How to Crate Train a Pit Bull Puppy

How to Crate Train a Pit Bull Puppy
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon2-14 Weeks
General training category iconGeneral

Introduction

For many, the Pit Bull epitomizes the American dog. From Petey in "The Little Rascals" to Sergeant Stubby, who captured a spy in World War I, Pit Bulls have captured the hearts of millions. With their wide smiles and class clown attitude, pits are hard not to love. What some potential pitbull owners are prone to forget and that pitbull owners are always reminded of, is that their dog is a pit bull terrier. Terriers are energetic, fun loving, and some say a little bit crazy. Pit Bulls are no exception, and with their powerful jaws and muscular bodies, it is extra important to make sure your pitbull puppy has an outlet for her uncontainable energy. Luckily for you, most pits absolutely love to chew. Especially when your puppy is teething, you can expect her to devote hours to chewing on all sorts of different things. If you want the things she chews to be of your choosing, crate training is essential for times you are away from her or can't watch her.

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Defining Tasks

All puppies feel the separation from their mother and litter as anxiety. Most will want to sleep with their new human family to ease that anxiety. To teach your new puppy to sleep by herself, as well as to potty train, crate training will be a useful tool. Ease your pup's anxiety by increasing crate time gradually, letting her out frequently throughout the night to go to the bathroom and for some cuddle time with you. While it may be a tough few weeks at first, eventually your puppy will acclimate to sleeping on her own in her own comfy crate. 

Pit Bull puppies really do want to chew on everything and for many, this means bedding as well. Provide your pup with a firm, heavy crate bed to discourage chewing. It isn't a bad idea to put a tough nylon cover over the bed and then cover that with a thick fluffy cover. That way if your pup goes on a destructive rampage she will only destroy the blanket, instead of the entire bed. 

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Getting Started

Hands down, the most important thing for a crated pitbull puppy is chewing entertainment. Provide a wide range of chews suitable for teething powerful breeds. Heavy-duty nylon, thick natural rawhide, and natural horns and antlers are all suitable for your pitbull puppy. Go bigger and heavier wherever possible when deciding on chews for a powerful chewer like a Pit Bull. Kong toys work wonders to entertain even determined chewers. Put all of your dog's kibble in a food dispensing toy for hours of entertainment while she works for her food, and stuff a heavy duty Kong big enough that it won't be swallowed but small enough for your puppy to really squeeze it. You can stuff with all sorts of healthy and natural fillings, or wet your dog's kibble and fill it with that. Try freezing or microwaving Kong toys for added texture. Freezing is especially nice for a puppy's sore gums while teething.

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The Crate for Rest Method

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1

Remove other comfy places

Stock your pit bull puppy's crate with a very comfy bed and blankets, as well as all her favorite toys and chews. Remove all the other comfy places where she could sleep from the house, and discourage her from lying on the bed or couch.

2

Reward for crate

When your puppy enters the crate of her own will to lie down, reward her with a treat or special chew, and your affectionate praise. Tell her a command for "good crate" while rewarding.

3

Begin closing door

When your pitbull puppy is lying for periods in her crate of her own will, begin closing the door for brief periods, rewarding for calm behavior.

4

Increase time gradually

Gradually increase the time you keep the door closed. Keep an eye on your puppy by checking frequently or using a nanny cam and release her if there is any discomfort.

5

Go to crate and reward

Begin asking your dog to go to her crate at bedtime or when you will leave for a few hours. Reward her for entering the crate.

The Crate With a Friend Method

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Nervous puppy

If your new pitbull puppy is very distraught at being crated alone even for a moment, try keeping the crate near you or another dog until she is calmer.

2

Happy crate

Place the crate next to your bed or near where you are, or near another dog's crate. Fill your puppy's crate with all kinds of chews and food dispensing toys.

3

Leave the door open

Leave the crate door open, allowing your puppy to go in and out as she likes at first. Reward her for entering and staying in the crate.

4

Walk away

Begin walking away for brief periods while your pitbull puppy is occupied. If she follows you, ignore her and walk back to the room until she goes in the crate again.

5

Close door and increase time

Once you can walk away without your puppy following you, begin closing the crate door for brief periods when you walk away. Gradually increase the time until you can leave her alone for several hours comfortably.

The Where the Fun Is Method

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Crate time is fun time

Leaving your puppy's crate door open, put a good new chew or food dispensing toy in the crate. Let your puppy enter the crate naturally.

2

Only in the crate!

If your puppy tries to carry the chew out, give a command of your choosing to mean, "only in the crate" and block her from leaving.

3

Let her pass

When your puppy drops the chew, let her leave the crate. If she goes back for the chew, again block her from leaving.

4

Begin closing door

Once your puppy has internalized the concept that she must chew on her toys in the crate, begin closing the door for short periods while she is occupied.

5

Build time

Build the time your pup spends in her crate until you can leave her for several hours and she will be content.

Written by Coral Drake

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 02/01/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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Riley

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Brindle Pitbull

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9 Weeks

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Hi I’m Janiya I have a Pitbull that 9 weeks old and when I try to potty train her like put a bunch of pee pads on the floor (in my room) take her outside for hours and she will never pee or poo but she always goes to my moms room, living room, and kitchen to pee and poo. I don’t know what to do I asked other people and they told me to everytime she does it put her nose in it and pop her or put her in the bathroom full of pee pads and close the door so she won’t have no room to move very well but I don’t know what too can you help and also I bought a crate today and when I put her in it and close the door she will whine and cry and when I open it she runs out and get on her dog bed I don’t know what to do help please !!

Jan. 14, 2020

Riley's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Janiya, First, what is your schedule like? If you someone is home to take pup potty at least every 3 hours, I suggest going straight to crate training for potty training and stopping all pee pads (if you don't plan to use pee pads long term they can cause confusion if used too long since they are made out of fabric like carpet and rugs - once removed later on pup may start having accidents. Check out the crate training method from the article linked below. If you schedule will allow, going straight to this method strictly should equal the fewest accidents and quickest potty training, but it will take dedicated and time at first. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Second, if your schedule won't allow you to take pup out often enough, you will need to use an indoor potty, then switch to outside potty training when pup's bladder is more mature and she can hold it for longer - when that time comes I would also switch to crate training because it tends to be the most effective for potty training - especially with a dog who has learned to potty in the house at all. In the meantime, Also, set up an exercise pen in a room that you can close off access to later on (pup will learn it's okay to potty in this room so choose accordingly). A guest bathroom, laundry room, or enclosed balcony - once weather is a safe temperature are a few options. Don't set the exercise up in a main area of the house like the den or kitchen. Use the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below, and instead of a litter box like the article mentions, use a real grass pad to stay consistent with teaching pup to potty on grass outside - which is far less confusing than pee pads (Don't use pee pads if the end goal is pottying outside later, which I am guessing it is since you are also taking her out on a leash). Since your goal is pottying outside only use the Exercise Pen at night and when you are not home. When pup can hold her bladder while in the rest of the house consistently and can hold it for as long as you are gone for during the day while she is in the crate and overnight, then remove the exercise pen and grass pad completely, close off access to the room that the pen was in so she won't go into there looking to pee, and take her potty outside only. Since she may still chew longer even after potty training, when you leave her alone, be sure to leave her in a safe area that's been puppy proofed, like an exercise pen or crate even after she is potty trained - until she is out of the destructive chewing phases too - which typically happens between 1-2 years for most dogs with the right training. Exercise Pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - Also found on Amazon www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com You can also make your own out of a piece of grass sod cut up and a large, shallow plastic storage container. Finally, forget about the nose rubbing in poop. Corrections in potty training are only effective if you actually catch pup mid-squat - and if that happens a better course of action is to clap a couple of times to surprise pup, then rush pup outside. Once pup potties outside all is forgiven - no more punishment - because puppies live in the moment and pup will think you are punishing for something good if you do it delayed. I really wouldn't worry about any form of punishment when it comes to potty training though. Potty training is based on utilizing a dog's natural desire to keep a confined space clean and helping pup create a habit of inside staying clean and eliminating outside. Once that habit if created pup wants to maintain it themselves due to instincts - your goal is to help pup not have accidents inside and to reward pup when they go potty outside to help create a long-term habit in pup. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Jan. 15, 2020

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Nala

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American Pit Bull Terrier

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8 Weeks

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I have a 2 year old trained Pit. Just got a new Pit pup, 8 weeks old. They love each other. How do I crate train the pup with a trained dog in the house? Do I let the older dog near the crate? Or separate them. What about when I leave for work? One roams while one will be in the crate. Can I let the eldest roam near the pups crate? Also, where should I place the crate?

Dec. 16, 2019

Nala's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Sandra, First, puppy should be crated somewhere calm, away from windows - to discourage a barking habit. Due to potty training you might also want to consider the surface of the floor - such as a large bathroom floor without carpet, or wooden floor without carpet for crate to be on. If your older dog is fine out of the crate, they can be left out. Crate puppy in a room with the door closed when you are gone. You don't want your older dog pestering pup but you also want pup to be able to sleep while you are gone some - which a quiet area, away from the other dog helps with. Getting puppy used to being alone isn't a bad thing - it can prevent separation anxiety later and ensure puppy is okay when your older dog isn't around - which is an important skill. As far as introducing pup to the crate when you are there, you can either crate pup in a room where others are around or in a quieter room, such as a bedroom. Pup will need to get used to both - just make sure that when pup is in a more public area that it just isn't when you are not home so that your older dog won't be bothering pup while you aren't there to stop it. You can also crate pup in a public area when you are gone and lock your older dog in the bedroom or another nice room instead - depending on how your older dog would do with the confinement of the room. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Dec. 16, 2019


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