Should You Close A Puppy Crate At Night? Here’s The Answer

Proper training is very important for your dog. A lot of pet parents prefer a dog crate to train their puppy.

However, there are certain mistakes that you should avoid while training your dog with the help of a crate.

A crate is supposed to be your dog’s safe place. It should not be used to punish or lock away your dog. It should provide a sense of security and happiness.

Your dog should willingly enter the crate rather than being forced or pushed into. However, there are certain mistakes that you should avoid while training your dog with the help of a crate. Keeping your dog locked up in the crate is one of them.

Should you close a puppy crate at night?

How would you feel if you are locked in a room for a few hours without any chance of getting out, even to the washroom?

You will feel uneasy, right? Similarly, your dog might also feel uncomfortable inside a crate. You should never keep your dog locked inside the crate unnecessarily, especially a puppy.

A lot of parents argue that if they leave their puppy’s crate open at night, he gets out of the crate and moves around the house and hurts himself at times.

The only feasible option they think is to close their puppy’s crate at night. However, this is one of the worst mistakes you can do while training your puppy.

It is advisable to keep your puppy’s crate in your room at night so that both you and your puppy can see each other.

You will make sure that he is sleeping peacefully and he will feel safe knowing that you are there in the room.

So, instead of closing the puppy crate at night, it is better to keep your bedroom door locked so that even if your dog moves out of the crate, he will still be in the room and you can easily put him to bed again. You should not close your puppy’s crate at night.

Why should you not close the puppy crate at night?

Most of the pet owners prefer to make their dog sleep on the bed next to them. There also plenty of dog parents who would want their dog to sleep in his own bed at night or in his crate.

It depends on your dog too. Dogs who are comfortable with their crate through proper training and feel secure in it will happily sleep in the crate without any disturbance or crying.

Some dogs, on the other hand, may not be happy with the idea of sleeping in a crate at night, especially, if the crate is locked. Below are the following reasons why should you not close your puppy’s crate at night?

The feeling of being caged:

The crate is supposed to be your puppy’s home, his personal space where he can relax, play and spend time alone.

He should not fear going inside the crate or feel that he is being punished if asked to go inside the crate. Your puppy should have the freedom of moving in and out of the crate as and when he pleases.

If you keep the crate locked when your puppy is inside, he might feel caged and will not take that well. As a dog parent, it is important for us to ensure that our dogs feel safe and secure in their crates and not caged.

Your puppy spends the longest hours in the crate while sleeping at night. So, if you close the crate at night, your puppy might feel caged and would not want to sleep in the crate. All your puppy training will be of no use if your puppy does not adjust well with the crate.

The feeling of punishment:

A lot of dog parents ask their dog to stay in the crate as a form of punishment rather than training.

They lock their dog’s crate whenever he misbehaves. It is not the right thing to do. Dogs think that they are being isolated and punished for their behavior when locked in a crate.

If you close your puppy’s crate at night, he might feel the same. He will not be able to see you and will think that he has been left alone and is being punished for something.

If this happens frequently, your puppy will refuse to sleep in the crate and you will have to train him again or buy a new bed for your puppy.

Peeing problems:

Puppies can not hold their urine for a long time and frequently urinate. Training them for peeing and pooping outdoors is extremely important.

It is good to train them in the very initial days when you bring your dog home. If you close your puppy’s crate at night, there are high chances that your dog will develop peeing problems and may frequently wet the bed.

At night, if the crate is closed and your dog wants to pee, he will pee in the crate itself. This will develop into a habit over time and your dog might wet his bed at night while sleeping. You will have to clean the crate regularly.

Crying and Whining:

Keeping your puppy’s crate closed at night may also lead to him crying and whining. Puppies tend to get scared easily.

If you keep the crate closed at might, the puppy will cry due to the fear of being left alone. He will feel locked inside the crate and will cry so that you let him out of the crate.

Adult dogs might adjust well to the crate but puppies usually don’t. You will have properly train your puppy to use the crate before you close the crate at night-

Behavior problems:

If you close your puppy’s crate at night, it might cause behavioral problems in your puppy. They might resist going in the crate even when you might ask him to.

Your puppy might also become disobedient. Also, studies suggest that puppies who are locked in crates for long hours develop anger issues and might become aggressive.

In some cases, dogs may become extremely shy and fear to step out of the house.

Conclusion

Dog parents must be extremely cautious at the time of training their pets. Your puppy’s crate should provide him with a sense of security rather than instilling fear in him.

You should not keep your puppy’s crate closed at night. It will make your pet feel caged and might feel that he is being punished. Also, your pet might develop peeing problems or some behavioral problems.