Whippet Dog FAQ: Crate Training - How Long to Leave in Crate

by Dave Hudkins
(Vancouver, WA)

We've been taking our 12 week old whippet puppy out of the crate every 4 hours now. In what increments can we leave the pup in the crate as she gets older? I've read that after 4 months we can leave her in for 6 hrs.

She's been very good at going to her crate at 10:00pm so we've been getting her up at 2:00 then at 6:00am when my wife goes to work.

ANSWER:


The general rule of thumb is to crate the puppy for no more hours than her number of months.
For example if she is 3 months old, you can crate her for 3 hours.

Most trainers add 1 more hour to the number of months but to me it seems a little too much to ask to a young puppy.

All this is valid if your puppy is receiving enough exercise, attention, a regular feeding schedule and proper house training.

The good news is that by the time she is six month old, she should be able to sleep through the night in the crate.

Even adult dogs shouldn’t routinely be crated for too long.

How long is too long? It largely depends on the temperament and age of your dog.

If your pet becomes depressed or overactive, reduce the amount of crating hours.

Have a look at the page below to figure out what could be the perfect housing arrangement when you have to be gone for many hours at the time.

Home Alone

Whippet Dog Questions: Crate Size

by Isobel

We are looking to buy a crate for a whippet puppy and are confused about which size to get.
Medium crates are about 22/23" high, large are 26/27" high and 36" long which seems huge!
He is a boy puppy so may get tall but the big crates just seem so huge.
What would you suggest?!

ANSWER:

Small puppies do grow up into adult whippets and they can be larger than you would expect now, especially males.

The crate must be big enough for your adult dog to stand up and turn around comfortably.

Crates might look huge now but you'll need at least a medium size one for your grown up whippet.

If you plan to use it at home (not for air travel) you can opt for a wire, collapsible one that can be put away when not in use.

For more info about how to crate train your puppy, click here