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Crate Training

Dog Training Elite

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A young dog receiving puppy crate training from DTE.

Dog Training Elite

Puppy Crate Training

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 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

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 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, 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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You and your canine companion really can have it all. See how easy it can be to become a member of the elite pup society by requesting a free consultation today!

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Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Daxton Tarantino
    Oct. 5, 2025
    Our meeting with Rich was great. He was very knowledgeable. Took his time and explained everything we need to know. Thank you!
  • Jean Fox
    Apr. 9, 2025
    We can’t thank Doug, Josh and all the trainers at DTE enough for the incredible work they do with our new family member, Remy. She struggles with reactive and aggressive behaviors, but their calm, patient approach and deep understanding of dog behavior has made all the difference. They gave us practical, easy to follow training techniques that have helped her make incredible progress. Especially grateful for the coaching and encouragement we receive as her handlers. We couldn’t be happier with the team’s expertise, kindness and dedication - it was made all the difference. Highly recommended the DTE Team!
  • Grant Harris
    Oct. 5, 2025
    Dog Training Elite has been monumental in training our young rat terrier Wally and our chocolate lab puppy Ralphy. Graham and Shelly have put together and incredible staff to train up any breed of dog. The dogs love the facility and the group training held at 1 of 2 parks in the PSL area. We will keep bringing Wally to group classes and look forward to Ralphys further training as he learns not only basic obedience but eventually training to be my father’s service dog. We recommend DTE for anyone, any dog, any time.
  • Kathy Nelson
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Meggie was very informed and very nice. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the team.
  • Anika Allred
    Sep. 6, 2025
    We LOVE Deidre! We honestly can’t sing her praises enough. We have one more session with her, and we wish we could have a lifetime! She’s incredible, knowledgeable, kind, patient, and just an all-around amazing trainer. 1000/10 would recommend her and this business!
  • Wendy Etheridge
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Montana is a lovely young lady and Lydia took to her right away! This is in Nashville, by the way. She explained everything about the training program very well. She listened to the things I would like to do with Lydia and what I would like Lydia to be able to do. I appreciated her spending the amount of time she did and I felt well informed about the program. Thank you Montana, for throwing that BALL!!
  • Selena Despins
    Oct. 4, 2025
    We are so happy we went with Elite after reaching out to multiple trainers in the area. We were given different options for how to go about training; in public, at their facility, or in our own home. It made it very convenient and helpful to train in different environments with our dog. Ramiro was a great trainer, not just for our skeptical dog, but also as worrisome owners. He explained each step and helped us and our dog work together to help us be more confident in public and having visitors over. Being a rescue, our dog has a tendency to be on high alert but training has helped him trust us and relax.
  • Kevin Tyson
    Jul. 15, 2025
    Dog Training Elite Lancaster: I can't overstate the dramatic change in my dog since Jaime and Betsy engaged in training with her. Prior to Elite, we had our puppy in private training, with mediocre results. I was skeptical that Elite would be able to get her to the level we wanted. Literally after one lesson, we began to see results. By week 3 it was DRAMATIC! Jaime and Betsy provide the tools and coaching. You need to do the work also. But if you do, the results will overwhelm you!! Almost as important as training your dog, Dog Training Elite trains the handler and gives them the skills to understand successful methods. We are so grateful that we found Betsy and Jaime. Remarkable trainers!!
  • Diana Robles
    Oct. 4, 2025
    When we lost Luca, we weren’t sure what we would do. He was not only my service dog, but my partner and heart. I honestly didn’t know how I could move forward without him. At the time, our sweet Yara didn’t qualify as a service dog due to her past trauma, prior to us adopting her, and it felt like such an uncertain road ahead. Then life surprised us — Yara had a litter of seven beautiful, healthy standard poodle pups. We decided to keep two of the boys, and they have just completed their service dog training camp. They’re well on their way to following in Luca’s pawprints, and watching their progress has filled our hearts with so much hope. Yara herself has blossomed in ways I never imagined. From obedience training to slowly building her confidence, she’s now qualified as a service dog too. She’s done a complete 180, and it brings me to tears thinking of how far she’s come. Thank you, DTE, for everything. Your dedication, patience, and love have shaped not only our pups but our lives. We will always miss Luca deeply, but we’re forever grateful to Dog Training Elite for helping our young pups step into their new roles and for helping our beautiful princess Yara grow into the amazing dog she was meant to be. 🐩❤️
  • Desiree LaPeer
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Dog Training Elite has been wonderful in working with my service dog in training. We started working with Tom and Abby when Charlie was a puppy. Now at one years old, Charlie has grown so much in her obedience. We’ve trusted their process in training, and it is absolutely paying off. Being able to attend bi-weekly group classes has been very helpful in maintaining her obedience and to learn new skills. Tom and Abby have always been willing to do individual sessions to help target specific tasks Charlie needs to learn. I absolutely love working with Dog Training Elite!!
  • Franklin Smith
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Trainers I worked with like Patrick and Matt are the best!!
  • John McEachern
    Sep. 11, 2025
    Richard is very easy going , stays on point and is working on our training as well as Phins ! I think we’re behind 🤣
  • Zachary Potter
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Awesome experience with Ramiro! Completely transformed our dogs. Had issues with them being aggressive towards each other and with a baby on the way, we had to find a fix. Ramiro solved all of our issues. Highly recommend
  • Nate Gornitzky
    Oct. 4, 2025
    Fantastic Jupiter group class today!!
  • Larry Falivena
    Oct. 4, 2025
    The team at DTE is great! Cindy and Kyle helped us take our wild puppy and turn her into my mobility service dog. People are amazed at how well trained she is. I highly recommend them whether you need a service dog to help improve your quality of life, or just a well behaved companion.
  • Qwaig
    Oct. 3, 2025
    Dog training elite goes above and beyond the competition. They don’t just make sure your dog is trained, they make sure YOU are trained on what you need to do to keep your dog learning and growing. The staff is all extremely friendly and personable, I highly recommend them for any type of training you are looking for for your dog.
  • Lynne H
    Oct. 3, 2025
    Our dogs love their training sessions and practice sessions. We are very pleased with the progress they've made.
  • Lori Ostiguy
    Oct. 3, 2025
    We had our initial visit and I am so happy, Patrick is a great trainer and I can’t wait to do more training.
  • Garret Schumer
    Oct. 3, 2025
    Such an amazing experience so far. Colin is great with our girl Gilly. Over the past 5 weeks she has responded incredibly well to her commands, and is excited every week when Colin comes to the door. Even when there’s distractions Colin is awesome at getting her on task and imprinting the lesson. The whole process has made it super easy for us and Gilly to keep working and making the lesson stick. Grateful to have found this program. Below are pics of Gilly, “placing” (and her birthday get up..just because 😂)
  • 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.