How to Crate Train an Older Dog: 7 Easy Steps

It’s not unusual for a pet parent to be wondering, how to crate train an older dog. Perhaps, you’ve brought home a rescue who was never given crate training. Or you overlooked this aspect of housebreaking when your pooch was a puppy and are now realizing its importance. Or maybe, you’re dealing with crate training regression and wondering whether retraining dog to sleep in crate is even possible. 

Naturally, this challenge in your journey as a pet parent is bound to raise a lot of questions and doubts. What is the fastest way to crate train an older dog? Can an older dog learn to be crated? How do I crate train a dog that hates it? I’m here to help you figure out the answers. Whether you’re wondering how to crate train an older dog with separation anxiety, a rescue dog, or an adult dog that’s been with you since puppyhood, we’ve got this, you and I. 

Benefits of Crate Training

When you’re struggling to figure out how to crate train an adult dog, you may find yourself questioning the entire premise of this house-training approach. Do I really need to crate train my pet, you may wonder. Understanding the benefits of crate training an older dog may help firm up your resolve. Here are a few reasons why this exercise is well worth the effort:

• Ease of handling: If your dog is comfortable staying in a crate, it becomes easier to carry them around should the need for it arise. For instance, for visits to the vet if your pet is too sick to move on their own, for air travel, and in case of natural disasters or emergencies 
• Housetraining: Crate training becomes all the more crucial if you’ve brought home a rescue dog who was never housetrained. By getting your dog used to staying in the crate, you are providing them a safe space – a cozy corner to call their own, if you will – that they wouldn’t want to soil. This can be just the encouragement they need to avoid accidents and hold it until they’re outside 
• Keeping your dog calm: Figuring out how to crate train an adult dog becomes imperative to keep them calm in stressful situations. Your house may not always be a soothing environment for your pet. Events like parties, festivals, arrival of house guests can stress out your pet. In such situations, the crate can be a safe space that makes your dog feel a little less overwhelmed
• Dealing with health issues: The crate can also be a cozy corner for your pet to recuperate in case of an illness or injury 

A lot of pet parents view confining their dogs to crates somewhat negatively. Yes, it can seem cruel to “cage” your furry baby if that’s how you look at it. But if you keep an open mind toward the benefits of crate training, you cannot deny that adopting this approach can make it a lot easier to handle your pet in stressful situations, especially if they’re a large dog or a rescue with a difficult past whose reactions in unfamiliar situations you can’t predict. 

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Challenges in Crate Training an Older Dog

Now that we understand the benefits of crate training in older dogs, let’s talk about the challenges you can expect to encounter in your journey of introducing your pet to a crate and getting them to embrace it. When trying to figure out how to crate train an older dog, one common refrain that can dent your confidence is “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. However, this is not entirely true. 

Your dog is perfectly capable of learning new things at any age – and yes, that includes learning to stay comfortably in a crate. That being said, it is harder to teach an older dog something new because dogs are creatures of habit. It may take time, patience, consistency, and a gradual approach to getting your pet to unlearn the habits they’ve grown accustomed to and get used to the idea of spending time in a crate. 

So, yes, crate training an older dog will definitely be more challenging than training a puppy because puppies find everything exciting and fascinating. They are more open to exploring new things and take to them more easily since they haven’t become attached to habits and routines yet. 

However, it’s not essentially always this black and white. As with anything else, the challenges you face in figuring out how to crate train an adult dog also depend on your pet’s personality. For instance, if you have a calm, shy dog, they may take more easily to a crate than an exuberant puppy would. On the other hand, solving the mystery of how to crate train an older dog with separation anxiety can be a lot harder because your pooch feels unsafe and insecure when away from you (more on this later). 

How to Crate Train an Adult Dog — 7 Practical Tips

Dogs take to crates because it aligns with their den instincts. So, there is no reason to lose hope that your older dog will accept it as their safe haven in your home. The only pre-requisite is that you approach it the right way — like I said before — with patience and consistency. To help you navigate this process, here is how to crate train an older dog in 7 easy steps:

1. Prepare for crate training with the right crate and supplies 

One of the common mistakes to avoid when crate training an older dog is starting this process prematurely and without the necessary supplies. So, first and foremost, make sure you have everything you need to get your older dog to get past that threshold of hesitation and embrace their crate. Here is what you need to get ready for crate training your older/adult dog: 

• Choose the right crate for your dog, making sure is big enough for them to sit, stand, lie down, and move around in. It’s also important to make sure it is sturdy and made of a material that keeps your dog comfortable 
• Add a blanket or a bed to keep your dog comfortable 
• Invest in crate games or interactive toys such as Kongs or high-value rewards such as frozen treats to keep your pet constructively engaged, so that they begin to view it as their happy place over time 

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2. Introduce your dog to the crate 

Once you bring home a crate for your dog, choose an appropriate place for it. Make sure it’s a cozy little corner of the house, preferably one that your pet prefers snuggling up in. It helps to choose a low-traffic area so that your dog can get used to being in their crate without many distractions. 

Next comes a crucial step: deciding how to introduce your dog to the crate. It’s vital to get this right so that your pet makes a positive association with their crate. Here’s how you can approach this step: 

• Take your dog to the place where the crate has been placed and allow them to sniff around and explore without making any effort to actually get them inside the crate 
• Wait for your dog to venture into their crate on their own. When they do, praise them for it and reward them with a treat. But do not close the crate door at this juncture, even if your dog sits comfortably inside the crate at the very first instance 
• Start using treats, toys, and lovelies to gradually get your dog interested in spending more time inside  

3. Use positive reinforcement 

At this stage, your entire focus should be on getting your dog to feel comfortable entering the crate. And for that, positive reinforcement can work wonders. Use treats, toys, and chewy bones to lure your dog toward the crate. Even if your dog won’t go inside completely, see if you can get them to go halfway in using the lure of treats or toys. 

This gradual approach can be extremely beneficial with you’re dealing with a peculiar situation such as trying to crate train a dog that hates it, crate training regression, or retraining dog to sleep in crate. As your dog gets somewhat comfortable with the idea of stepping foot inside their crate, you can start serving them meals inside to help build a positive association.  

WORD OF CAUTION: If you want your adult dog to learn to stay inside their crate, it must be a happy, positive place for them. At no point should you yell or scream at your dog for not making progress with their crate training or experiencing crate training regression. Nor should you lock your dog inside the crate as a punishment. This approach is counter-productive and will achieve nothing more than leaving you struggling to crate train a dog that hates it. 

4. Start closing the crate door 

Once your dog gets comfortable with venturing into their crate on their own and you notice that they’ve begun enjoying staying there, playing with their toys, or nibbling on a treat, you can start closing the crate door and even latch it. However, here too, the key is to start small and build up gradually. Begin with closing the door for a couple of minutes at first, and then, increase the duration. 

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5. Build up the duration gradually 

Now that your dog is not only comfortable getting in their crate but also used to the idea that they’re locked in there for some time, you can start increasing the duration of the time they spend in the crate. Whether you’re retraining dog to sleep in crate or trying to figure out how to crate train an older dog at night, know that you’re a lot closer to your goal at this stage but you can’t take a leap toward it just yet. 

So, start with confining your dog to the crate for half an hour at first, and then open the latch, leaving it up to them whether to stay or come out. Then, increase this duration to an hour, then two. Once your dog not only happily walks into the crate but is content staying there unless let out, you can start training them to sleep in it too. Here again, the process is the same, start with about an hour each night, slowly building it up to the entire night. 

6. Introduce a verbal cue 

The question of how to crate train an older dog doesn’t sound all that daunting now, does it? First of all, when you get to this stage, pat yourself on the back and reward your dog because together you’ve achieved a difficult feat. Your endeavors are near fruition, and now it’s time to take things to the next level — getting your pet to go to their command. 

Add a verbal cue to get your dog to enter the crate on command. This cue can be any word of your choice but make sure you always use the same word to get your dog to go to their crate. And don’t forget to reward them with heaps of praise and a good treat every time they do as told. 

7. Start leaving your dog in the crate unattended

Now that your dog likes their crate, enjoys spending them in it, and even goes in on command, it’s time to start removing yourself from the equation. Start leaving your dog unattended in the crate for short durations, and then slowly build upon it.

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How to Crate Train an Older Dog with Separation Anxiety

Trying to crack the code of how to crate train an older dog with separation anxiety can seem a lot more challenging because not only is your dog older, ergo set in their ways but also suffers from separation anxiety, which means they will likely be more ill-at-ease at the prospect of being confined in a small space away from you. But these very factors are also reasons why your dog with separation anxiety could benefit from crate training. 

While the basic premise and approach to training remain the same, you need to handle the situation more sensitively. Here are a few tips to bear in mind when trying to figure out how to crate train an older dog with separation anxiety: 

• No matter what, do not punish your dog for not wanting to go in their crate 
• Exercise your dog to help them get rid of some of that nervous energy before you approach crate training 
• Invest in some highly interactive toys to keep them productively engaged and take their mind off the fact that they’re separated from you 
• Train them to get comfortable with their crate at different times of the day so that they don’t begin to associate this new skill with one particular time of the day 
• Do not make a big deal about leaving your dog in the crate. Dogs pick on human emotions, and if you’re stressed out and anxious, it’s only going to add to your dog’s anxiety 
• Try to ignore whining and cries for attention unless you feel that your dog may be in distress 
• Use gradual desensitization by figuring out how long after you leave separation anxiety set in your dog and then working toward prolonging that duration until it doesn’t exist at all. The idea is to slowly increase the time you spend away from them without them feeling anxious about it

The timeline for crate training can vary from dog to dog and isn’t always linear. Your dog may be making great progress and then start showing signs of crate training regression. Or you may find yourself stuck at any one of the seven steps longer than others. These ups and downs are part of the journey, don’t give up.