Should I leave food and water in my puppy’s crate?
It is best to avoid leaving food and water in your puppy’s crate. There are 2 consequences of leaving water in a puppy’s crate:
Why You Should Trust Me?
Personally, I’ve picked the brains of numerous vets, breeders, and a variety of other dog owners.
I’ve been a part of many conversations on all things dog-related, including how to best take care of them while they are crated.
I know what works in a crate (water bowls that attach to the crate) and what doesn’t work in a crate (water bowls placed on the floor where your dog can knock them over).
As someone who has also been working full-time for those fifteen years, I’ve raised dogs successfully despite needing to be gone from 9-5 each day, which means they’ve had to spend a fair amount of time in a crate.
First-hand experience tells me what has worked for my dogs in a crate and what you’ll want to avoid while your dog is crated!
When shes not geeking out about dogs, you can find her reading, hiking with her two Cardigan Welsh Corgis, or paddleboarding.
As Preventive Vets dog behavior expert and lead trainer at Pupstanding Academy, Cathy focuses on helping humans and their pets build a strong relationship based on trust, clear communication, and the use of positive reinforcement and force-free methods. With over 13 years of experience, she has had the opportunity to work with hundreds of dogs on a wide variety of training and behavior issues. Beyond her one-on-one consultations through Pupstanding Academy, she also teaches group dog training classes at Seattle Humane. Her specialties include dog aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, and puppy socialization.
A note for our readers: If you have an urgent question and are unable to ask your veterinarian, you can use the Ask a Vet service that will give you access to a veterinarian for 7 days for $1.
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Cathy is certified through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers, holding both the CPDT-KA and CBCC-KA designations. Cathy is a Fear Free Certified Certified Professional, a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the Pet Professional Guild, and the Dog Writers Association of America.
Should I leave water in dog crate at night?
Ready access to water is as essential for keeping dogs hydrated as it is for people. But crating your dog complicates things. A water bowl inside a crate can spill and leave your dog uncomfortable—in what should be her cozy, inviting den. During housetraining, the ramifications are even worse.
Your priority is always giving your dog easy access to fresh water. Keeping that goal top of mind, you can wisely determine whether to crate her without water, how long you can leave her crated without water, and the instances where water in the dog crate is a good idea.
