What better way to crate train a Goldendoodle puppy
than by playing a game? Not only will it make training easier, but it can be delightfully useful in teaching
a puppy how to go to their crate and stay there without making a fuss.
This guide is designed to help you teach your puppy to appreciate their own safe and personal space — their
crate! Most pups aren't crazy about the idea of being confined at first, but with patience and commitment,
you can turn your puppy's crate into its very own clubhouse!
Preparing for Puppy Crate Training
Before getting started, let's go over some basics that will make learning how to crate train a Goldendoodle
easier on both you and your pup!
Crate Size:
No puppy wants to be stuck in a tiny crate where they can barely move around. You can save yourself the trouble of having to buy a bigger crate as your dog ages by simply buying a crate for their adult size when they're a pup. If you want to limit the amount of space in the crate at any time, you can make a partition using a cardboard box and adjusting the crate interior size as the puppy grows. But keep in mind that if the crate size is too big, it may lead to more potty accidents inside. The ideal puppy crate size should give them plenty of room to stand, turn, and stretch out.
Puppy Crate Training Do's:
Just like training puppy tricks, crate training sessions should be short, fun and gentle on your
puppy's limited attention span
Let your puppy learn one game at a time over the course of several days
Train your puppy when you're in a good mood and able to show enthusiasm. Puppies love good vibes
Leaving treats and feeding your puppy meals inside the crate is an important part of puppy crate
training
Take your puppy to the bathroom outdoors before putting them in the crate
Leave the door open when first giving your puppy meals inside the crate
Put the crate somewhere the puppy won't feel alone, such as in the living room or kitchen
Puppy Crate Training Do Not's:
Don't put your puppy in their crate as a punishment
Don't push or force your puppy into the crate. Your puppy should always be willing to go in on their
own or with the help of a treat or toy
For your puppy's protection and to prevent choking, don't leave any toys or objects that can break
or be chewed to pieces inside of the crate
Don't let anybody tease your puppy when he/she is inside of the crate (e.g., kids, visitors, etc.)
How to Crate Train a Goldendoodle With Games
Game 1: We Love the Crate!
The reason you should never use the crate as a form of punishment is because your puppy needs to grow
fond of their crate and feel safe and comfortable inside. To teach your puppy the wonderful qualities of
their crate, start by leaving a few treats and toys inside the crate when they're not around. When your
puppy's in the room, let them sniff around on their own until they discover some goodies waiting for
them inside the crate.
When your puppy goes inside the crate to eat their treats, give them praise and leave the door open for
the first few sessions. After several successful explorations inside the crate, you can start gently
closing the door while they're eating or playing and then opening it again to let them out.
While inside the crate, try to toss some treats to your puppy towards the back so they venture all the
way inside. If your puppy seems reluctant to go all the way inside, avoid closing the door until they
feel comfortable with exploring all four corners of their crate.
Game 2: Go to the Crate!
Sooner or later, learning how to crate train a Goldendoodle will involve commands! After your puppy
starts getting comfortable with their crate and associates treats with crate time, you can begin
sneaking in a command word along with some hand signals to teach your puppy to go inside. Make sure your
puppy is watching your hand as you're throwing a treat inside, and turn it into a handle signal (such as
a finger pointing in the direction) as you release the treat. The idea is to make your puppy associate
this hand signal with going into the crate (which it will do to get the treat that comes out of your
hand!).
Now, right before you toss a treat, use a command word such as "crate" (or any word you want your puppy
to understand as crate time) to teach your puppy that they're about to go inside the crate when they
hear that word. Continue giving your puppy treats while saying the command word and showing them the
hand signal for crate. Over time, they will learn to associate this signal and command with going inside
of the crate. Just don't expect your puppy to respond to your hand or verbal commands immediately —
they're just a baby after all!
Game 3: Let's Stay in the Crate
In this game, you'll focus on praising your puppy when they are sitting inside of the crate and waiting
for a treat. After learning games 1 and 2, wait for your puppy to be sitting patiently inside of the
crate and waiting for a treat. When you see your puppy sitting in the crate on their own, give them
praise and call them out of the crate using a release word of your choosing (such as "okay!" or "come
out!").
Make sure to say the release word with enthusiasm and lots of praise. This will teach your puppy to wait
inside of the crate until you give them permission to come out. Because the goal is to teach your puppy
to stay inside the crate on their own, make sure to leave the door open while playing this game.
Game 4: Back and Forth
Your efforts in learning how to crate train a Goldendoodle are paying off! When your puppy gets good at
playing game 3 and begins responding to the release word, call them out and toss another treat inside of
the crate so they can re-enter. Then, call them out and do it again. Try doing this for a few minutes so
that your puppy gets comfortable with going back in their crate and responding to the release word. If
they get bored of playing, just wait until later and play again.
Game 5: Closing the Door
Once your puppy shows no hesitation when going to their crate and staying inside, you can begin closing
the door for a brief moment and slowly increasing closed-door time as your puppy gets used to it.
Don't close the door for longer than a few seconds at first to keep your puppy from feeling trapped.
Once your puppy is okay with the idea, you can start closing the door and saying the release word at the
same time you open the door to let them out (see game 3). When you see your puppy sitting patiently
inside with the door closed, give them some gentle praise but don't get too excited (you don't want your
puppy thinking it's time to leave the crate already by making them too excited!) and hand them a treat
through the door to let them know you're happy.
Sometimes a puppy may not like it when the door is closed and whine when you close it. For this reason,
it's important to take this step slowly and not keep the door closed for longer than a few seconds when
you first begin to play. This will make it easier to reinforce good behavior later when your puppy has
to learn that whining won't get them out of the crate. You should never reinforce bad behavior by
letting your puppy out the moment it starts to whine. If your puppy starts whining when the door is
closed, ignore your puppy until it stops and then give it praise, a treat, and let it out as soon as it
calms down.
Over time, you can begin closing the door and stepping away from the crate while your puppy is inside.
If you see your puppy taking it well, say the release word, open the door and call your puppy out —
followed by treats and lots of hugs!
How to Crate Train a Goldendoodle With Even More Games
Great job, you've just learned 5 fun games to play with your pup to teach them about the wonderful
benefits of being in their crate (and how much you appreciate their cooperation!). By now, you should:
Be able to get your puppy into the crate without much work
Have a command word and hand signal for sending your pup to the crate
Have a release word for letting them out of the crate
And your puppy should:
Be able to enter the crate without hesitation
Be okay with being inside of the crate
Come out of the crate with the release word
Be okay if the crate door is closed for short periods of time
Now we're going to build on the first 5 games with some additional games that teach your Goldendoodle
puppy to better understand your commands along with some puppy crate manners. As your dog grows, you'll
want them to be accustomed to spending plenty of time in their crate (like when you're sleeping or away)
and be able to go to their crate and come out on command. With your patience and persistence, your pup
will learn that the crate is its very own comfort zone and they're always safe and comfortable while
inside. Over time, you should see your puppy hanging out or sleeping in the crate all on their own!
Game 6: Go to the Crate on Command
Now that your puppy knows how to follow its nose into the crate for a treat and has made themselves at
home there, let's try putting that command word and hand signal to the test. With your puppy near the
crate, say the crate command (such as "crate") but don't toss any treats, yet. If your puppy goes in the
crate, act very happy and drop treats inside the crate while giving them pets.
If your puppy doesn't respond to the crate command, go back to Game 2. Once your puppy starts responding
to the crate command and going inside without a treat, make sure to practice this game over and over
until it really sticks. You're really learning how to crate train a Goldendoodle now!
It's time to try the same thing with the crate hand signal (such as pointing in the direction of the
crate), but this time without treats. When your puppy follows your hand motion towards the crate, drop
lots of treats inside and give them lots of praise. Just like with the verbal command, capitalize on any
progress and make sure to play this game over and over when they get it.
Game 7: It's Chow Time!
This will be one of your puppy's favorite crate games and it can be played anytime during crate training
— just put their meal inside the crate! Depending on which stage of crate training you've reached, you
can leave the door open at first but gradually begin to close the door while your puppy is munching away
inside the crate. When you close the door, be sure to stand nearby as they're eating so you can open the
door before they're done eating. This will let your puppy know that mealtime is just mealtime — and NOT
a trick to get them inside the crate!
Game 8: Bolting Bad!
If you've ever come home to an excited dog, you know just how easy it is to get tripped up and lost in
that furry blur of happiness. Now take all of that pent-up excitement, put it in a crate and let it all
out at once — and you've got a bolting puppy!
An important part of crate training a dog is teaching them not to bolt out when that door opens — not
only for their own safety, but for everyone else's too! Crate-bolting puppies can make your heart skip a
beat when traveling, getting out of the car, going to the vet, or having small children in the house and
around the puppy crate. With a little bit of work, you can teach your puppy to exit their crate without
running everybody over in the process.
Now that your puppy has gotten used to the crate door being closed, you can teach them the correct way
to exit when it opens. Start by getting your puppy inside the crate with the door closed. Open the door,
and if your puppy tries to get out right away, close it again. Wait for your puppy to settle down and
then try to open it again, and close it again when the puppy automatically tries to leave.
Repeat this exercise until your puppy remains still when you've opened the door. When they do, reach in
and give them a treat and some happy praise. Now, leave the door open, and if your puppy tries to leave,
close it again. Every time your puppy stays still after you've opened the door, reward them. After a few
successful repetitions, say the release word (see Game 3) to call your puppy out of the crate as they
are patiently waiting with the door open. When that works, keep playing until your puppy understands you
will close the door if it tries to exit without the release word. As you are learning how to crate train
a Goldendoodle puppy, you'll soon know exactly what to expect from your pup — and will be thrilled when
it's working!
As with all other puppy crate training games, play this game in short sessions (about 10 minutes at a
time) on a regular basis to keep your puppy engaged and their memory focused.
How to Crate Train a Goldendoodle: Now You're Getting the Hang of It!
Game 9: Rest and Relaxation
The purpose of this game is to show your puppy that relaxing and sleeping in the crate is a "good"
thing. If you've already taught your puppy how to lie down, it can really come in handy when teaching
your puppy how to relax in their crate. Start by getting your puppy in the crate and tell them to lie
down (or wait for them to lie down if you haven't taught the command yet).
When your puppy is lying down, give them some calm praise and a treat. It's important not to make your
puppy too excited or stand up. You want your puppy to make a connection between being relaxed and being
rewarded, so praise the little things like lying down, yawning, stretching out and rolling on the side
with a gentle pet, a "good dog" and a treat. When your puppy is relaxing in their crate, stick around
for a little while and then call them out with the release word. If it works, you're really getting
somewhere!
Game 10: Can I Come Out Yet?
This is a fun little game to play with your puppy to teach them the boundaries of their crate and to
stay seated or lying down until released. As a follow-up to games 8 & 9, we'll be using a conditioning
method that gives you insight into your puppy's intelligence and how quickly they learn — and it's very
simple!
If you've already taught your puppy how to sit or lie down, great! You can use these commands to help
you play this game, or you can also wait for your puppy to lie down or sit on its own. Once your puppy
is in the crate, close the door and have them sit or lie down inside. Now, start slowly moving your hand
towards the door latch as if you're about to open it. If your puppy gets up, remove your hand and stand
up.
Now, tell your puppy to lie down or sit (or wait for them to do it), and then put your hand slowly back
on the door latch. If the puppy doesn't move, give them a treat through the crate along with some calm
praise. Repeat this until your puppy stops getting up when you put your hand on the door latch.
When it works, slowly open the door. If your puppy gets up, close the door, remove your hand, and repeat
until your puppy stays down as you open the door. Once your puppy stays down even as you're opening the
door, call them out and make them feel like a special dog.
As with all other puppy crate training games, don't expect your puppy to get this on the very first try.
It may take days—or even weeks!—of practice until your puppy is responding to all of your commands and
is remaining still until being released from the crate. But once they do, you've successfully learned
how to crate train a Goldendoodle — and it's time to reap the fruits of your labor! Short and consistent
training sessions are the trick to success. Puppies will be puppies, and your patience and persistence
will be rewarded!
How to Crate Train a Goldendoodle Key Takeaways
Puppy crates are an essential tool for raising an obedient pet as well as making the dog owner's life
easier. Good crate manners mean less unpleasant surprises at home, simplified pet travel and invaluable pet
safety. Just like people, animals also like their own personal space where they can feel safe, comfortable
and at ease. Eventually, all puppies can learn to love their crates — you just need to teach them about its
value!
Probably the most important thing to remember when learning how to crate train a Goldendoodle—besides being
patient!—is to never force your puppy into their crate or use it as a form of punishment. The last thing you
want your puppy to feel is an aversion towards their crate, as this will teach them to avoid it and make it
harder to trust you when the crate can really come in handy. When you have a fully-grown adult dog with
excellent crate manners, it also extends to their personality traits and will make you the proud owner of an
obedient, intelligent and well-behaved dog.
