Crate Training Puppies

[angelnkids]

hi everyone we have had our puppy a week now, and since reading up lots on crate training (and the fact we have had lots of accidents) we think this is the best way to train him.

I have read you should take them out every hour to go to the toilet, then treat them if they do, if they dont go put them back in the crate for another hour. If he does go to the toilet should i have a quick play with him? or put him back in the crate?

Im just trying to figure out a routine with him, when we are home for the crate training.

What do we do about meal times? when should we have them, and where should we feed them? should i leave water in his crate in the day?

Should we take him for a walk on his leash in the garden for exercise?

Anything else we need to know?

where is best to have the crate in the day, in view of everyone, or in our bedroom (we have 2 small children)

thanks

Edited October 16, 2010 by maxnkids

[GoldenGirl85]

Im confused...are you locking him in the crate all the time?

Crate training can be very good, but its not supposed to work like that, its more about providing a safe place for them to go when they want to...its not a jail for them

How old is your puppy? if you have only had him a week then he is still adjusting to his new family, unless he has had crate training before you got him all you should be doing with the crate so far is rewarding him for going in, feeding his meals inside the crate, making it a happy place for him, you can lock him in at night time to confine him if you need, but remember to take him out to the toilet a couple of times

[angelnkids]

Im confused...are you locking him in the crate all the time?

Crate training can be very good, but its not supposed to work like that, its more about providing a safe place for them to go when they want to...its not a jail for them

How old is your puppy? if you have only had him a week then he is still adjusting to his new family, unless he has had crate training before you got him all you should be doing with the crate so far is rewarding him for going in, feeding his meals inside the crate, making it a happy place for him, you can lock him in at night time to confine him if you need, but remember to take him out to the toilet a couple of times

im looking into the crate training, before in the day he running around the house with us, but hes weeing and pooing everywhere, then i read up on crate training.

I dont understand exactly how it should work, whether you should close the door or not, the crate is in our bedroom, so if we dont close it then he will be free to run aorund our bedroom and wee and poo everywhere, should i have the crate in the laundry (where he is left in the day when hes by himself, and leave the crate open, and pop him in there and take him out every hour.

[aussielover]

The crate is minaly for overnight toilet training and for short periods of up to say, 2-3 hrs when you can't supervise him.

There are actually a few trainers that will recommend crating all the time until the dog is toilet trained, however i have found this is not practical or desirable for a family pet.

I think you can achieve reasonably quick success with toilet training if you are vigilant and watch your puppy carefully.

Take your puppy out at least every hour and after they wake up, eat or drink to the desired toilet spot. when they go, praise/reward like crazy (be sure not to interupt them though while they are going, praise after). If they don't go, you don't have to crate, you can watch very carefully- if you start to see signs such as circling or sniffing, take pup outside again.

I find it best to take them outside on the lead, so they can't run around and play. You can walk them around in a circle in the toilet area to help them.

If you need to do jobs at home for a while, crate your puppy then. It is best to have a big play or training session before this, toilet them and then pop them into the crate and they should be sleepy and have a snooze.

Depending on how happy they are in the crate and the breed, your puppy may be able to hold on all night. Most pups can't :D That is why i find it best to crate in my bedroom, that way i can hear the puppy whine or scratch at the crate and i know when to take them out.

You can also set your alarm for every 3 hrs or so, but sometimes you might accidently wake the puppy if it didn';t need to go.

I would lock the pup in the crate overnight as most dogs (unless they are from a petshop or kenneled 24/7) will not want to toilet where they sleep.

Of course plently of play and training is necessary for a young puppy, which is why they probably shouldn't be crated for long periods. If you need to go out for a long time (>2-3hrs) I would leave your puppy in the yard (if it is secure and safe) or in the laundary. The yard is preferable becuase the puppy can't have an accident there.

Good luck with your puppy and enjoy!

[Sandra777]

The crate is intended as a place for the puppy to feel safe and for you to put the puppy when you can't actively supervise him but only if you know he has pee'd (and perhaps pooped) within a reasonable time before putting in him the crate. It is also a floor friendly way of encouraging the pup to learn (or develop the skills to anyway!) hang on for reasonable lengths of time.

"Reasonable" in all cases depends very much on the individual puppy, his age and to a small degree, breed.

A puppy running around the house is pretty easy to house train IF you can actively and consistently monitor his behavior and get him outside before he pees/poops inside on every occasion. If you can do this many pups will be virtually 100% reliable in a matter of just a few days. Unfortunately most people can't, you have other things to do apart from watching the puppy every second. :D

Sooo - with a crate the idea is that most pups instinctively keep their beds clean and this works except for the odd naturally dirty puppy and those poors mites from pet shops and puppy farms who have already learned they have no choice but to mess where they eat and sleep.

You HAVE to be sure the pup gets ample chances to pee/poop where you want him to so he can learn what you want. For the 15-20 minutes (again, depends on the pup) after you KNOW he is ''empty'' he can be around the house without confinement, run, explore, play etc after this time (depending on the pup) you might need to try another quick visit outside, then pop him in the crate unless you can definitely be sure of supervising him, then an hour or so (depending on the pup again) after you KNOW he pee'd/pooped, outside again for another pitstop then he can be out and about for another 15-20 minutes etc etc etc

After just a few days most puppies will make a noise in the crate if they need to go out - or will display a behaviour you have learned means they need out, which is great because you are not only teaching the pup to ''hold on'' just a little bit, but also to ''tell'' you they need out.

No way should the pup be in the crate for more than 2 hours at a time during the day, overnight you could well get away with only one toilet break.

Yes I would move the crate out of the bedroom and into some other part of the house during the day so the pup can be part of the family, see everything that's going on etc but personally a laundry is no place for a young puppy - too cold, and almost always the most isolated part of the house. At night crating the pup in the bedroom makes sense because he will have you for company and will be able to ''tell'' you he wants out without screaming the house down to have to wake you up.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Sandra777

[LoveMyLabEva]

We are crate training our lab and it works really well,

she is in our room over night and just gives a little squeak when she wants to go out.

during the day if we need to have a shower or something when we cant watch her then we put her back in the crate.

wot we found is to save the really good food treats for what we called the "toilet treats" so every time she went outside where we wanted then she got a really good treat and loads of praise. this seems to work a treat ('cuse the pun hehe).

persistance is the key! good luck!