Most pet parents decide that crate training is suitable for their dogs. Crating is a handy tool when potty training puppies, traveling with your dog and containing a pup that tends to chew your stuff when you’re not there to watch him.
But is it good for a puppy to sleep in a crate?
Read this guide to learn whether crating your puppy overnight is the right thing to do.
Should I Lock My Puppy In His Crate At Night?
We recommend that you lock your puppy in his crate at night.
Although your puppy might initially complain about his confinement, keeping your furry friend crated overnight prevents your canine companion from getting into trouble, waking you up by roaming around your home, peeing on your carpet, or worse.
Should My Dog Sleep In A Crate?
Dogs typically don’t sleep right through the night without getting up at some point.
For example, my dog usually awoke at around 4 am and would go walkabout unless she was locked in her crate. That’s not great for you if you’re a light sleeper, and it doesn’t take many disturbed nights before you start to feel the effects of sleep deprivation!
Have you ever seen your dog dreaming? Dogs kick, huff, snore, and even yap when they’re dreaming. So, trust me, you don’t want your dog sleeping on your bed or right next to you overnight.
Potty Accidents
If your dog isn’t entirely and reliably house-trained, he should spend the night locked in his crate. The last thing you want is to wake up in the morning and discover a puddle or an unwanted parcel.
I remember one famous occasion when my husband got up for a bathroom visit in the middle of the night and stepped in something our puppy had done earlier. Yuck! A lesson was learned that night to not only wear slippers but to lock the puppy in his crate overnight.
Walkabout Mischief
Dogs, and especially young puppies, are experts at getting into mischief when you’re not around to watch them. So, you want your furry friend safely locked in his crate at night to prevent your puppy from chewing up your stuff or raiding your kitchen bin.
When Should I Stop Locking My Dog’s Crate At Night?
Eventually, your puppy will learn to view his crate as a safe, comfortable place to go to, and he will happily go there to sleep all night.
Once you know that you can trust your dog to stay in his crate without wandering off, you can stop locking the door.
However, puppy owners should be wary of leaving a puppy’s crate unlocked overnight. Once they reach around four months of age, a puppy can last for six to seven hours overnight before needing a potty break. Younger pups have smaller bladders and can’t last as long, so leaving the crate door open is asking for a toilet accident.
Dog Sleeps In Crate With Door Open
Some dogs, mine included, like to sleep in their crates with open doors.
Provided that you can trust your dog not to escape and roam around your home, disturbing you and potentially relieving himself on your carpets, you can leave his crate door open.
However, to prevent accidents, you can use a puppy playpen to enclose your pup’s crate if you want to leave the crate door open.
Can A Crate Trained Dog Sleep In Bed?
Whether your crate-trained dog sleeps in his crate or on your bed at night is entirely up to you. However, we recommend that dogs and puppies should sleep in their own bed in a crate.
That said, some dogs suffer from separation anxiety. That condition causes the dog to become highly agitated and upset when their owner leaves them alone, in extreme cases, even for a few minutes.
Allowing your dog to sleep with you can be extremely helpful for a dog with separation anxiety issues, especially at night when the pup needs to be close to his owner to remain relaxed.
The alternative solution is to put your dog’s crate right next to your bed. That way, your pet knows you’re there, and you can even reach down to pet your pup during the night to reassure him.
FAQs
In this part of our guide, we answer some of the questions that are most often asked by pet parents trying to decide whether to crate their puppy overnight.
Q: Where should my dog sleep at night time?
A: We recommend that your dog sleeps locked in his crate at night for several reasons.
- Your dog will be safe while contained in his crate and can’t get into mischief.
- Your dog won’t jump onto the bed and wake you up.
- Your dog won’t roam around the house, where he could potentially have a potty accident.
- In the event of an emergency, it will be easier to rescue your dog if he’s safely contained in his crate.
Q: When is your puppy ready to sleep out of the crate?
A: If you prefer that your puppy sleeps out of his crate, you need to wait until your pet is fully house-trained and can go right through the night without needing to go outside to relieve himself.
You’ll also need to know that your dog can be trusted not to become destructive while out of his crate. Only then can you safely make the transition from your puppy spending the night in his crate to sleeping in a dog bed next to you.
Q: Is it safe to let puppies sleep in a cage every night?
Spending the night in a crate is the safest place for your puppy or dog to be. That’s fine, provided your pet has had lots of exercise during the day and will sleep for that long.
It’s essential that you provide your puppy with a comfortable bed, a special crate water bowl or bottle, and a chew toy if he’s going to spend the whole night in his crate.
If you have a young puppy, you must be prepared to get up to take your pet outside for a potty break midway through the night.
Final Thoughts
Did you enjoy our article? If you did, please share it.
There are lots of benefits to having your puppy sleep in his crate overnight. Your cheeky canine chum won’t disturb your sleep by jumping on and off the bed, there’s no danger of your puppy sneaking off under cover of darkness to pee or poop in your house, and your pup is in a safe place in the event of an emergency.
Do you crate your puppy or adult dog every night? Tell us in the comments box below.
