it looks as if there was a storm. Cupboards are open, shoes are torn, clothes are randomly scattered all over the house, and there is poop and pee everywhere. What would you feel that time? (We know you may find it cute. But what if it happens every day?)
Therefore, to avoid such a situation, puppy crates were made. Some may call it jail for puppies and we do not agree! Crates are not prisons; they’re made to train your dog.
At a young age, puppies do not know what are the things he is allowed to do are. Therefore, as parents do to their real babies and put them in the crib at night. You should also be a responsible pet parent and look at what is good for your dog, not just letting him cuddle and roam around all the time.
2. It is for the safety of the puppy…
Some dog parents may not support the idea of putting their puppies into a crate. Well, in that case, there are ways that you can put your puppy to sleep without crating them. But, my friend, that’s a lot of work. Here is a brief sketch of how you can avoid crating your puppy at night.
- Give your puppy a lot amount of time and attention.
- Keep your puppy with you all the time.
- Caress until your puppy sleeps.
- Wake up at least four to five times a night to be there for your dog.
- Keep your eyes open all the time to see if your puppy has gotten himself into any trouble or not.
- Bear the mood swings of your puppy.
- At night, hide all the dog toys so that they don’t attract your little friend.
Not letting your pups sleep in a crate means that you want your baby to wander free. Well, guess what a free puppy means that you would have to keep be cautious all the time—it’s more like a 24/7 job. Cause puppies don’t know if fire or electricity is dangerous for them. They are curious and might well try to play with them. This is why we crate them; this is why crate is not a jail. “Crates help dogs learn to self soothe, or deal with their anxiety, during situations where they become distressed, like during fireworks, a thunderstorm, or construction,” Kaitlyn Arford writes.
So, if you want your puppy to sleep free and you think that crating a puppy is a crime and against the dog’s rights. Well, then, it’s your call!!
3. Puppies need some rest…
Puppies roam and wander all day. They get tired. Let them free and they’ll keep themselves busy. We’re putting them in a crate just to limit their activity. Just to allow them to sleep, much like parents putting their real babies in the crib at night. You should also be a responsible pet parent and look at what is good for your dog, not just letting him to roam and run around all the time.
Do puppies hate crates?
The brief answer is yes—and no!
First, the yes part. A puppy hates his crate if you haven’t trained him for that from day one. Because, from the very first day, a puppy gets emotionally attached to any place where he gets to sleep on his first night (much like most of us humans right?)
If you let your dog sleep in the bed the very first night, the crate may not be his favorite place afterward. He’ll hate the crate—at least for a night or two.
But…if you are a responsible pet parent, cautious about the routine of your dog, then you already know that you have to put your puppy into cradle from the very first day. This is a huge sacrifice, we get it. But at the end of the day, it is beneficial for both of you. If done so, your puppy would feel an attachment with his crate. Afterward, for the rest of his life, he’d know where he has to take his nap after all-day work (woof!!).
Why puppy crating at night only?
You would definitely be wondering that pups run around the home all day, then why just crate them at night only? Well, in fact, it’s not about day or night, it’s about when you are fully attentive to your dog.
You can definitely crate your dog at any time if you feel that you can’t keep an eye on your dog at that particular time. It’s necessary because there is always a high risk with new puppies that they might fall down from stairs, go near electricity or vacuum cleaners, or a pile of books may fall over their fragile heads. If it is a day, your puppy will be in safe hands. But at night? You cannot really tell. This is why we keep them in crate at night only.
What to put in puppy crate at night?
At this moment, you might have made your decision about putting your puppy in a crate—or not. If yes, then we have prepared some “actually working” guides that would make your pup’s crate time more fun, and your puppy would surely love it.
One, you need to find a good and comfortable crate for your cute puppy. A crate in which your little pup can fit in properly. It is recommended to put velvet rugs in the crate so that the little baby remains comforted (pow!).
Now, when you have selected best crate for your puppy, it’s time to find things that would make your pup entertained as well as engaged in the crate. Here is the checklist of all the possible things that you can do to make your baby stay happy in his little home.
Things to put in a crate
- Put your pup’s favorite food and water in the crate.
- Give your pup something chewy to eat because that would keep him busy for long.
- Put bones
- Place some stuffed toys
- Place whistling rubber toys (puppies love them!)
- Put some dog balls which can easily fit into your dog’s mouth
This is the general list of the things to put in a dog crate. However, make sure that you don’t stuff all the place with toys and other stuff (leave some place for your dog to sit and sleep!)
Key takeaways:
Whether to put your puppy in a crate or not, it’s your decision. However, there is something you need to know that crates are not like “cages”, rather they are “safe homes” for your little buddy (a puppy has the right to have his own house, doesn’t it?).
Putting your puppy in a crate is recommended for:
- It is for their safety
- They need rest
- And we need a small break
Also, puppy crating is necessary at night because that is the time that they need to be in protection.
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