6 Things to Never Put in Your Dog's Crate and Why!

Are you crate training your dog and wondering what you should NOT put in your dog’s crate? If so, you have come to the right place as I am about to tell you what you should never put in your dog’s crate… especially when your dog is unsupervised!

A crate it your dog’s safe space. It is your job as a puppy parent to ensure that you create their space for them to not only feel safe but to make sure they are safe.

Here is 6 things you should NEVER put in your dog’s crate and why…

?Potty Pads

?Water

?Food

?Soft toys, stuffed animals or squeaker toys

?Bones

?Pillows, super plush and fuzzy bedding and blankets

Table of Contents

Potty Pads

Potty Pads a.k.a pee pads should never be placed inside your puppy’s crate. Putting pee pads in your puppy’s crate tells your dog that it is okay to potty in the crate. Which is a no-no! Potty pads are also a choking hazard to your fur baby as well.

Water

You may hear that your dog should always have access to water therefore you may consider leaving water in your puppy’s crate… after all, they make bowls that hang in your dog’s crate.

Despite what you may hear, water should never be left in your dog’s crate especially if it is a puppy who isn’t potty trained.

Dogs especially puppies usually have to go pee within 15 minutes of drinking water. Leaving water in the crate will make your dog have to pee more frequently and can lead to accidents in the crate if no one is home to take him out.

Food

The same rings true for food as it does water. You can feed your dog in the crate as long as you take him out to poo 15-30 minutes after and remove his food bowl when he is done.

Dogs also love to play with their food bowl which is another reason why you do not want to leave it in the crate.

Food should not be left in the crate to free eat. It is best to get your dog on a feeding routine as doing so will also get your dog on a pooping routine.

Leaving food in the crate can also cause your dog to have accidents in the crate which is why you should not leave food in your dog’s crate.

Soft Toys, Stuffed Animals or Squeaker toys

Soft toys, stuffed animals and squeaker toys should not be left in your dog’s crate because it poses a choking hazard.

Dogs loves to shred things and toys like these are very easy to rip a part. From my observation, as soon as a dog sees stuffing they get more excited and will not stop until they have it destroyed and chewing up all the stuffing.

They also love to tear a part toys to get the squeakers out.

If your dog eats any of the pieces it rips a part, it can not only choke them but it can cause blockages. Trust me… that it not a vet bill you want, you can ask my brother, he spent over $3,000 at the vet removing a blockage from a toy his boy swallowed. It’s definitely not worth it!

Make sure to choose durable toys to put in your dog’s crate for entertainment.

Bones

It is easy to keep a dog distracted and entertained with a bone, especially if you will be gone a while.

The problem with bones is that small pieces can be broken off of the bone. Your dog can choke on these pieces.

Bones also make your dog very thirsty so when your dog is chewing a bone he needs to be able to have access to water.

Instead of bones use antler chews. They are a bit more expensive but they last a long time and are more safe! Definitely worth the price… my German Shepherd boy is an aggressive chewer and his antler is still going strong! A bone lasts him maybe 45 minutes and that’s REALLY stretching it. His antler… lasts months!!

Pillows, super plush and fuzzy bedding and blankets

I know what you’re thinking, what?… Then how can I make my dog’s crate cozy, comfortable and den-like if I can’t use these items?

Just like with the soft toys, dogs… puppies in particular, LOVE to chew anything, especially pillows, blankets and nice plush beds.

Once again, these pose a choking hazard. Never leave these items in a puppy’s crate.

**An older, trained dog is a little different as long as you know your dog will not destroy them. So save the super plush and fuzzy bedding for when your puppy is older. Until then, use crate mats.

Conclusion.

A dog’s crate is their safe space. It is a place for them to not only feel safe but a place for you to make sure they are safe. To ensure your dogs safety there are certain things that should never be left in your dog’s crate, especially when they are left unattended.

These things are as follows: