🐶 Confinement Training for Dogs: A Vet’s Positive Guide for 2025 🏠

By Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

Crates, pens, and cozy spaces—when introduced properly—can become your dog’s personal retreat, not a place of fear. 🛏️ In 2025, we know more than ever about how to make confinement comfortable, calming, and stress-free. Let’s explore how to do it right. 🐾

🚫 Not All Dogs "Love" Crates by Default

Gone are the days of assuming crates are instinctively den-like. Research into free-ranging dogs shows preferences vary from wide open fields to small cozy nooks. Confinement needs to feel safe—not scary. If crates are used as punishment, they’ll be associated with stress. 😢

✅ When Confinement Training Helps

• ✈️ Travel and transport (planes, cars, vet visits)
• 🩺 Post-surgery recovery
• 🏅 Dog sports and competitions
• 🏡 Managing overstimulation or anxiety at home

🧸 Choose the Right Space

Crates: Should be large enough for your dog to stand, stretch, turn around, and lie comfortably in a lateral position. Add crate-safe puzzle toys and water. Cover with a blanket if your dog prefers darkness. 🌙

Exercise pens (X-pens) or gated-off rooms: These give more freedom and allow a litter area, toys, and a separate sleeping zone. A crate can be placed inside so your pup can choose to enter on their own terms. 🎾🧩

😴 Nighttime Crate Tips

Dogs are social sleepers, especially puppies who miss their littermates. Sleeping alone in a crate too soon can cause distress. Here are better options:

• 🛏️ Place the crate beside your bed
• 🚪 Gate the bathroom next to your room
• 🐶 Allow the puppy in your bed (if safe to do so)

Be prepared for middle-of-the-night potty breaks. 🕰️💩

🧠 Build Positive Associations

Make the crate a happy place:

• 🧁 Use food puzzle toys throughout the day
• 🧚‍♀️ Try the “Crate Fairy” trick—drop high-value treats into the space when your puppy isn’t watching so they discover them later!

🪜 Confinement Training in Four Steps

🟢 Phase 1: Get Comfortable

1. Place treats near and inside the crate or pen.
2. When your pup walks in, mark with a click or “yes” and toss a treat inside.
3. Repeat: pup enters ➡️ mark ➡️ treat ➡️ toss another outside ➡️ pup exits and re-enters.

🟡 Phase 2: Close the Gate

1. When your pup enters confidently, gently close the gate.
2. Feed a few treats through the bars or mesh.
3. Open the gate, let them out calmly, and repeat.

🟠 Phase 3: Add a Cue

1. Say “crate” (or your chosen word) as your pup enters.
2. Close the gate, mark, and reward while they stay inside.
3. Slowly increase the time before rewarding.

🔴 Phase 4: Increase Duration & Distance

Use frozen Kongs, lick mats, or a remote treat dispenser to keep your pup content while you increase the time and distance. 📏⏳

🚨 What to Avoid

• ❌ Never use confinement as punishment.
• ❌ Don’t leave your dog crated for extended hours without breaks.
• ❌ Avoid forcing them inside—let them choose to enter.

📱 A Final Word from Dr Houston

Need help setting up a stress-free training space? Visit AskAVet.com or download the Ask A Vet app for expert guidance. Our team can recommend training tools and remote treat dispensers, help troubleshoot fear-based behaviors, and keep your pup progressing safely. 📲🐶

🐾 Conclusion: Make It a Safe Space, Not a Jail Cell

With patience, your dog will come to see their crate or pen as a peaceful retreat. Whether they’re recovering from surgery, sleeping through the night, or just getting some downtime, proper confinement can enhance your dog’s comfort and confidence for life. ❤️🛏️🐕