While kennel training at night can be difficult, it is one of the most effective ways to housebreak your puppy. Monitoring food and water intake, scheduling potty breaks, moving the crate to your bedroom, keeping a consistent practice, and ensuring you have the right crate can all help to ease the pain of nighttime crating.
Tips for Kennel Training a Puppy at Night
Get him used to the crate – Using normal crate training techniques, you’ll want to get your pup adjusted and comfortable to his new home. Be patient, as some puppies take minutes to get comfortable while others may take days.
Remove food and water – If you don’t want to wake up to an accident, you should remove any food or water bowls 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. This allows plenty of time for them to digest food and liquid so they can eliminate before going into the crate.
Schedule a pre-bedtime potty break – Before going to bed, you should take your puppy outside for a potty break. Be sure to give adequate time for them to urinate and defecate so that they don’t have the urge later in the night. You should wait at least 10 minutes. Similarly, your puppy will likely need to pee early in the morning, so be sure to get up early.
Keep the crate within view – Moving your crate to your bedroom so that your pup can see you will help to reduce whining. Dogs are social animals, meaning that they want to be near you. Puppies are especially vulnerable, so keeping them in another room will further distress them. Still, your puppy may whine the first night or two. Do not give in to the cries. That will only prolong the training.
Be consistent – Following a regular routine and time schedule will help your puppy learn faster and will increase the effectiveness of your training. Avoid any major changes or disruptions to the schedule until your puppy has become completely accustomed to the training.
Make sure you have the right crate – If your puppy is still eliminating in his or her crate, it may be too big. You can purchase a divider or try to block off a portion of the crate so that they only have enough room to stand up and turn around with a few inches of space.