Puppies need to start puppy crate training by being taken out of the cage every 20 – 30 minutes, and taken outside to do his business every 45 minutes to an hour and after every meal. You can gradually extend this time if your dog is coming along well. Same with older dogs. Start your adult dog on an every hour schedule (extending as appropriate), and also take him out after every meal.
Puppy Crate Training "Don'ts"
- Don’t leave your puppy in a crate longer than 30 minutes to an hour at a time, or your adult dog longer than 8 hours in an entire day (preferably broken up into smaller chunks of time).
- Don’t use the dog crate cage as a place of punishment, or yell at your dog for having an accident, because it won’t help and your dog may build up resentment towards his cage.
- Don’t make a big fuss about leaving the house or saying lots of goodbye’s. You want leaving the house to be as routine and as non-chalant as possible so as to not alert your dog that he's going to be alone.
- Don't have a collar on your dog when in a crate. It can be a strangle hazard.
Puppy Crate Training "Do's"
- Do put the dog crate cage in an area where you can keep an eye on your dog and where he will take comfort in being in the same room as you (if possible) while puppy crate training.