Supports gradual, reward-based introductions, meals, short closures and later brief absences, with steps repeated when a dog is distressed. It does not prescribe a 14-day timetable. Its approximate three-hour adult example concerns being left alone, not a universal night interval.
Training & behaviour
Puppy Crate Training Plan
Plan night toilet opportunities and gentle daytime crate practice over 14 nights.
Puppy sleep details
Enter your puppy's age and planned overnight sleep times.
CRATE PLAN
Puppy crate plan: 14 nights
Ready when you are.
Enter the age and sleep times, then choose Create puppy crate training plan.
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to a qualified professional before you act.
Based on official guidance
Calculated on your device
A starting point, not advice
HOW TO USE IT
Start with your details
Enter age and sleep times
Use your puppy's age in whole weeks, from 8 to 52, then their planned bedtime and morning wake time. Wake means its next occurrence after bed. Equal times are not accepted.
Create your plan
Read one common night schedule to follow daily from Day 1 to Day 14, then scroll through all 14 daytime practice suggestions in day order.
Follow your puppy's pace
The steps become more challenging only when your puppy is comfortable. Repeat an easier step when needed, and take earlier toilet breaks whenever your puppy needs them.
Keep a copy
Save keeps the full plan's settings as a separate copy in this browser. Use Saved to open or delete it. Print includes the common night reminders and all 14 daytime steps.
HOW IT WORKS
What shapes your result
Approximate months = floor(age in weeks / 4.33). Formula interval = approximate months + 1 hours, a common rule of thumb. The entered age stays fixed throughout this plan and does not advance when you reopen it.
Starting at bed time, add the formula interval repeatedly while the next reminder is strictly before wake time. Bed and wake have their own toilet opportunities. A reminder exactly at wake is shown once as waking, rather than an extra night trip. Times after midnight are marked next day.
These are formula reminders, not a safe crating duration or a promise of a dry night. Offer earlier breaks whenever needed. Use a closed crate overnight only when your puppy is comfortable with it.
Humane World advises no more than 3 to 4 hours at a time for puppies under six months. If the formula gives a longer interval, arrange earlier breaks. The interval does not set how long a puppy may be confined.
The sources describe gradual training rather than a guaranteed daily timetable. PupCalendar arranges those ideas into 14 numbered practice suggestions, with no prescribed daily minutes. You may need more than 14 days. Before comfortable crate use, use an appropriate sleeping arrangement and respond to your puppy's needs.
Day 1 to Day 14 are sequence labels, not calendar dates. The same age-based reminders apply to every night and are shown once. All daytime steps appear together in day order. Changing an input clears its saved reference and shows an Inputs changed notice. The previous result stays visible until you choose Create again. Country editions use the same calculation and sources and retain the inputs and full result when you switch.
Read about our methodologyFAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask most.
How are the night toilet times calculated?
The tool converts entered weeks to approximate completed months, adds one hour, then counts that interval from bed time until waking. It is a planning rule of thumb. It does not measure your puppy's bladder capacity or define a safe crating duration.
Will a puppy be crate trained after 14 nights?
There is no guaranteed finishing date. The numbered suggestions provide a practice sequence. Move on when your puppy is comfortable; repeat or shorten practice if they are worried. A night number does not prove readiness for a closed crate.
Should I wait for a planned toilet reminder?
Respond sooner when your puppy needs a break. The source's separate shorter crating advice still applies, especially when the calculated interval is longer. A plan with no intermediate reminders is not a promise that your puppy can wait until morning.
What if your puppy becomes distressed in the crate?
Reduce the challenge and return to a comfortable earlier step. Keep introductions positive, allow willing entry and use the crate as a calm resting place. Do not use it as punishment or assume it will solve separation anxiety.
Does the interval increase over the 14 nights?
This plan keeps the age you entered for every night. To plan for a different age, edit the input and create a new plan. Saved copies keep their original age and display the full 14-day plan.
Can I save or print the plan?
This tool offers device saving and printing. Saved copies stay in this browser and can be removed from Saved. Print includes the complete plan and can save a PDF through the browser.
Sources and checked dates
Each note explains what its source supports. Open the link to read the guidance yourself.
The FAQ gives age in months plus one hour; the main guidance separately limits puppies under six months to 3 to 4 hours. Night breaks and comfort-led progression are supported. PupCalendar's exact clock reminders and 14-step arrangement are planning conventions, not permission for prolonged confinement.
