Is It OK Not To Put A Puppy In A Crate At Night?

Crate Training is one of the most common practices people will do when getting a new puppy. Crates offer your puppy a safe, secure place to rest in an otherwise unfamiliar place.

Although it can take some time for a puppy to get used to one, eventually they’ll begin to see it as their own, personal den.

Almost all crates come with a locking mechanism, which can lead owners to be wary of them. Some owners will lock their puppy in the crate overnight for safety reasons. 

But what if you don’t feel comfortable about doing this? Is it okay to leave your puppy out of its crate as you sleep throughout the night?

If you’re wondering about this issue, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to take you through everything you’ll need to know about whether or not it’s okay to leave a puppy out of its crate throughout the night,.

We’ve also made sure to include a short Frequently Asked Questions section that will help answer any other questions you may have left over at the end.

Why Do People Crate Their Puppies?

Before we answer our question regarding not crating your puppy at night, let’s take a look at the main reasons people crate-train puppies in the first place.

Crate training is a solution to the problem of having a puppy adjust to a new environment. Puppies are small, untrained, and likely to be overwhelmed by the new place that they’d been introduced to.

Because of this, there are a few reasons why people crate train their dogs. Let’s take a look at each of these in detail.

A Relaxing Place

A dog crate acts as a place for your puppy to feel safe and at ease. Because crates are confined spaces with soft material, they will be allowed a section of their house that is their own spot.

Although they shouldn’t feel like their crate belongs to them, it’s important that a crate feels like their special place whenever they want to relax or retire from family life. 

A New Home

Bringing a dog into a new environment can be a very distressing experience for them, especially if they’ve recently been taken away from their siblings and or mother.

A puppy crate allows them to adjust to their new home and settle into their space much faster. 

 

Security

A puppy in an empty house is a recipe for disaster. That’s why owners often lock their puppies in a crate to keep them safe and secure. This is especially true during the night.

Humans might sleep for 8 hours solid, but a puppy is likely to wake up and want to explore. 

Toilet Training

If you have a consistent place for your puppy to sleep, they won’t make any mess there by default. This can make eventual toilet training a lot easier. 

So then—the main reason why people put their puppy in a crate at night is for safety reasons. By locking your puppy in their crate at night, you’re stopping them from hurting themselves, or messing up any of your furniture.

It also allows them to learn how to sleep throughout the night, which is a habit that you’ll want to create for them as they grow older. 

Without a crate, your puppy might begin to run around your house and get into all types of mischief. This means you can wake up to broken furniture, messes on the floor, and a puppy with no sense of night/day. 

So Can You Leave Your Puppy Out Of Its Crate At Night?

You certainly can do this, but it is not recommended, and goes against the point of having a crate in the first place.

Leaving your puppy in their crate at night is a great way to foster a connection between the two of them, and make them feel more comfortable (see also ‘What Do You Do When Your Puppy Cries In His Crate At Night?‘). 

If you’re not using a crate, we would recommend keeping a space for them that is secure enough for them not to coem to harm during the night. This could be a small room, or a kennel. 

If you’re worried that locking a puppy in a crate overnight is immoral or inhumane, just know that it’s for their own safety and security, and after a time a puppy will grow accustomed to this practice and sleep through the night. 

Final Thoughts

So there you have it! That was our short guide on whether or not it’s okay to lock a puppy in a crate overnight.

Generally, we would recommend crate training, as it has proven a very effective way of house training dogs over time. A puppy will typically only have a crate for a certain amount of time, before transitioning to a dog bed. 

We hope that this guide has helped you to understand the importance of secure crate training, and that you’re now a lot more confident about the process.

If you still have some questions, make sure to check below for our FAQ section. We wish you the best of luck in your puppy training journey, and hope that your new best friend settles into your home sometime soon. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How Big Should A Puppy Crate Be?

The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to the size of a puppy crate is trying to work out how big your puppy is and how much room they need.

A crate should not totally confine your puppy and you can certainly be large enough for them to move around in. The more space they have, the more comfortable they will feel. 

However, you don’t want them to have so much space that it no longer feels like their own personal den.

Generally, we would suggest understanding the size of your puppy, as well as how big they will grow within the first year or so of their life, before committing to a puppy crate for them.