Crate Training a Puppy: How to Do It Without the Crying
Most puppies don't hate the crate. They hate being rushed into it before the trust is there. That distinction explains almost every crate training failure, and it's almost always the owner's timing rather than the dog's temperament.
The approach Luke Buchanan, Owner of The Toe Beans Co and Sydney's Puppy Trainer, teaches comes directly from Dan Abdelnoor's Dog Calming Code: the puppy needs to choose the crate, not be put into it. That's not a soft idea. It's a sequencing problem. A puppy that genuinely chooses the crate becomes a dog that settles in it willingly. A puppy that was forced into it learns to tolerate it, and tolerance has a much shorter shelf life.
This post covers the six-stage introduction method TBC uses, the mistakes that create the crying, and how to tell the difference between a puppy that's actually calm and one that's just gone quiet.
Why crate training matters more than most owners realise
A well-introduced crate becomes the puppy's first calm reference point, and that carries forward to car travel, vet visits, and every unfamiliar environment the dog enters for the next twelve to fifteen years.
Most new owners see the crate as a management tool. It is. But a puppy that has a genuine resting space, one they've chosen rather than been confined to, will use it voluntarily when the household gets loud, when they're over-stimulated, or when they simply need to switch off. That dog is far easier to manage long-term than one that sees any confinement as a threat.
There's also a straightforward training argument. A loose puppy overnight is practising the wrong things, not resting. Puppy biting, chewing, and toileting in the wrong spots all establish faster than most owners expect. The crate creates a clean slate, a space where the wrong habits simply can't form.
Before you start: what you need to get right
Crate size matters. Big enough for the puppy to stand, turn around, and lie fully stretched out, but not so large they can toilet at one end and sleep at the other. If you have a breed that will grow substantially, buy the adult-sized crate and use the divider while they're small. Most crates come with one.
Meal timing matters. Don't go into a crate session immediately after a large meal. A puppy that needs to go won't settle regardless of how well the introduction has gone.
And your patience matters most. Done correctly, this works in two to three weeks. Done with shortcuts, it can take months. The owners who contact me after weeks of persistent crying have almost always closed the door on day one.
How to crate train a puppy: the six-stage method
The central rule in the Dog Calming Code is this: you don't close the door until the puppy is already choosing to go in. Everything before that point is earning the right to close it. The puppy decides when the transition happens, not the owner.
Stage 1: Crate present, door open, no pressure
The crate goes into the room where the puppy spends most of its time. Leave the door off or propped open. Put a blanket inside, something with a familiar smell from the breeder if you have it. Then leave it entirely alone. Don't point at it, don't guide the puppy toward it, don't make it a subject of attention. Most puppies will investigate within a few hours. Some walk straight in on day one. If yours ignores it for a full day, that's fine. The goal at this stage: the crate is part of the environment, unremarkable, neutral.
Stage 2: High-value treats dropped in, no hand delivery
Once the puppy is moving comfortably near the crate, start dropping high-value treats, not kibble but something they genuinely want, just inside the entrance, then progressively further back across sessions. Don't hold the treat out or call the puppy toward it. Drop it and walk away. The puppy finds it independently. What you're building is a series of small voluntary choices to move closer and then enter. This stage can take one session or three days. Don't rush it.
Stage 3: Meals inside, door open
Move full meals inside the crate with the door left open throughout. If there's hesitation at the entrance, put the bowl at the lip of the door and move it progressively further inside across meals. Do this for every meal for two to three days before moving on. The association being built: the crate is where the best part of the day happens.
Stage 4: Door closed briefly, then opened
Once the puppy is eating comfortably inside without hesitation, gently close the door while they eat. Open it again before they finish. You're introducing the sensation of the door closing without it meaning anything significant yet. Do this across a few meals, then start leaving the door closed for 30 seconds after the meal ends. Open it calmly before any vocalising starts if you can manage it. No celebration either way when you open it.
Stage 5: Build duration in small increments
Thirty seconds, then two minutes, then five, then ten. Extend only when the current duration is producing no stress signals. If there's whining or pawing at the door, you've moved too fast. Go back one stage and rebuild. Start introducing crate time that isn't tied to meals: short sessions when the puppy has already exercised and is naturally tired. A chew or a filled Kong inside, you sitting nearby at first, then progressively further away.
The Complete Puppy Program on SKOOL covers the full crate duration progression across the first three modules, including what to do when a puppy stalls at a particular stage.
Stage 6: Night-time
Once the puppy is settling comfortably for 20 to 30 minutes during the day, overnight is realistic. Keep the crate close to your bed for the first few weeks, not in another room. The puppy needs to smell and hear you. Most puppies need one overnight toilet run until around 12 to 14 weeks. Set an alarm and get ahead of the need rather than waiting for crying. Night-time crying that won't settle is almost always a sign that Stage 2, 3, or 4 was rushed. Go back rather than powering through.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Closing the door on day one. The puppy wanders in to investigate and the door gets shut behind it. From the puppy's perspective, it made a choice to enter a new space and was immediately trapped. That association doesn't undo quickly. Go back to Stage 1 and treat it as a fresh introduction.
Using the crate as a consequence. Sending the puppy to the crate after a chewing or biting incident pairs it directly with the owner's frustration. Under the Relational Leadership framework, the crate needs to stay neutral to positive. If the crate starts to function as a warning signal, it will. Timeouts should use a pen or gated area separate from the crate.
Flooding. Putting the puppy in, shutting the door, and waiting for the crying to stop. The quiet that eventually comes is not calm. The Calming Code draws a hard distinction here: a dog that is quiet because it has given up is not the same as a dog that is settled. The first looks fine from the outside. The inside is a different story, and it tends to show up later as a dog with a poor relationship to confinement, or one that develops separation distress because it learned early that being alone means being abandoned.
Making the exit a reward. Opening the crate and greeting the puppy with high energy trains the dog that getting out is the event worth getting excited about. That makes being inside more aversive by comparison. Open the door, let them come out, stay calm. The crate is not the problem and the release is not the reward.
Inconsistency across the household. One person follows the method correctly. Another lets the puppy out when it cries because it seemed cruel just this once. In that household, the crying is now on an intermittent reinforcement schedule, which is the hardest schedule to extinguish. The most common thing I hear from owners who've been working on crate training for six weeks with no progress: someone in the house has been letting the puppy out when it vocalises.
How to know it's working
Dan Abdelnoor draws a distinction in the Calming Code between a dog that is calm and a dog that is quiet. Quiet means the vocalising has stopped. Calm means the arousal state has come down and the dog is genuinely resting. Crate training is working when you're getting calm.
Early signs, in the first few days: the puppy investigates the crate without being directed toward it. No stress signals around the entrance, no lip licking, no yawning in succession, no wide eyes or flattened ears.
Mid signs, in weeks one and two: the puppy walks in readily when a chew or Kong appears. Settles within two or three minutes of the door closing. Breathing slows. The body is soft, not braced.
Solid signs, in weeks three and four: the puppy self-selects the crate with the door open. Goes quiet within five minutes of overnight crating. When the door opens at the end of a session, they don't immediately bolt, they come out in their own time.
The practical test from the Calming Code: leave the crate door open for a full day and watch where your puppy chooses to rest. If they choose the crate, it's working. That's the dog telling you the space belongs to them.
If you're at week two with persistent resistance, check which stage was rushed. Reset to the last point the puppy was comfortable and rebuild from there. It's almost never a dog problem. It's almost always a sequencing one.
Want help putting this into practice?
The Toe Beans Co runs a free SKOOL community where Sydney dog owners get access to training guides, Q&As, and direct support from Luke. It's free to join.
Upcoming Puppy Schools in Sydney
If you're based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and want in-person guidance for your puppy, Luke runs regular puppy schools across Bondi, Paddington, Surry Hills, and surrounding areas. Crate training is covered in the first session alongside bite inhibition and settling.
Check upcoming dates and book your spot
Frequently asked questions
How long does crate training a puppy take?
Most puppies settle comfortably in the crate within two to three weeks when the introduction follows the correct sequence. Overnight usually comes together in week three or four, after daytime settling is solid. Rushing the sequence almost always adds time rather than saves it.
Should I ignore my puppy crying in the crate?
It depends on what's driving the crying. If the door was closed before the association was built, ignoring the crying won't fix the underlying problem. Go back a stage and rebuild the foundation first. If the sequencing was followed correctly and the puppy vocalises briefly when you step out of sight, waiting for the quiet before re-engaging is appropriate once you're confident the earlier stages were done right.
Where can I get help with crate training a puppy in Sydney?
The Toe Beans Co runs small-group puppy schools across Bondi, Paddington, and Surry Hills. Crate introduction is covered in the first session, including the step-by-step method and the overnight approach. You can also join the free SKOOL community for direct support between sessions. Check upcoming dates and book your spot.
