How long is acceptable, will depend on a few factors:

• Have you taught the puppy to relax and be comfortable in the crate whilst you are at home, first? If not, you risk creating separation anxiety through going out. Follow the steps outlined below here, before you leave your puppy.
• Is the puppy tired, and ready to have a nap?
• How long can the puppy hold on and not need to toilet for? (Comfortably.)
• How frequently are you crating the puppy, for this length of time? (4hrs occasionally, is different to 4hrs twice a day, every day of the working week.)
• Are you able to meet your puppy’s daily needs, outside of the time she is crated?
• As a rule of thumb, it’s probably best to consider 4hrs as the maximum continuous time on a regular basis for a 12wk+ puppy, which has gone through the following crate training protocols.

But you would not want to crate a puppy for 4hrs twice a day, every day of the week…

Using the crate whilst out at work

Although dog crates are a fantastic tool, like any tool, they can be misused.

Leaving your dog crated many hours a day, on a daily basis, is not acceptable.

Excessive use of dog crates, is arguably what gives crates a bad name, and leads to some people considering them ‘cruel’.

But this is not due to the use of the crate – but to the abuse of it.

If you work only a couple of days a week, or part-time, try to take some holiday time off for a couple of weeks, to settle your new puppy in, and to establish routines.

When you return to work, arrange for someone to visit your puppy, let her out to toilet, play with her a couple of times a day and (once she is tired) re-crate her with a tasty kong.

You may be able to find a friend or relative willing to do this, or a professional.

If you work full-time and your adult dog can’t be given free range of the house, please use the services of a pet professional. Like a dog walker (to break the day up), or a daycare, or pet sitter.

Don’t leave your dog crated for 8 hours a day.

I don’t recommend dog walkers or day cares for young puppies in the socialization period. Puppies can learn much which we don’t want them to learn, if not supervised closely in early interactions with other dogs:

The only type of service I’d recommend for a puppy under 6 months, is a ‘puppy visit’ as described above.

House training a puppy with a crate

As soon as your puppy wakes up – and before she has made any noise – take her outside to toilet and remain outside until you’ve had success!

When a puppy is very small, it’s probably best to carry her outside to prevent her going to the toilet on the way out.

When your puppy is slightly older and toilet training is more advanced, you can lead the way outside.

Try to ensure that your puppy is ‘empty’ before crating her, to reduce the risk of accidents in the crate.

As you get to know your puppy, you will learn her toilet routine and this will make things easier.

Where to put the dog crate?

Put the puppy crate in the location where you want it to be eventually.

This should not be in an ‘out of the way’ room – like the utility room, or entrance hall.

It should be a ‘family’ room. The room where you hang out and spend most of your time at home, together.

This is important because you want the puppy to associate the crate with your reassuring presence (helpful for providing security when you start to leave the puppy). And also you don’t want the puppy to feel excluded or ‘banished’ when crated.

Often the kitchen, family room or TV area are the best locations for a crate.

If you are worried about the appearance of the crate in your home, then you might like to consider a wooden one.

What to put in the dog crate?

Anything that you choose to put in the puppy crate, you need to feel confident about the puppy having access to, when unsupervised.

For that reason, it may vary from one puppy to another.

Some puppies may benefit from a crate mat, to provide a softer bed.

Other puppies may rip up a crate mat and might be better left with just vet bed.

Either way, you will need to provide your puppy with some kind of reasonably comfortable bedding.

If a puppy is very young or small, often a big soft toy or two, can give them something to cuddle up to. Since they will be used to sleeping with their littermates.

However, a larger more destructive puppy, could de-stuff toys in your absence.

Puppies will benefit from being left with things to lick or chew.

Stuffed Kongs are a great all-rounder, and should be made very ‘easy’ for young puppies, with lickable stuff right around the opening. (Puppies will give up if they are too difficult).

Nylabones and other chews will need to be carefully chosen and assessed with your particular puppy in mind.

Whether she is a strong chewer and whether she breaks off parts of the chew when eating them with you. Don’t leave a puppy with a chew you haven’t watched them safely eat before, several times.

If you are only leaving the puppy for a max of 2-3hours, crated, then water isn’t necessary and can just result in all the bedding ending up wet when the puppy digs around and spills it.

Crate training puppies at night

When you bring your puppy home, your first task is to help her feel safe in your house and safe with you.

Forget about leaving her alone, for the first couple of days and even (preferably) nights. She has had a lot of stressful changes.

Now is the time for settling her and helping her feel safe again.

Put her bed by your bed.

If you don’t want her in the bedroom, as an adult dog, carry her in and out. She won’t learn to find her own way in, like this.

If your dog crate doesn’t fit by your bed, or is difficult to move about, use an open cardboard box for the first couple of nights by your bed.

Take her with you when you go out if possible, or have someone sit with her at home if you can’t.

Take some time off work, if you can, to settle her in during this time.

Crating Puppy At Night

During the days, work on ‘Stage 1-3’ of puppy crate training (below) with the crate in the regular daytime location where you want it to be. After 3-7 days of this, your puppy should be ready to spend nights in the crate in that location too – and no longer need to sleep by your bed.

Sometimes pups can make noise when distressed or separated from you – which is why I advise having the pup by your bed at first.

That way, you can just lay a hand on the pup and she will not feel alone, and will go back to sleep.

You will find it easier to tell whether your puppy needs the toilet, or is lonely, by removing the ‘lonely’ variable!

What you should do during the night

During the night, I would really advise you to set your alarm and take your puppy out to toilet.

At first, this may be as often as twice a night (2am and 6am, for example), but very quickly will only be once a night.

Do not wait for your puppy to make noise and wake you up – or you will end up reinforcing the noise by taking the puppy out.

Instead, set the alarm and wake the puppy up even if she is asleep. Do not talk to the puppy or play with her, just return her to the dog crate afterwards and then ignore any subsequent noise – because you know she is empty.

If you wake up before your puppy does, set your alarm for 30mins later the next night. Continue doing this until you get right through the night.

If your puppy wakes up before you, set your alarm earlier the next night – so you are sure to wake up before your puppy – and remain at that time for several nights, before making it later each night again.

How to get a puppy used to the crate

So what’s the best way to crate train puppy? Every pup is an individual. Some are ‘easy’ puppies. They may be ok without following any of the below dog crate training protocols.

Some owners just stick their puppy in the dog crate and close the door from day 1 – and their puppy still ends up just fine with the crate.

Other puppies are ‘difficult’ puppies, which need very gradual and progressive moves towards being left alone, crated. And these puppies can be set back considerably if just shut in there from day 1.

It is always best to be cautious and progress through the steps in order. You can do no harm, this way, if you have an ‘easy’ puppy. But you will avoid creating problems, if you have a ‘difficult’ puppy. So, this cautious approach is the best way to crate train a puppy.