How long should a dog be crated per day? Essential Tips

However, if you’re like many families, you may not be aware of how many hours total per day you are crating, or how many hours total per day your dog has to move around freely in your home. Almost always, when we find a family crating their dog on the advice of some dog professional, we also find that they are not adding up the total hours the dog spends in the crate correctly. Professionals who fail to explain crate training properly are to blame, because and they often issue instructions that cause problems for well-meaning families and their dogs.

Each person has their own opinion on what degree of crating is “excessive” or damaging. And we feel it’s important for as many people as possible to respond to our poll, and to comment, to portray a clearer picture of what crating actually means to average families- not just dog writers and professionals on either side of the dog crating debate.

In almost all cases we’ve worked with, once we talked to owners about how easily hours “sneak up”, these owners began reducing the number of hours of crate time on their own, in whichever way was most comfortable for them. As the hours per day total crate time began dropping, these owners noticed positive changes in their dog’s behavior and the quality of life for the entire family.

But, if you are an average working family and you follow the advice of a dog professional who tells you to crate your adult dog or young puppy whenever you are away at work, this is 8 hours per day. If you add another 2 hours for commute time or errands, this is 10 hours crate time. Then, if you also add a full night in the crate (as many professionals now recommend for both pups and adult dogs) this means your dog now spends 18 hours per day in the crate.

For example, some people crate their dogs for very short amounts of time- like an hour or two to run to a doctor’s appointment. And we have noticed that, the shorter the period of crating, the less it seems to impact the dog negatively (the exception is certain cases where dogs with specific issues cannot tolerate crating at all.)

Step 1: Introduce your dog to the crate

Place the crate in an area of your house where the family spends a lot of time, such as the family room. Put a soft blanket or bed in the crate. Take the door off or keep it propped open and let the dog explore the crate at their leisure. Some dogs will be naturally curious and start sleeping in the crate right away. If yours isnt one of them:

  • Bring them over to the crate and talk to them in a happy tone of voice. Make sure the crate door is open and secured so that it wont hit your dog and frighten them.
  • Encourage your dog to enter the crate by dropping some small food treats nearby, then just inside the door, and finally, all the way inside the crate. If they refuse to go all the way in at first, thats OK; dont force them to enter.
  • Continue tossing treats into the crate until your dog will walk calmly all the way into the crate to get the food. If they aren’t interested in treats, try tossing a favorite toy in the crate. This step may take a few minutes or as long as several days.
  • Puppies have a harder time holding their bladders than their older counterparts, so when you crate your puppy, you want to lean towards the side of “too little” time in the crate. Opinions differ on the exact amount of time, but the Human Society has released information suggesting that if your puppy is under six months old, they shouldn’t be left in a crate longer than three to four hours.

    Others have created formulas, such as “leave puppies in their crates by taking their age in months and adding 1” (e.g. a 4-month-old puppy can stay in a crate for up to 5 hours).

    To maximize your dog crates effectiveness, place the crate in a location your dog loves to be. Drop a fistful of treats in the crate or give your dog a bone or other chew toy. Leave the door open at first to help get them used to the crate. Then, gradually start closing the door. Make sure you place the crate in a location where the temperature is nice, and most importantly, you have to make sure your crate is the right size for your dog. A dog should be able to easily stand up, sit, lay on his side and turn around in the crate.

    When it comes down to it, you have to get to know your puppy, monitor their behavior and over a few weeks’ time, figure out what their personal limit is.

    Most adult dogs can stay in a crate for about half a day as long as the dog gets ample exercise and walks when he or she is out of the crate. Many adult dogs can manage eight or so hours in a crate while their owners are at work, but longer than this can often cause behavioral problems. If you work long days, it’s recommended that you either hire a dog walker to come once or twice a day to let your dog out of its crate and take it for a walk or consider doggy daycare in lieu of crating them.

    How long is too long in crate to leave a dog in a crate? Crate Train

    Make crate training your dog run smoothly with a weekday or weekend training schedule designed to suit your lifestyle. Here are some sample training schedules, along with expert advice from a vet.

    Putting your new puppy or dog on a crate training schedule can help him adjust to his new surroundings and will give him a head start on learning the house rules right out of the gate. Using a crate helps limit unwanted behavior, such as a dog who starts to rip apart furniture because of separation anxiety or if you have a dog who eats everything he can get his mouth on. Crate training can also help you to house-train a new puppy so she will understand where she can go and — more importantly — where she can’t go to the bathroom.

    The benefit of crate training, according to veterinarian Dr. Melissa Webster, the owner of Tampa Veterinary Hospital in Tampa, Florida, “is that when you’re starting with a puppy, you can control destructive behavior. But don’t just put a dog in the crate and walk out of the house. Use positive reinforcement with treats and encourage him with his favorite toy.”

    She also stresses making sure to get the right-sized crate. Many people mistakenly purchase a crate that’s too small for their dog, she notes. Use a crate that allows the dog to stand up and stretch out without pressing up against the sides or top.

    Follow these three tips, as recommended by Dr. Webster, to ensure that your dog enjoys and actually wants to use the crate:

    Crate Training Schedules How often you use the crate will depend on your lifestyle. For example, a weekday crate scheduling might revolve around your work or school hours, while the weekend schedule could offer more flexibility. If you have a full-time job that takes you away from the home throughout the day, attempting to crate train a smaller puppy that requires more frequent potty breaks may present a challenge. However, you can still work on crate training a puppy on weekends when you can spend more time at home.

    Here are examples of weekday and weekend training schedules that you can adjust to suit your lifestyle:

    Keep in mind that if your dog exhibits vomiting or diarrhea, the ASPCA does not recommend using a crate until he recovers. Once your dog gets used to being on a crate training schedule, he will not only get in the crate when you leave the house or serve dinner, he will actually get excited to use it.

    Kelly Sundstrom is an award-winning journalist, author and artist. As the caretaker of two dogs, five cats and a bearded dragon, Sundstrom understands the importance of training a pet consistently. Follow her on Twitter.

    Create a free account to access our nation wide network of background checked caregivers. First Name