Crate Training

[Jenni87]

Hi everyone,

I have been reading up on crate training, I have never done it before (only had adult dogs before already trained) and while the other half has had pups before, never done it or heard of it. I know there is heaps on here regarding it but in my searches I havent come across anything relating to cats and puppy. Apologies if it's like 2 posts down I was totally blind to it.

Ok first things first.

We have 2 cats, one is nearly a year old and the other is 6 and since we have decided that we're ready for a pup we have been getting a friends to bring their dogs over to start getting them used to dogs and seeing that it isnt going to hurt them (one was a poodle x 8years and the other a CKCS 2years) We adopted them both from Cat Haven and neither have had anything to do with dogs (I got the 5 year old when she was 3) so not 100% on her history. So far they are acting better than I thought with the dogs, they are not interacting as such, I think more just curious. First time there was a little bit of hissing but otherwise the older one just sits and watches and the younger one starts to approach but then looses his confidence.

So when we bring our Pup home I think the crate will be a great idea but OH thinks the baby gates we are putting in place will be enough and doesnt see the point of a crate, as he has never done it before. I dont want the pup to spook the cats as the dogs are used to cats and even though the Cav is 2 she is a very placid little girl. I think the crate will the cats a bit of comfort and a chance to explore the new family member on their own terms. I also have been reading about keeping the dog on a leash at all times in the house which makes sense for control purposes.

Can anyone tell me if I am on the right track with this?

And secondly regarding the crate training side of things, is there a really good book or site regarding this? I want to make sure we do it properly. A friend I was talking to about it said wait till we start puppy school and ask there, but I'd rather have this organised before we bring "him" home so we know what we're doing and can have a routine already in the making.

[Aidan]

As far as your cats are concerned, a crate can only be a good thing as it will give you a place to put pup when you cannot supervise and pups really do love their crate. If you are anything like me you will get sick of baby gates very quickly anyway.

Crate training makes toilet training very easy. If appropriately sized, they will not foul their crate. You can keep the crate by your bed, which is very reassuring for pup in the night. Set your alarm for, let's say 2:00am for a toilet break. Each night you can set your alarm 5 minutes later until pup is sleeping through.

At some point your dog is going to end up in a crate; travel, vet, groomer, sport, shows etc, so you might as well teach them to willingly enter a crate and not cause fuss.

I recommend the method Sue Ailsby teaches in the Training Levels program which you can find here:

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/%20Dog1/levels.html

Of course, often you can just pop a young pup into a crate and they will accept it straight away, with maybe a little food to make it feel like a nice place, but the instructions given are fool-proof if you do experience any trouble.

[Pepper and Jax]

My experience with crates and cats is that without the crate we could never have Pepper sleep inside at night. She'd be chasing cats all the time. And when she was tired she would be on our bed (though I appreciate that we could train her not to be), and I don't think our two cats would be impressed with having to share. It's bad enough sharing with another cat and 2 humans!

Baby gates wont be enough if you would like night time harmony in your bedroom with all 3 critters.

Our naughty boy cat does tend to wake up early, sit in front of the crate, and put his paw in to wake Pepper up, knowing that she can't chase him. It makes Pepper whine and ask to be let out, which is annoying, but hopefully your cats don't have that evil streak in their personalities

[Teebs]

I would go the crate, i have 3 cats, one has always been around dogs, since the day i got her (about 3 months of age) so she has no fear. Fanta was a few years old and terrified of everything, me and the dogs, i made sure she knew where her safe places were, where she could get away from the dogs, i also crated the dogs and gave her time to look around with out them.

The biggest problem was my new kitten, he was fine with my Staffy, but my other dog liked him a bit too much. It has only been the last 2 months i have been able to have them both in the house in the same room together, up till then dog was crated or cat locked in new room.

With the crate it gave Sumo and At time to get to know each other, but both were safe from each other

[misscoco13]

We have 5 cats and a Shih Tzu pup! The puppy sleeps in her bed which we place in our walk-in closet, and put a puppy fence across the doorway. No worries at all. She sleeps till about 5am and then wakes for a toilet trip. The cats don't go anywhere near her when she's in her "bedroom" lol.

Candy (puppy) also stays in the dining room during the day, again with a puppy fence across the doorway. She's fine there too. She has another bed in there, as well as her water and puppy pee pad. I don't have a crate as we have used the puppy fence since she was 8 weeks old.

I do think we might have been really lucky with this puppy as she started sleeping quietly very early on - we only had 2 nights of "whining" to get out of her bed area at night. She does chase the cats, but they just jump on something high and she can't get them. Sometimes she will walk right past one and not do anything at all. So far we have had a good time of integrating cats and the puppy. Our cats have been exposed to my mother-in-law's 2 dogs for the past 4 years, so that has probably helped alot.

Good luck!!

[Jenni87]

hopefully your cats don't have that evil streak in their personalities

Yeah they're puurrfect angels. NOT! But I love them to bits anyway!

Thanks for the advice everyone, I showed this thread to my partner and I think he is starting to understand it all now. I hope. He agreed to it now so that helps.

I think the year old one will be a terror, he stirs my girl up all the time, I think it's just the age. Hopefully they will just treat Pup the same as they do the other dogs they come across but as long as everyone is under supervision etc... I think it will be fine. I hope.

The puppy sleeps in her bed which we place in our walk-in closet, and put a puppy fence across the doorway

Oh thats a good spot - I was looking around our room last night for somewhere we could set up and wasnt sure of anywhere.