How Long Can a Puppy Stay in a Crate? Hours by Age Chart

How long can a puppy stay in a crate? Less time than most new owners hope. The simplest rule, from Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative, is about one hour for each month of age, give or take an hour. A 3-month-old puppy can usually manage 3–4 hours during the day, then needs a toilet break, play and attention.

Below is a chart by age, what to do at night and during the workday, and how to pick a crate your puppy won’t outgrow, using our crate size calculator.

Puppy crate time by age

Puppy age	Bladder control in the day (VCA)	Ohio State rule (months ± 1 hour)	Practical crate limit in the day
8 weeks (2 months)	Up to 3 hours	1–3 hours	1–3 hours
12 weeks (3 months)	Up to 4 hours	2–4 hours	3–4 hours
16 weeks (4 months)	Up to 5 hours	3–5 hours	3–4 hours
5 months	—	4–6 hours	3–4 hours
6 months and older	—	5–7 hours	Up to 4–5 hours
Adult dogs	—	—	Up to 4–5 hours

VCA figures are the time a puppy may hold it after relieving itself. The “practical limit” column applies Humane World for Animals’ guidance that puppies under 6 months shouldn’t be crated for more than 3–4 hours at a time, and adults no more than 4–5 hours in the day. Every puppy is different: if yours has accidents, shorten the time.

Two points the sources agree on: the limit is set by the bladder, not by how settled the puppy seems, and the crate should never be used as punishment.

How long can a puppy stay in a crate at night?

Nights are different, because puppies sleep and their bodies slow down. VCA notes that many puppies can control themselves through the night by about 3 months of age, though there is a lot of variation. For younger puppies:

• Take them out right before bed.
• Keep the crate near your bed so you hear them wake.
• If they cry after a few hours, take them out quietly on a leash, let them go, and put them straight back. Keep it calm and boring so it doesn’t turn into playtime.

By 4 to 5 months most puppies sleep through, and the overnight break disappears.

What if I work a full day?

A full workday is too long for any puppy in a crate. Ohio State recommends confining a puppy who has to be alone for long periods to a larger safe area, such as an exercise pen or a room closed off with a baby gate, with a bed at one end and a potty area at the other. Add a midday visit from you, a neighbor or a dog walker if you can. Humane World suggests graduating dogs from the crate to an enclosed area of the home once they can be alone without accidents or chewing.

What size crate does a puppy need?

Ohio State says a crate should be just big enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around and lie down. Too much room and puppies tend to use one end as a toilet. The usual solution is to buy the crate your dog will need as an adult and use a divider while it’s small.

Worked example: a crate for a puppy that will grow

Your 16-week Labrador puppy is predicted to reach about 54 lb as an adult (our puppy weight calculator gives 48–61 lb for 20 lb at 16 weeks in the extra-large group). Measure a parent or a similar adult dog if you can. Say that dog is 30 inches from nose to base of tail and 22 inches tall at the top of the head.

In the crate size calculator, enter a length of 30 in and a height of 22 in. It adds 2 inches to each for the minimum (32 × 24 in) and 4 inches for a roomier fit (34 × 26 in), then returns:

• Minimum crate: a 36-inch (medium) crate, about 36 × 25 in inside
• Roomier option: a 42-inch (large) crate, about 42 × 30 in inside

Buy the 36-inch crate with a divider. At 16 weeks, set the divider so the space is just long enough for your puppy to lie stretched out, and move it back every few weeks. Our crate size guide has a breed-by-breed chart.

How do I make crate time easier?

• Build up slowly. Start with a few minutes with the door open, then short stretches with it closed while you’re home.
• Toilet first. Always take your puppy out right before crate time and right after.
• Feed meals in or near the crate. It builds a positive link. Our post on how often to feed a puppy has meal schedules by age, and the puppy food calculator sets portions.
• Give safe chews for longer stays.
• Exercise before long stretches. A tired puppy settles faster.

Puppies grow fast, especially big breeds. Our post on when puppies stop growing shows how long the crate (and the divider) will be needed, and how big your puppy will get helps you pick the adult size. If you don’t know your rescue puppy’s age, start with how to tell how old a puppy is.

When to call your vet

Frequent accidents are usually a training issue, but check with your vet if your puppy:

• suddenly has accidents after being reliably clean
• pees very often, strains, or has blood in the urine
• drinks much more than usual
• has diarrhea that lasts more than a day
• panics in the crate (drooling, injuring itself trying to escape); a vet or qualified trainer can help with anxiety

A puppy that can’t hold it for anywhere near the times in the chart, despite regular breaks, is worth a check for a urinary infection.