How To Kennel Train a New Puppy!

Q: "Is kennel training really necessary? Especially if we decide not to kennel at night?"

Even if you choose not to kennel your pup at night, and you plan to have it sleep in your bed or on the floor beside you, kennel training is a very important step and one you will eventually be glad you tackled! It's good training for boundaries and having a contented pup, plus, if you ever need to fly with your pup, have a road trip where there isn't another person to hold the pup, or even just want them down for a nap, it will need to be kennelled, and its best to train your pup through that before you have 5 hours on a plane with a wailing pooch.

Dogs are not meant to live their lives in a kennel, but it's comforting to know that when you need to use one, they will be okay with it, and eventually regard it as their den and a peaceful place to rest.

Puppies don't like to be confined.

Whether it's in a kennel, a pen, or even someone's arms when all they want to do is tear around the room, they will fight it. Some personalities more than others. A lot of the time, they aren't even crying because they lack anything, it's more because they're fighting boundaries and want you to know they think its unfair, lol ;)

We like to break kennel training into two segments, 1), day time kennelling, and 2), bedtime kennelling.

1). Daytime Kennelling:

When you bring your furry friend home, take them to their new bathroom place and make sure they get to go. Once they have emptied their bladder, show them their new place and let them play and get tired out. Then, take them to the bathroom once more before showing them their kennel. Putting a treat or a few pieces of kibble at the back of the kennel for the pup to go in and retrieve is a good way to get them to go inside on their own. (If they don't go in on their own, they don't know how they got there in the first place, so its always wise to let them go in themselves). Once inside, gently close the door behind them and drape a lightweight blanket over the front (you don't want it to cut off the breathability of the kennel).

Puppy will most likely begin crying or yipping, but don't talk to it. Set your timer for 15-30 minutes and let the puppy do what it does. If puppy is quiet, even for 30 seconds, immediately let them out and give them affection or a treat to reward their good behaviour.

If puppy doesn't stop crying from the moment it went in, let it out after 30 minutes, as the point of the exercise has concluded and they're not at an age where long periods of training are helpful or effective. You don't want training sessions to be a battle of wills.

Do this a few times during the day, in little increments. Always remember if they're silent--reward them! As they get better at being silent for longer periods of time, you don't need to let them out right after. See if they can be patient for a little longer.

Leave the door open during the day so they can wander in and out when they're curious.

This is a helpful start that prepares them for the next step -- bedtime kennelling!

2). Bedtime kennelling:

*For bedtime kennelling, the 10 minute method doesn't apply. Remember, bedtime is for SLEEPING, haha!*

Before they go inside the kennel, make sure they have emptied their bladder.

Putting on a fan, noise maker, podcast or other background noise can be helpful for bedtime kennelling, as it often soothes the puppy and makes it harder for them to fixate on floorboard creaks or any noise they think is coming to rescue them ;)

Don't be too concerned if pup cries for up to 30-45 minutes. They don't want to be kennelled, and they want you to know it. Obviously for bedtime kennelling, you don't want to let them out the moment they're quiet, because hopefully at 11 PM their silence will mean slumber, and that's the whole point! haha. If the crying has continued for upwards of an hour, let them out and have them try going to the bathroom again -- chances are they need to poop. Then return them to the kennel and let them settle in. Likely, they'll protest (aka, cry) for a little while, but they will eventually fall asleep.

If pup starts crying in the middle of the night, it's probably a bathroom need again, so let them out and take them to the bathroom and then return them to their kennel.

NOTE: It's wise to cut off the puppy's food and water by 7 PM so they aren't up pooping and peeing constantly throughout the night. Remember, unless the pup is having a serious digestive upset and has the runs, they don't need four bathroom breaks a night. By that point they're using their sneaky smarts against you ;) Two bathroom breaks are enough.

Q: How long does the crying/bathroom thing last?

A: Depending on the personality and how strong-willed the puppy is, you can expect anything from 10 minutes of crying and howling, to up to an hour. If you are consistent and staying true to your boundaries and training regime, you should easily be able to make it through nighttime wailing within a week if not two. And as for waking up in the night for bathroom runs, we have kennel trained many pups who slept through the night and held their bladders till morning. It is possible! Try a night without getting up for the bathroom, and see if they held their bladder. If not, keep with one bathroom trip per night for a few nights, then try no trips. Like I said, most pups should be able to hold their bladder for the night if they're not drinking and eating after 7pm, at least after a few days in.

It takes patience and can be hard work at times, but putting in the time and work and walking through these learning curves with your pet will be so worth it, and you will feel so proud of yourself and your furry friend as you progress in this training journey!

Happy kennelling!

-The RLD Team