How to crate train a Labrador retriever puppy: Unveiling 6 steps to start
Welcome to the ultimate guide on how to crate train a Labrador retriever puppy. If you’ve recently welcomed a Lab pup or are considering doing so, this article is your go-to resource for ensuring a happy and well-behaved furry friend. Crate training is a crucial step in their development, and we’re here to guide you through the process.
Labrador puppy crate training is introducing a Labrador pup to a crate until he admits it as his own space. Crate training is stimulated by the common faith that dogs are initially den-dwellers, and training them to accept a crate as their comfortable and safe space is good for them.
Table of Contents
Why should you crate train your Labrador?
Although some think placing a dog in a crate is hard, specialists disagree. Most veterinarians, dog trainers, and breeders suggest crate training dogs from an early age. Here are some reasons why:
1. Reducing stress and improving mental health
Crate training can be significant for your Lab puppy’s mental health. Canines are den animals and frequently feel most safe once they are in a tight, limited area. A crate can signify this den-like experience for your dog and give them a comfy place. Dogs that are crate-trained appropriately do not fear the crate; indeed, they love it and frequently seek it out for sleep.
2. Easy as well as safe transport
Crates are the safest approach to transport dogs. A dog present in a crate is unable to move around within your car, get in your way during driving or generate distractions. Furthermore, you can purchase crates that are 5-star crash verified, possibly delivering your dog higher protection if you are included in an accident. If a pooch is happy in his/her crate, then travel is much less worrying for everybody involved.
3. Crates aid with housebreaking.
Crate training can make housebreaking faster and easier. Crates let you, as proprietor, some off-time once you do not have to continually watch your pup for potty accidents. Furthermore, crates help inspire your puppy to grasp it and wait a bit longer before doing potty, as most puppies dislike messing with their bed.
Are Labrador retrievers Easy To Crate Train?
Labrador retrievers are easy to crate train as they are eager-to-please and highly adjustable dogs. Moreover, Labs love their food and will gladly fulfill with crate training once you use treats as a reward in crate training.
Yet, crate training requires effort and tolerance for any dog. Your Lab might require days or weeks to learn and become used to being in a crate. If you need to make crate training your Lab puppy even easier, go for training at an early age, as soon as you carry home your Lab puppy at eight weeks.
What are the benefits of crate training?
Crating your beautiful Labrador puppy can appear and feel cruel. However, dogs love their comfy, dark place where they can retreat once they have to rest, pause from overwhelming family activities like gatherings, or get safety from kids’ hyperactivity.
There are also other social and safety-related advantages of crate training your Lab puppy. Here are some benefits of crate training your Lab puppy:
1. Crate Training Lets a Dog to Be Dog
Dogs are progenies of the wolf, and once wolf puppies are born, their primary home is a den. They spend a lot of time around, or in the den, till they are two months; after that, they can leave the cave.
Like their ancestors, dog puppies have inbred the behavioral ability to live in a den. They require a place where they can get safety and relaxation. As such, a dog crate is a synthetic den for dogs, and a Lab growing in a home requires his dog space.
2. Crate Training Helps Housebreaking
Dogs dislike soiling their space by nature and do not relieve themselves in their crate unless by chance. Crate training your Lab puppy aids your pooch in learning to grasp it until the subsequent potty break. This should be at most 1 to 2 hours for young Labradors.
3. Crate Training Checks Negative Behavior
If you have carried home your Labrador puppy, you might be astonished at how good your pup can be at chewing stuff or sofa pillows when you are out of home. Crate training will retain your Lab puppy away from furniture as well as cushions when he is learning the house guidelines or when you are out for a moment.
Also, crate training your Lab puppy is also a method of keeping him safe from damage, accidental poisoning or dodging when you are not in the house to control him.
4. Crate Training Aids with Separation Anxiety
A Labrador that makes a positive connection with a cage deliberates it safe and a place of coziness. This can aid your Labrador puppy to stay peaceful when you are not in your home and avoid separation anxiety.
In other words, your nonexistence is switched by a comfy little space providing protection and peace.
5. Crate Training Makes Your Labrador Safer for Kids
It is always suggested that you teach kids to stay away from the pet dog once he is in the cage seeking some sleep or rest. This is beneficial for the dog and keeps your kids safe from likely dog aggression once your furry friend is exhausted or stressed out and requires some alone time.
6. Crate Training Your Lab Puppy Makes Travelling and Vet Appointments Easier
Crate training your Lab puppy is a technique of making crating your pooch easier while traveling. This guarantees the safety of your pooch in the car. It is also necessary while traveling by air, where the crate must follow the IATA rules for pet travel.
Crate training your Lab puppy also prepares your puppy to be in a cage once in a hotel or an accommodating home. Also, if your dog needs to go to the veterinarian or spend time there to settle, being in a crate decreases your pup’s movement and eases healing. Also, a pooch with a positive crate experience can be less nervous about spending time in an unaware situation at the vets.
7. Crate Training Can Save Your Labrador
Crate training could be dissimilar between losing your pooch and saving his life in a natural emergency such as a cyclone. If a cyclone warning is issued, a pooch that’s okay with crating and goes into a cage quickly can be saved from tragedy.
Usually, Labradors trained to link the crate with positive experiences will gladly go into a crate when requested and move to protection on time. However, to aid your Labrador enjoy being in a cage, your Lab’s cage should be the correct size.
How to Crate Train a Labrador Retriever Puppy (Step-by-Step Guide)
1. Introduce Your Lab Puppy to the Crate
If you just took home your Labrador puppy, he’ll have to familiarize himself with the crate’s new atmosphere.
Follow these simple steps to introduce your puppy to his crate:
- Put your Labrador puppy’s crate in a place of the house where you spend time. Some individuals might go for the kitchen; however, the family room is desirable.
- Prepare the cage for your puppy. Putting a soft bed, blanket, and crate pad inside. You can also curtain a dark-coloured blanket, making the crate more den-like.
- Leave the cage door open; thus, your Lab puppy can discover the crate naturally. Guarantee the door is protected; there’s no danger it could flip and hit your dog.
- If your dog does not show attention in the crate, carry him over and inspire him to go in with an active tone of voice. Otherwise, keep some dog treats near the door; your puppy tries to get them.
- Place more treats inside the cage and inspire your puppy. Do not force your dog to go into the cage.
- Keep throwing treats or alluring toys into the crate. Soon, your Labrador puppy will naturally walk into the cage to get his loot.
- Introducing your puppy to the crate might take minutes or even days. When he knows the crate, continue to the next crate training Lab puppy step.
2. Link the Crate to the Feeding
To help your Lab puppy link the crate with good practices, feed your puppy his meals close to or inside the crate. If your Labrador puppy has already eased in and out of the cage, you can place a collaborating puzzle toy with food inside the cage to lure your pup.
Act according to your dog’s behavior. If he freely goes into the cage, you’ll need to push the food or dog toy to the end. If he’s still unwilling, put the food or dog toy as far inside as your dog goes without becoming anxious and enhance the distance progressively.
When your puppy peacefully consumes his meals in the crate, could you close the door when he eats? Then, open the door as soon as your pup is done consuming for the first time, and slowly increase the quantity of time you leave the door shut until your pooch can happily stay in the closed cage a bit after eating.
Look for whining because this could indicate you’ve prolonged the time you close the crate door too soon and have to decrease it.
3. Enhance Your Labrador Puppy’s Crating Time
Once your Lab puppy is relaxed spending some minutes in the cage after meals, steadily increase the time he spends in the cage when you are home, even out of the meal, by considering these steps:
- Call your puppy to you when you are next to the cage.
- Give the puppy a treat and utilize a word and signal cue (“CRATE!” once pointing inside the cage) to inspire the pup to go inside. Ensure you always use the same word and gesture signals and say the word only once.
- Admire your puppy if he goes into the cage and reward him with a delicious treat.
- Close the cage door and hang around silently for 5 to 10 minutes. If your puppy is comfy, go to another room for some minutes; thus, your dog does not realize you for a moment. Then, return and spend some more quiet minutes near the crate. Then, allow the pup to go out.
- Repeat this procedure a few times during the day, enhancing the number of minutes your pooch stays in the crate until your puppy can spend 30 minutes inside with a shut door and without moaning. This may take some days or weeks.
- When your Lab puppy can peacefully stay for a longer time in the crate without moaning, you can start leaving him crated once you go out of the home for a short time.
4. Crate Your Lab Puppy Once You Leave the House
Once your Lab puppy starts to stay in the cage overnight or for half-hour sessions throughout the day when you are away, it is time to cage your dog once you leave the house for a longer time. Note that your dog must already be over ten weeks before you start to do this.
You’ll have to start a routine for crating your dog before leaving:
- Call your pup to the crate utilizing the normal command and treat. You should leave a collaborating toy with some delicious treats or food. Guarantee the toy is safe and cannot be swallowed.
- Reward your puppy for going into the cage and leaving silently without making the retreat emotional because your puppy could also select this routine. Five to ten minutes is an appropriate interval between crating your dog and leaving home.
- Have the arrivals comfy and low-key once you return to avoid creating nervousness in your dog over your arrival time. If your dog becomes happy on your return, don’t reward this deed by talking to your pooch in a happy tone. Give some minutes before freeing your pup.
- Carry on crating your puppy for 30 minutes once you are home. This avoids crating not being completely linked with your exit and absence from home.
5. Crate Your Lab Puppy at Night
You might need to decide if you should allow your puppy to snooze with you on your bed. Even though it might be very alluring, you must wait until he’s potty trained and six months old.
You’ll have to monitor the same crating routine during the night that you do in the day. This includes calling your pooch to the crate and providing a treat once he goes inside. Then, close the cage and wait some minutes before leaving.
If your Labrador is just a pup, place the cage in your bedroom or a nearby hallway at the start. Puppies will require bathroom breaks at night, and you need to hear them once they moan about being let out to let go themselves.
When your Lab puppy can snooze through the night without requiring a bathroom break, generally around four months of age, you can progressively move the crate to its typical location in the family room.
Note, still, that crating your Lab close to you at night, even in his mature age, can strengthen the connection between you and your dog.
What Size Crate Is Good for a Labrador Puppy?
The best cage size for a Labrador puppy is 42” (107 cm). This size is excessively large for your 8-week-old puppy. Therefore, purchasing a crate that your dog can use as a grown-up Lab with a separator to decrease the size and enhance it when your puppy grows.
If a 42” (107-cm) cage is left entirely to the puppy, your dog can gladly make a bathroom at the junction of the cage as long as he has sufficient clean space to lie and play. In contrast, purchasing a smaller crate for your puppy is a needless extra cost because you’ll have to substitute it once your Lab enlarges the cage. A dog’s crate must give your puppy sufficient space to stand, play, sit straight, and lie down without any impairment.
If you need the right size cage for your Lab puppy, you are now prepared to carry your puppy home and begin crate training.
Types of crates for crate training your Lab puppy
Technically, any cage will work for crate training your Lab puppy. However, we have discovered that some cages work well over the years.
Plastic crates are the best choice. You can find them easily at a pet store, supermarket, or even purchased online. Some cheap choices offer the safety as well as privacy of a den-like familiarity for the dogs. Furthermore, they have a solid bottom; thus, should your dog become sick, or if you are in the housebreaking procedure, cleanup is somewhat easy.
Wire crates, the type that you can get right through, do not look to work and plastic crates. Wire crates are wide-ranging open; they do not give dogs the chance to escape and relax. The wire provides little safety and privacy; numerous dogs do not love them as dens.
How Long Can You Leave your Labrador Puppy in a Crate?
It depends on your puppy’s age and whether it is daytime or night. Pups younger than ten weeks should not be caged for above 1 hour throughout the day and three hours at night. Pups older than 20 weeks can be caged for four hours throughout the day and eight hours during night.
Here’s how long you can leave your Lab puppy in a cage according to your puppy’s age:
| Labrador Puppy’s Age | Suggested Crate Time (Daytime) | Suggested Crate Time (Nighttime) |
| 8 to 10 weeks | 30min to 1 hour (not more than three times a day) | 3 hours, a potty pause, and then back to bed. |
| 11 to 12 weeks | Maximum two hours (not more than two times a day) | Five hours, a potty break, and then back to bed. |
| 13 to 16 weeks | Maximum three hours (not more than one time a day) | 6 hours, a potty break, and then back to bed. |
| 17 to 20+ weeks | Maximum four hours (not more than one time a day) | 8 hours, a potty break, primary thing in the morning. |
Even though you might find advice to restrain dogs for up to 6 to 8 hours in a cage throughout the day, dog experts dampen leaving your pooch caged for lengthy periods because this could cause social, expressive, and physical health difficulties.
Obviously, this rule rejects night times, and the infrequent one-off times once leaving your Lab caged for a longer time is obvious. However, that should not turn into a routine.
If you have to confine your Lab long-term, ponder a confinement place like the kitchen rather than the cage. To be on the secure side, always talk to your Lab’s vet for definite rules about crating your Lab puppy.
Crate Training Schedule for Labrador Puppy
In spite of everything we’ve said so far, it’s significant to know that creating a crate training schedule is vital, as it helps your puppy choose a routine and produce a positive feeling and approach towards crating.
This is particularly true of pups that don’t familiarize themselves with the cage instantly and need days or weeks of crate training.
A possible crate training schedule for Lab puppy could look like the one given below.
| TIME | PUPPY CRATE TRAINING ACTIVITY |
| 6:00 am | Waking up: Have your Lab pup for his initial potty break. Puppies have to empty their bladder when they awake. |
| 7:00 am | First Meal of the Day: Give your puppy his first meal and a bowl of fresh water near to the crate. |
| 7:30 am | Walk and Potty Break: You pup needs to relieve himself half an hour or after eating the meal. Take your puppy for a walk; thus, he can spend energy and go to the lavatory. |
| 8:00 am | Morning Crate Play as well as Training: Ask your puppy to the cage after a short walk. You can play with your pooch when you do crate training. Let your puppy to take rest in the crate if he’s happy with it; however, leave the door open. But, if your pup falls asleep, then close the cage and watch him carefully till he awakes. |
| 10:00 am | Bonding Time: Take your pup for his next toilet break and spend some time indoors upon arrival. Do some crate training throughout playtime utilizing toys and some delicious treats in the crate. Include other members of the family, then let your pup to rest in the crate for a while. |
| 12:00 pm | Midday Meal: Offer your puppy his meal in or near the cage, based on crate training improvement. Take a walk half an hour after feeding; thus, your pup can take his following potty break. |
| 2:00 pm | Afternoon Crate Training Period: Take your Lab pup out for one more bathroom break. Upon arrival, offer your pup a significant amount of playtime and ask him to the cage when tired. Reward him if he eagerly goes into the crate and provide your dog with some nap time. |
| 5:00 pm | Bonding and Evening Meal: Offer your Labrador puppy his evening meal and give a fresh bowl of water. You can utilize this time to train your puppy to sit peacefully and wait for his dinner and teach him to eat in the cage if he hasn’t learned this yet. Carry the pup for a walk as well as potty break after 30 minutes and spend some play and bonding time upon arrival. Be assured to include other family members if there are any. |
| 7:00 pm | Evening Crate Training: Bring your Lab pup for an evening walk. You can run and play some outside games, such as fetch utilizing his desired toys. This dynamic exercise will aid your pup settle in the cage for the evening as well as night. Upon arrival to the house, call your puppy to the cage and spend some time with him until he becomes peaceful. If your pup still requires to get used to the crate, utilize treats and word hints to lure him. When in the cage, your puppy should fall asleep if you trained him enough. |
| 9:00 pm | Potty Break and Bedtime: Take your puppy for the final potty break of the day, and invite him to the cage for bedtime. Based upon what you’ve attained so far with preceding crate training sessions, you might need a bit of training as well as luring. When your pup is peacefully settled in the crate, close its door, hang around for some minutes, then leave silently. If your puppy begins to whine, do not allow him out. As an alternative, use a signal word like “Stop!” or “No!” Be assured to always utilize the same signal word. |
| 10:00 pm – 6:00 am | Nighttime Potty Breaks: Give potty breaks throughout the night as required. Think of your young Labrador cannot hold it the whole night and will require potty breaks every 2 to 3 hours. |
Remember that the schedule can differ based upon your own wake time as well as day schedule and your Lab pup’s age. All dogs are different, and you need to see what works better for your puppy.
How long does it typically take to crate train a Labrador retriever puppy?
The duration it takes to crate train a Labrador retriever puppy can vary greatly depending on the individual puppy and as well as consistency of the training. Some puppies may become comfortable with the crate within a few days, while others may take several weeks or even a few months.
A general guideline suggests that with consistent and well-planned training, most puppies are happy spending time in the crate within 1-3 weeks.
However, it’s important to note that this is just an average, and some puppies may take longer. Factors that can influence the duration of crate training include the puppy’s age when training begins, the puppy’s previous experiences, and the consistency and methods of training. For instance, starting crate training as soon as the puppy is brought home, typically around 7-8 weeks old, can make the process easier.
Remember, the purpose of crate training is to ensure that the puppy views the crate as a safe, comfortable space. Therefore, it’s crucial to be patient and not rush the process. Whether it takes 6 days or 6 weeks, the important thing is to work through each step at a pace that suits both you and your puppy.
Tips for Crate Training
If you’ve followed this article, you have all the information you require to make crate training your Lab puppy a victory. But these training tips can make crate training extra pleasant and effective for you and your Lab:
- Your pooch’s crate should be set in a relaxed area where he does not feel inaccessible.
- Make your dog’s crate tempting with treats, dog toys, and a relaxed bed or crate pad.
- Crating sessions must be short at the start and be lengthy progressively. Note that 30 minutes when your 8-week-old Lab pup is used to the cage some times during the day is good enough. No pup or mature dog should spend whole days in a crate because this undesirably affects their demonstrative, mental, and muscle development.
- Do not force your puppy into the cage at any time. As a substitute, take a go slowly and utilize a positive reward method until your puppy can readily enter the cage.
- Never utilize crating as a punishment. Your puppy should always link the crate with lovely and peaceful experiences.
- Do not reward your pup if he is moaning or scratching on the cage to cool him down because this will strengthen the behavior. Overlook the pup until he can settle down and closely reward calm deeds to reinforce it. If moaning is persistent, consider familiar word signals to direct the pup to stop.
- A cage should never be utilized for nervousness management. If your puppy is showing nervousness symptoms, crating might worsen the condition, and your pup can even hurt himself attempting to get out. Solve the anxiety problem with a veterinarian and dog behaviorist first.
- Always make sure your Labrador puppy has gone to the washroom before placing him in his crate. If your puppy is having regular accidents, you are perhaps caging him for extended hours so that he can grasp it. You could also utilise the wrong bathroom break intervals in your crate training schedule.
FAQs
Are Labs easy to crate train?
Remember that not all Labradors respond to a cage in the same way. Some can walk right in and keep themselves at home, although it requires some extra work to relax. The main thing is to take your time and to provide your pooch a lot of time to become comfy with his new “den”.
Should I crate train my Lab puppy?
Several people ask, “Do I have to crate train my Lab puppy?” I advise yes! Crate training is the best way to help settle in anxious pups. It gives them a silent place, a relaxed and safe area to sleep at night.
Final thoughts on how to crate train a Labrador puppy
Congratulations, you’re well on becoming a crate training pro for your Labrador retriever puppy. Remember, patience and consistency are key, and soon you’ll have a well-behaved and happy furry companion.
This comprehensive guide covers all the essential aspects of crate training. We’ve demystified the process, helping you create a positive and stress-free experience for you and your Lab pup.
Following these expert insights sets a solid foundation for a harmonious life with your Labrador retriever. Happy training!
