dog crates

Question
Dear Ms Bryant, I am getting a beagle puppy in a few days and the breader advised me to get a crate and train the puppy to treat it as her bed. Please advise whether it is fair especially that we both work office hours and she will be on her own a few hours a day.What is the best way to get her used to it and how big should it be?Thank you very much for your help!

Answer
Hi Agatha,

Congratulations on your new puppy! I'm very sorry for such a delay in responding to you. I've been having some internet connection issues. I'm sure you're already enjoying your new little one by now, but I hope this is still some help.

Using a crate is a wonderful way to help train a puppy how to behave in the house. It serves as a "crib" or playpen to keep a puppy safe while you can't be keeping an eye on him or her. However, you bring up an important issue - how long a puppy can be left in a crate at a time. A puppy should never be left in the crate for a longer period of time than you know they can go without being let out to go to the bathroom. So in the beginning, if a young puppy will need to be alone for the typical 6-8 hours, it's a much better idea to begin by leaving him or her in a small confined area (like a pen in an area of the kitchen) with a puppy pad and the crate along with some toys and water. Then as housetraining progresses and the puppy gets older and is increasingly able to physically control the bladder and bowel, you can use the crate while you are gone.

A fun way to introduce the crate (or to reinforce that it is a great place) is to sit about 5 feet in front of it, with the door open and the puppy on the loose in the same room. Toss small, soft treats in front of and into the crate for the puppy to go get. While your puppy is off doing something else, hide treats inside the crate for your puppy to find the next time he wanders by. Once in awhile, feed his meals and make other "good" things happen inside the crate. When your puppy goes into the crate without hesitation, start using the word "crate" (or whatever word you choose) and toss small treats in again to associate the word with the action.

The crate should be big enough that the puppy can stand up without having to duck, turn around, and lay down (stretched out). It shouldn't be much bigger than that! If there's too much space, a puppy can designate a far corner as a bathroom which can really complicate the housetraining process.

I hope things are going well for you so far. Please don't hesitate to write back with more details if there's anything else I can be of help with!