When To Start Cage Training A Puppy

A common question that I get from new dog owners is, “When should I start cage training a puppy?”

As with anything, the best time to start is when they are very young. Starting a routine early in your puppy’s life will help you to become successful at cage training your puppy much sooner because it will become second nature to your dog.

Don’t wait until your dog is one or two years old – in dog years, that’s like a teenager learning that they have to go to sleep in the bed that is in their room.

However, starting TOO young can be a problem because very young puppies can’t control their bladders, so they need to go pee and poo a lot. And you certainly don’t want them rolling around in it in their cage. 

If your new puppy is at least 9 weeks old, then it’s alright to start kennel training him. Just keep in mind that young puppies can’t be kept locked up in their kennel quite as long as older puppies.

Here is a good guideline for duration of crate training a puppy....

• 9 to 10 weeks: about 30 to 60 minutes
• 11 to 14 weeks: about 1 to 3 hours
• 15 to 16 weeks: about 3 to 4 hours
• 17 or more week: about 4 to 5 hours

No puppy or grown dog should be left locked up in their cage for longer than 6 hours at a time. The only exception is during the night time when they are sleeping.

Remember that starting cage training when they are young is best option. But be careful with very young puppies. Puppies under 4 months old have difficulties controlling their bladder and sphincter, so they will probably have lots of “accidents” in the cage if left too long. And puppies under 3 months have a very hard time controlling their bodies.