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Crate Training

Puppy Crate Training in Carmel / Fishers, IN

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A young dog receiving puppy crate training in Carmel / Fishers, IN from DTE.

Dog Training Elite

Puppy Crate Training in Carmel / Fishers, IN

Crate training for puppies helps your dog develop a sense of security. Crates appeal to a dog’s natural instincts, offering them a safe, familiar area to relax and retreat when needed.

Crate training also plays a key role in housebreaking. Once a puppy learns that their crate is a safe place, or 'den', they will instinctively want to keep this area clean. During house breaking, keeping your puppy inside the crate dramatically reduces accidents. Keep eyes and ears open to your puppy's bathroom signals and quickly bring him or her outside. This will help your puppy learn that outside is the place to go, not inside.

At Dog Training Elite, we offer expert puppy crate training in Carmel / Fishers, IN to help guide you through the process. Our trainers work with you to help your puppy become comfortable with their crate and use it as a positive training tool.

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Dog Training Elite Carmel / Fishers

Crate Training Tips

Crate training is a valuable tool when done correctly, but it's important to follow best practices to ensure your dog remains comfortable and secure. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of crate training.

Avoid leaving your dog in the crate for more than two hours at a time to prevent discomfort and ensure they don’t associate the crate with confinement.
If you’re away for long periods, consider leaving your puppy with a friend or in a safe area where they have more room to move.
Choose a crate that fits your puppy’s size, or use an adjustable crate to accommodate their growth and ensure ongoing comfort.
Leave the crate door open when possible so your dog can enter and exit freely, helping them feel more at ease with the space.
Add a soft bed, blankets, and toys to make the crate a cozy, inviting space your puppy will enjoy spending time in.
Never use the crate for punishment—this can create fear and negative associations with the crate instead of security.
A puppy looking up at its owner during crate training in Carmel / Fishers, IN with DTE.

Why Should You Use Crate Training?

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Crate training can also improve other aspects of your pet's life. A dog that is used to a crate will feel more comfortable when traveling and have a safe place to retreat during thunderstorms or noisy guests. At Dog Training Elite, we believe that crate training can enhance the lives of both dog and owner when done properly.

Additional benefits of crate training include:

  • General Safety: Having your pup in their crate allows them to be alone while you are unable to watch them. Whether you are busy at home or out of the house, a crate trained puppy can give you peace of mind that your pup is safe and secure.
  • Effective Evacuation: In emergencies, crate training can save your dog’s life as a quick, low-stress way to evacuate.
  • Calmer Vet Visits: Should your pup be required to stay overnight at the vet’s, they will experience less stress and put up little resistance in their cage if they have been crate trained.

Crate training young, starting at about 8 weeks, is the best option for most pups and their owners. Keep in mind, though, that puppies under the age of 6 months should not be confined to their crate for more than three or four hours at a time. Allowing them to stay in the crate for too long will lead to a messy space, as young puppies are unable to control their bladders or bowels for extended periods. This also applies to adult dogs who are being housetrained.

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Two well-behaved puppies after training in their crates.

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Crate training helps puppies feel secure by providing them with a safe and comfortable space of their own. It also speeds up housebreaking, reduces accidents, and prepares your puppy for situations like vet visits or travel. When done right, crate training fosters a sense of security and builds healthy routines.

At Dog Training Elite Carmel / Fishers, we’re here to support you and your puppy throughout the crate training process. Contact us today for a free consultation and take the first step toward a well-trained and happy pup!

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Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Alexander Voris
    Oct. 3, 2025
    We do not even know where to begin when it comes to how grateful we are for Dog Training Elite. Before attending the two week day camp, Hoosier, our year and a half golden retriever mix, struggled significantly with meeting new people. He would bark and lunge at them in an aggressive manner. The two week camp provided Hoosier (and us) with the tools for interacting with new people. This is just the beginning of his training as he will continue to attend weekly group sessions that come with the two week day camp package (which is amazing). We cannot say enough good things about all the trainers here. They have done such an incredible job with Hoosier, and we are so thankful for them.
  • Elizabeth McIntire
    Sep. 26, 2025
    From Doug and Anika and the other talented trainers, our experience was great. Training is a team effort between the pet owners, the pet and the trainers. Highly recommend.
  • Patricia SICA
    Aug. 26, 2025
    Elijah worked PLACE with distractions ++++ good lesson- he never is demeaning but instructive esp. with donato so puppish at 5 months..
  • James Reddick
    Oct. 1, 2025
    Joshua arrived as planned to start our puppy program and our first session was great. He gave us an overview of what the first training session was going to be covered, demonstrated puppy command (off, crate, using the leash, name recognition, using training treats) addressed our questions and coached us on training dos and don’ts. Overall it was a great first lesson and we are looking to the next puppy training session.
  • Shane Nesbitt
    Aug. 30, 2025
    We really enjoy working with Elijah. He’s friendly and funny and enjoys what he’s doing and he really knows dogs
  • Matthew Varas
    Sep. 30, 2025
    Josh was fantastic. Everything I had hoped to get out of dog training was achieved and he gave me all the tools and advice to do it. And he was very patient when we were doing the first few sessions and my dog was aggressive.
  • Mandy (Wellspring RN)
    Sep. 27, 2025
    We just had a second session with Dog Training Elite today. We are very impressed with the two staff members we have worked with, Elijah & Josh. Both were very patient and attentive to the needs of our family and our puppy. They were happy to answer our questions. We are excited to continue working with this group
  • Ashley
    Sep. 26, 2025
    I can't say enough about Dog Training Elite. They are an incredible group of trainers. They are sweet, thorough, knowledgeable, and extremely professional. The facility is beautiful and IMPECCABLY CLEAN. I will forever be a DTE customer/client.
  • Tracy Ellis
    Sep. 22, 2025
    Doug was great gave us excellent advice. very excited for classes!
  • Alex Bowman
    Sep. 20, 2025
    I have just been so impressed by the trainers, staff, and coaching at Dog Training Elite! Doug, the owner, personally came out to my house and met my dog Lola to see if she had a good demeanor for service dog training. Since then, we have completed Elite Training Camp with Lola (a full obedience training camp) and had one in home session with Elijah. The staff is so incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, smart, and supportive of Lola and our family. We are starting group classes soon to get Lola ready for service animal training, and I just know we will be seeing the same excellence as before. It is very worth the time, effort, and money to have your dog trained with this team.
  • Brian Stockman
    Sep. 18, 2025
    Great experience in meeting Doug and talking about options for training our puppy! Look forward working together on our training.
  • Jeffrey Schillinger
    Aug. 22, 2025
    Anika, Josh, Sonya and the rest of the team did a great job during our dog's two weeks of training. We look forward to the group classes and to watching our dog even further master the commands. We highly recommend Dog Training Elite. Josh came by a few weeks after the class ended to work with our dog. He was very patient and taught us a lot of things that will help our dog master his commands. We look forward to our continued relationship with Dog Training Elite.
  • M. A. Pinnick
    Sep. 15, 2025
    Excellent overview of the services and procedures of the training.
  • penny g
    Sep. 15, 2025
    Sir and I had our first home session with Annie Kasper today and she was phenomenal! She arrived on time (actually respectively early), professional, at the same time very warm, making for a comfortable environment! She was informative and confident in her abilities and I really appreciated that! DTE sure has a gem in her!
  • Anne Weinblatt
    Sep. 13, 2025
    Josh spent time with us on a Saturday morning working with Apollo. He is always great with us. He offered some good advice for working with our boy. Highly recommend Dog Training Elite.
  • Peter Leistensnider
    Sep. 10, 2025
    Josh is amazing! I would want todo dog training with anyone else. Friendly, clear instructions and confident
  • Donita Covington
    Sep. 10, 2025
    Great experience! My dog and I are both learning.
  • Only1Sable Travels (Only1Sable)
    Aug. 22, 2025
    We successfully completed 2 weeks of camp and just had our first of two at home visits. The amount of change we have seen in our dog is just remarkable. He's following commands so well, is much more attentive and enjoys the 'work' he's been doing. I really can't say enough great things about the trainers! Josh, Anika and Elijah were all fabulous with our dog, as were all the other trainers and the whole team! The communication from everyone from my very first panicked email to the team looking for guidance, to the long call with the owner Doug to get a game plan together, and the quick placement into the camp all helped put our mind at ease. And once he started camp, we received all the necessary tools and equipment for our dog, detailed daily Google drive videos of his progress with instruction and printable training recaps of each lesson. And review of each days progress with the trainers at pickup for us to practice. This level of engagement, along with the genuine love of dogs, care and can-do spirit of all the trainers and team have exceeded all of our expectations!! We are so happy with the outcome of the training, and know we have a lot more to go to continue to make his training second nature, but this is an excellent program. Plus, the ability to bring him to weekly group classes on Saturdays is also a huge comfort to us! Knowing we have the support and resources of Dog Training Elite Carmel/Fishers every step of the way is just wonderful!
  • Tabbitha Dixon
    Sep. 6, 2025
    Josh has been great! He really is patient with us learning our commands and offers reassurances when we need it!
  • Katie Koenig
    Aug. 18, 2025
    Our pup came home each day learning something new. She received great care and learned a ton!