How to Get Your Puppy to be Calm in their Crate

Using a crate can be one of the greatest tools to use in raising your puppy! But it becomes not-so-great if your pup can’t seem to settle down and relax when they’re in there and bark, cry or whine instead. Here’s some tips to calm your puppy during crate time!

Crates provide a safe place for our puppies, promote independence and can help speed up the potty training process. Plus dogs are den animals! So they find great comfort in cozy spaces.

But what happens when your puppy just can’t seem to settle down and relax when they’re in their crate? Here are the top reasons why we see clients struggling with crate training and tips to help change that for good! 

Reason #1 your puppy isn’t calm in the crate: You’re Only Crating Them At Night or When You Leave

One of the reasons your puppy may not be taking to their crate could be if you’re only putting then in there at night, or when you leave them home alone.

Nighttime is not enough and consistency is needed during the daytime as well. Plus if you only crate them when you leave, they’re now associating them being in the crate with you being gone, which can create anxiety with it and have them start to build a negative association with being in the crate that comes out in barking, whining and crying while you’re away.

TIP: Include a crate rotation as part of your daytime schedule with your puppy, even when you are home, to teach them independence. For a sample daily puppy schedule, check out our blog Create a Daily Schedule for Your Puppy.

Reason #2 your puppy isn’t calm in the crate: You’re Accidentally Amping Them Up Before They Go In

Something else you may not be realizing you’re doing is amping your puppy up in a physical or emotional way right before you’re putting them in their crate.

For example, if you’re playing with and get them really riled up, putting them in the crate immediately after without a chance to de-escalate and calm down can make it much more difficult for them to settle. Similarly if you’re emotionally doing this – this often happens in terms of affection, like cuddling, snuggling and petting them – then putting them in the crate, they will often likely be unable to calm quickly.

 TIP: When you separate yourself from them, everything should be transitioned. Your puppy needs to be in a calm state of mind before you put them in crate, whenever possible. To do this, work your puppy calmly through some simple obedience commands, or just ignore them for a while, before you calmly put them in their crate.  

Reason #3 your puppy isn’t calm in the crate: Your Puppy Has Too Much Energy 

Another reason your puppy may not be able to relax in their crate is they’re not getting enough exercise or the right type of exercise. This doesn’t just mean physical activity; we actually mean more mental exercises.

Incorporating enrichment exercises in your puppy’s daily life that works them mentally will help them release their energy in productive ways, while feeling more fulfilled.

TIP: Practice daily training sessions incorporating not just obedience commands, but more challenging impulse control work as well. For example, waiting for permission to go through thresholds, and for their food bowl.

 Reason #4 your puppy isn’t calm in the crate: Your Puppy May Be Getting Too Much Attention &  Affection When They’re Out Of Crate

This one’s a tough one! As much as we want to love on our puppies as much as possible, having a good balance and making sure your puppy gets some alone time is crucial to their development, including how they respond when they’re in crate!

Puppies that get so used to having us around them all the time often develop separation anxiety, which could show itself as barking, whining, crying and even panicking when they are left by themselves.

TIP: When following your daily puppy schedule for their scheduled alone time, place their crate in a separate room from you and the family so they get used to being without you for periods of time. For more help on preventing and fixing separation anxiety check out out blog How to Deal with Separation Anxiety in Puppies.

Do you want to know the simple routines you can use to further help your puppy be calm in their crate?

The Puppy Academy Online School walks you through easy activities you can incorporate in your daily life that will fulfill your pup, while teaching them awesome skills – yes, including how to be calm in their crate!

For more info and to sign up today, check out The Puppy Academy Online School here!

Lastly, don’t forget that the crate is NEVER to be used as a form of punishment for your puppy. It is their sacred safe place, and it should be respected as such. Always be mindful of your own energy and feelings you have about putting your puppy in the crate -- your puppy can sense these things!

We are huge fans of using a crate during puppyhood, when it’s used correctly, and we know you’ll be too once you see the huge benefits it brings as well as how much pups actually do love their own space! In fact, many of our clients choose to keep their pup’s crate throughout their entire lives because of how much their pups enjoy it. So it’s something you can consider using for a short time, or as long as you want!

If you have questions about crating help with your puppy, ask our trainers! Join our live Q&As every Wednesday at 1 pm PT on our Instagram @thepuppyacademy!

And join our Very Important Puppy list to receive puppy training tips right to your inbox every week!

Check out these related blogs on puppy training and more!

Why and How to Crate Train Your Puppy!

How to Stop Your Puppy from Nipping

Potty Training Tips for New Owners

How to Stop Your Puppy From Nipping!

Puppy nipping is frustrating and painful and can lead to destructive behaviors! If you have a puppy that is entering this stage of development, here’s what you need to do to nip nipping in the bud!

Nipping is one of those frustrating puppy behaviors all new puppy owners face. But as difficult and sometimes painful as this can be, it’s all part of a very natural growing process puppies go through. Puppies learn about the world around them and to test their boundaries using their mouths. 

During play, littermates will nibble on each other, testing the strength of their jaws and what’s okay and what’s not okay. Oftentimes, their siblings will yelp if the nip is too strong, letting the puppy know that they have to be gentle while playing. 

When you bring home a new puppy, it’ll be up to you to teach your puppy what’s okay and what’s not with proper puppy training techniques and tactics to use at home.

The “Ouch!” Technique

We’ll preface that while this technique can definitely be effective for certain puppies, it can also sometimes rile other excitable puppies up and cause them to nip more. In no way does that mean there’s anything wrong with your puppy, rather try refocusing on using a different method. We’ll cover different ways to stop nipping that you can try and see which works for your puppy later on in this blog!

Littermates will often nip and nibble at each other while playing to test their boundaries. A yelp noise will tell the nipping puppy to “cut it out”. Essentially, you are mimicking this natural puppy behavior by introducing a loud and abrupt “ouch!” when your puppy nips your hands. Don’t continue to play with them, instead stop moving your hands and when your puppy releases, pause for a short period of time (10-15 seconds) then continue playing. 

Another tip: Don’t pull your hand away if your puppy is still nipping, which is a natural instinct! This can actually amp them up and encourage them to chase after your hand even more. Repeat this “ouch” technique until your puppy understands that gentle play is acceptable and rough play is not, and opt for a toy to play with your pup instead of your hands.

Remember, consistency is key in the beginning, as it will take time for your puppy to understand this concept. Repeat this training technique when you engage your puppy in playtime but make sure to give your puppy regular breaks. Eventually, your hard work will pay off!

Provide a Play Environment that Includes Chew Toys

Another effective way to stop your puppy from nipping is to remove that option from the very beginning! Do this by introducing chew toys when you first start playing with your puppy. 

Using a playpen is a good way to help stimulate your puppy to play with chew toys instead of hands and feet! In this smaller confined area with fewer distractions, you can give your puppy 1 to 3 different chew options to play with to see which one they gravitate towards more, then rotate them every so often. 

Puppies, like small children, can become too over-stimulated if they have too many toys out in front of them. Your puppy will get bored with their toys after a while if they always have access to all of them at once, so rotating them is important to keep them engaged and interested!

It’s definitely possible that your puppy may still find your hands interesting and want to come after you! In this case, you’ll want to first try to draw their attention back to one of their chew toys. If your puppy really is not interested in the toy and continues to come after your hands, it may be a good time to give them a little break in either a playpen or crate. 

Sometimes a little nap is all a small puppy needs! (Side note: Puppies need up to 20 hours of sleep a day -- that’s a lot of naps! -- so when they start to get increasingly nippy, they’re probably overtired and need rest. This is similar to an over-exhausted child who’s acting out and needs a little encouragement to take a nap.) In the next play session, make sure to start engaging them with their chew toys so they associate play with toys, and not your hands!

No-Contact Games

No-contact games like tug also avoid using your hands as a chew toy but sometimes it can intensify their play even more. (Side note: When playing a tug game with your puppy, it’s imperative to be mindful of the amount of force you’re using behind the tug. Puppies’ jaws can become dislocated if there’s too much force.) 

We like to start introducing the “Drop-It” command to get them to stop and settle down. When the tugging persists don’t pull back, instead, stop the activity until your puppy gets bored and releases. You can encourage them to “Drop-It” by holding up a treat they love in front of their nose and rewarding them when they let go of the toy. This will help instill the command and the good behavior you want. 

Pro-tip: Opt for a longer toy where you can have a hand on either side of it, giving your puppy plenty of space to grab in the middle, while keeping your hands nibble-free!

How to Manage Ankle Biting Puppies

Imagine this: you’re pleasantly walking into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee when out of nowhere, a tiny little shark jumps out at you and latches onto your ankle! Not a fun way to start your morning but for new puppy owners, it’s a reality. 

In this situation, the default reaction is to try to jump away or yell “no!” but a new puppy that still doesn’t understand commands, isn’t going to stop. Your ankles are just too much fun because they’re moving and look like a game or prey to catch! We recommend to all our puppy owners to walk around with food treats that their puppies love in their pocket or a training pouch.

The moment your puppy starts to nip at your ankles and feet, just freeze. They are interested in your movement and sound -- it’s just a game for them! If you take away the stimulus, your puppy will start to get bored and eventually let go on their own. When that happens, be ready to give your puppy a new command to do like “Sit”. When your puppy sits, give them a treat for good behavior. What you have done is rewarded your puppy for listening and sitting, not for nipping. Your puppy will begin to learn that nipping produces nothing in return but when they listen to you, they get a tasty treat.

Reduce the Petting

Petting causes stimulation, which can lead to more nipping! Be mindful as to how often you’re petting them and if it seems to be soothing them versus amping them up more. If they’re getting too excited and nippier from it, pause the pets for now and try a calming massage-type movement on their chest and body the time to see how they respond.

Stop Holding Your Puppy So Much

We love our puppies and want to cuddle them as much as possible — especially when they’re young and small enough to hold in our arms or laps for a snuggle! But, puppies can get frustrated and begin nipping at you if it’s becoming too much for them, feel too restrained, or just don’t want to be pet at that time.

Getting your puppy comfortable with being touched and handled is very important, but it’s essential to pick the right times to teach this. After a playtime, a tiring walk or training session, or right before bedtime while their winding down for the night are usually better times to steal those cuddles and work on some handing desensitization while you’re at it!

Puppy Training to Nip Nipping in the Bud

It may seem like a lot to take in, especially when you are still getting a handle on being a new puppy parent!  When dealing with puppy nipping, handy tools like extra chewy toys and treats will save your hands and ankles from puppy teeth, but, you will need to know more about the positive routines to redirect your puppy to instead!

The Puppy Academy Online School dives right into this! You’ll learn how to stop the nipping for good while your puppy learns excellent manners and becomes comfortable with being touched and handled by you — and others!

To put an end to puppy nipping today, check out our Online School and enroll your pup today! You (and your hands) will thank us later

If you have questions about what to do about your puppy’s nipping behavior, ask our trainers! Join our live Q&As every Wednesday at 1 pm PT on @thepuppyacademy Instagram!

Join our Very Important Puppy list to receive our latest puppy training tips right to your inbox every week!

Check out these related blogs on puppy training and more!

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