What age should puppy be out of crate at night?

Deciding when to let your puppy out of the crate at night is an important part of puppy training and development. There are several factors to consider when determining the right age for your puppy to be out of the crate overnight.

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When Can Puppies Sleep Through The Night?

Most puppies will sleep through the night by about 4 months of age. However, some puppies may be able to sleep for longer stretches earlier than this, while others may take a bit longer. A lot depends on your individual puppy’s bladder control and ability to hold it through the night.

Here is a general guide for when puppies can typically sleep through the night:

8-10 weeks: Your puppy will likely need a potty break at least once during the night.
3-4 months: Most puppies will sleep for 4-5 hours at a time and need a potty break once during the night.

4-6 months: Puppies will sleep for 6-8 hours at a time and no longer need overnight potty trips.

However, each puppy is different so use these ages as a general guideline. Pay attention to your individual puppy’s habits and bladder control.

Signs Your Puppy is Ready For Crate Freedom at Night

The most important factor in determining if your puppy is ready to be out of the crate at night is their ability to sleep through the night without needing a potty break. Here are some signs your puppy may be ready:

Your puppy sleeps through the night consistently without whining to go potty.
Your puppy has consistent bladder control and can hold it for 6-8 hours.
Your puppy no longer has overnight accidents in the crate.

Your puppy settles down quickly at bedtime and sleeps soundly.

If your puppy is showing these signs, it may be time to start allowing your puppy to sleep out of the crate overnight.

Steps For Transitioning Your Puppy Out of the Crate at Night

Once you feel your puppy is ready, you can start the process of transitioning them out of the crate at night. Take it slowly and follow these steps:

Let your puppy sleep in the open crate next to your bed. For the first few nights, place the crate next to your bed with the door open, allowing your puppy to choose to sleep in the crate or next to it.
Move the crate further away. Slowly move the open crate further away from the bed over the course of a week or two.
Remove the crate. When your puppy is consistently sleeping through the night near the crate, remove it completely.

Maintain the same pre-bedtime routine. Stick to the same feeding, play and potty schedule so your puppy continues to settle at bedtime.

If your puppy regresses and has accidents, you may need to go back to having them sleep in a closed crate until their bladder development catches up.

What if Your Puppy Cries or Whines at Night?

It’s common for puppies who are used to sleeping in a crate to whine or cry when first transitioned to being out of the crate at night. Here are some tips for dealing with crying:

Ignore minor fussing or whining so your puppy learns to self-soothe.
Only let your puppy out if crying persists more than a few minutes in case they need to potty.
Avoid giving attention and comfort when letting your puppy out or it rewards the crying.

Reinforce calmness and silence before putting your puppy back to bed.

With consistency, your puppy will learn to settle down and sleep peacefully through the night outside of the crate.

Setting Up A Safe Sleeping Area

It’s important to set up an appropriate sleeping area for your puppy to help their transition out of the crate go smoothly. Here are some tips:

Place comfy blankets and bedding in a corner or enclosed area for nesting.
Childproof the room or use baby gates to block off unsafe areas.
Make sure your puppy has access to fresh water.

Consider using calming aids like blankets with mom and litter scent.
Place chew toys nearby so your puppy has an outlet for teething.

Providing a secure, comfortable sleeping area helps prevent overnight issues like accidents, destructive chewing, and separation anxiety when your puppy begins sleeping out of the crate.

Using a Confinement Space Instead of a Crate

An alternative to fully removing the crate at night is to transition your puppy into a confinement space, like a playpen or gated area. This allows more space than a crate, but still prevents access to the whole house.

Benefits of using a confinement space include:

Gives your puppy some freedom while preventing overnight roaming.

Lets your puppy freely play with toys, eat or drink.
Easier transition than going right from a crate to full run of the house.

Make sure the confinement space is fully puppy-proofed and has appropriate flooring in case of accidents. Also introduce the space gradually so it doesn’t feel like a punishment to your puppy.

Crate Training Benefits For Adult Dogs

While most puppies will transition to being out of the crate at night, crates remain a useful training tool for adult dogs. Reasons you may want to continue using a crate for your grown dog include:

Potty training reinforcement – Crates prevent accidents if you have to leave your dog home alone for long periods.
Containment – Provides a safe place for your dog when guests visit or work is being done in your home.

Travel – Crates keep your dog secure and protected while traveling by car or plane.
Recovery – Aids healing after injuries, surgeries or medical procedures.
Security – Provides a cozy den for dogs who prefer a safe, enclosed sleeping space.

While adult dogs won’t necessarily need to sleep in a crate every night, crate training provides lifelong benefits and most dogs will continue to voluntarily relax in their crate when the door is left open.

Common Nighttime Issues When Transitioning Out of the Crate

While the crate prevents overnight issues, you may encounter some common problems when your puppy first transitions to being out of the crate at night. Here are some to look out for:

Accidents – Your puppy may have accidents at night without the confinement of the crate. Respond calmly and consider going back to the crate until they develop more bladder control.

Destructive behavior – Chewing, digging and scratching can happen if your puppy gets bored or anxious alone at night. Provide plenty of toys and exercise.
Excessive barking – Barking or howling at night without the crate. Try white noise or anti-bark collars to discourage this behavior.
Waking up owners – Jumping on the bed or nudging owners can start without the crate. Ignore this behavior so your puppy learns to settle back down on their own.

Patience and consistency is key to minimizing these common puppy behaviors when no longer using the crate overnight. Corrections should be minimal – focus more on reinforcing the good behavior you want to see from your pup.

Using a Combination of Crate Time and Freedom

An alternative approach to fully crate-free nights is to combine crate time and freedom until your puppy reliably sleeps through the night. For example:

Crate your puppy for the first part of the night, then release them after a set time once they are in deep sleep.

Let your puppy sleep outside the crate at first, then move them to the crate later in the night.
Use the crate 2-3 nights a week and allow freedom on other nights.

This blended approach can help make the transition gentler for puppies that struggle with too much overnight freedom right away.

Conclusion

Deciding when your puppy is ready to be out of the crate at night depends on factors like their bladder control, ability to sleep through the night, and tendency to settle down after bedtime. For most puppies, between 4-6 months is a good age to start this transition. Go slowly, stick to a consistent schedule, and pay attention to your individual puppy’s behavior to find what works best for your situation. Be patient – the process may take some time, but it’s an important step in your puppy’s development into a well-adjusted, trustworthy adult dog.