What Is The Best Way To Keep A Dog At Night

[I love goldens]

We are planning on leaving our puppy outside during the day while Im at school, and bringing her in as soon as we get home and having a good play and a snuggle watching tv until her bedtime (10:30) and on the weekend she will be in all day. ( She will NOT be an all outdoor dog! Just outside while we arent home)

I was wondering if we could let her sleep outside at night too? And if we were going to, what age can she be outside all night? If she was going to sleep outside she would have a nice warm kennel with lots of blankets. Most dogs we have had have slept inside, except I dont want our cat (Leo) to feel like his personal space has been invaded as where she would sleep is right next to his scratching post. We feel that it is the best way to go without crating as mum isnt keen on the idea. But of course if crating is e only way we will do it, i will have to speak to her breeder on her view!

Edited January 25, 2013 by I love goldens

[Dame Aussie]

My dogs sleep inside and are not crated. They sleep either on the floor, on their beds, on the couch or up on our bed if we let them. I couldn't leave my boy out all night as he is a barker and would keep the street awake :laugh:

Up to you really as to where they sleep. I also like the security of them being inside the house while we're sleeping. If you intend to have her sleep outside I would have her doing this asap otherwise it will be harder to get her used to it if she has slept inside and liked it!

Edited January 25, 2013 by Aussie3

[persephone]

Dogs sleeping outside find it much easier to pick up habits such as barking at neighbours/possums/cats..... ;)

[julesluvscavs]

I do worry about puppies being left outside if noone is home, but maybe thats just me. Even our adults dogs stay indoors if we aren't home.

We have 2 cats and about to get our puppy soon. The cats own our spare room, and there is a baby gate on it so if the cats need to have their space, they can resort to their own room if it comes to that without the Cavs or soon to be puppy invading their space ;-)

All our pets including our bunny sleep inside at nights :)

Edited January 25, 2013 by Jules♥Cavs

[Kavik]

Dogs sleeping outside find it much easier to pick up habits such as barking at neighbours/possums/cats..... ;)

Agree with this! Mine sleep inside to minimise barking, among other things

[newgoldie]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant.

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! :D

[gsdog2]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

Edited January 25, 2013 by gsdog2

[Pretty Miss Emma]

When my puppies come home they sleep in a crate in my room. Once they are toilet trained then they get a bed in my room. Mind you now that I have a dog door it's been less of an issue, I was lucky Hamish used the dog door from day 1 so he only had to sleep in the crate for the first few weeks until he could wake up and navigate himself. But my dogs now sleep almost wherever they choose. Kenzie always sleeps in her bed in room. Hamish sleeps either in the entrance hall, on the couch or in a bed in my room. I agree locking them out can lead to bad habits, but Kenz had to sleep outside (when I had old Emma) when I went away for 2 months and my housesitters didn't want the dogs sleeping in the house and they were fine over that time.

If the puppy is going to sleep outside I think it depends on what the weather is like as to when you can expect them to sleep outside, my 2 will sometimes choose to sleep outside if it is warm.

Something else that also enters my mind on this... even though you are sleeping for your dog it is still time spent with you. A lot of dogs spend a lot of time on their own because they end up being outdoor dogs. Just being near you is a good thing for some dogs. not saying every person must have their dog sleeping inside with them, but it's something I take in to consideration given how much time I spend away from home with work.

[Christina]

Let puppy sleep with you. He is only a baby & will be safe & warm & love you

Anything could happen to him outside alone.

[Stitch]

The very best way is to train your pup to sleep in the crate overnight....even my extremely experienced repro.vet agrees with this. He laments it is sometimes difficult to get people to accept the idea as they think it may be cruel.

It is NOT cruel to crate a puppy overnight .... crating teaches the pup self control on many levels plus you always know where the pup is overnight and what it is doing if you have the crate beside your bed.

There are many posts here on how to crate train a puppy and if you look I think there would probably be videos on the internet too.

Once you have a reliable dog overnight then you can progress to a dog bed.

Crating your pup should always be a positive experience, not a punishment.

[Nushie]

I agree with the others. We crate trained Jager from the first day we bought him home. And he slept in his crate next to our bed. If you are worried about your cat being uncomfortable then having your pup in a crate where your cat can look and smell from a safe distance will help to settle it down.

Jager slept his first night in a crate and hardly made a noise at bedtime. For the first year that is where he slept. I taught him "bedtime" and he would race off to the bedroom and get into his crate. Eventually he suckered us in and he now sleeps on our bed. But we still use his crate for times when we need him to be out of the way and calm. We moved state recently and having him crate trained made everything easier. It meant that i didnt have to watch him as the doors and gates were all open, he wasnt getting under the removalists feet and he just calmly watched the goings on.

Highly recommend crating for bedtime. Made my life sooo much easier!!!

Good luck with your puppy

[The Spotted Devil]

Yes, puppies in crates here at night until they're old enough not to get up to mischief! Zig was in an open crate in a puppy proof room and now has one at the foot of our bed. Em has only just graduated to a bed as she is like a thieving magpie :laugh: The living area is Em proof but not the bedrooms. When I had a young pup living with us for a few months he slept in a crate in the living area. There just wasn't enough room in our bedroom! I've been away for a month and I believe Em has been snuggling up with Mr TSD and the 3 cats every night! Now why did I buy her that lovely new bed again????

As for the cats, they rule the house and are well versed in putting puppies in their place gently but firmly. Dizzy needs supervision as he plays a bit too roughly with pups but the girls are good. Pup learns from the start that no chasing (unless invited to play) and sniff at your own peril. Baby gates and tall scratching posts are great for providing the cats with an escape route but good training and supervision by the human is essential. Have fun!

[tdierikx]

I crate train all of my foster pups... so worthwhile in so many ways...

The best thing about crating at night is that they are somewhere safe, and can't eat the house... you'll learn what that means soon enough with a Goldie pup... *grin*

T.

[dianed]

I have cats and dogs sleeping inside together with no troubles at night. Cats have their own favourite sleeping spaces up high, with their food on the kitchen table which we don,t use as the young dog will eat it.

Two older dogs sleep in the bedroom and the young one sleeps in the lounge. She was in a crate till she adjusted and I found out she was not destructive or chased cats. Actually dogs quite like being crated at night or at least mine did, I bet if I still had them up they would climb in.

My youngest just turned 2 and the other day I discovered new teeth marks on my computor plug in cable :)

[Mim]

If the issue is that the pup would be sleeping right next to the cat's scratching post then why not let the pup sleep inside somewhere else or move the scratching post?

To make sure your cat always has a nice "dog-free" area he can go to, a good idea is to use babygates. This way the cat can go through the gaps in the gate or jump over while the dog will not be able to.

[Zenith]

We start new pups in a crate in our bedroom of a night time. Once they are finished their chewing & mischief stage they can move to a bed in our bedroom, or sleep on one of the dog beds in the lounge room.

We also have 2 house cats - they have a room with a baby gate on it so they can get away from the dogs if they want their own space, and we built a massive cat tree house, scratching post thing so they can get up high enough. Our now 15 week old puppy is still too rough with our female cat as she is fluffy (which is more enticing to the pup than our short haired male) and she puts up with it and comes back for more. However because our pup is either in his crate, in an exercise pen in the lounge room or on a lead when inside, he doesn't have the opportunity to be rough with her, and is learning to sit or leave, so eventually we can have them interact without upsetting or hurting the cat.

[newgoldie]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)

I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

[persephone]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)

I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

:(

So this pup will be crated at night ...then crated during the day while you are at work?

You don't have a backyard ? There are so many different types of pen/enclosure available to keep pups safe , while allowing them room to move, and room to allow them to learn about toileting outdoors etc.:)

Sorry, I can not imagine a puppy's needs being met while it is spending so long being confined in a crate That is not what 'crate training' is ....

Ideally ,pups NEED to run and explore and play for muscle/brain development .They need to be able to have a discrete toilet area , and it is good for them to become accustomed to being under the sky ..to experience space and weather changes , to be constantly exposed to textures under their feet , and all sorts of outdoor noises/smells etc so they grow up confident and relaxed with their environment.

edit. cos I just realised this sentence was there....

in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

In a crate the following MAY happen:

chewing, and maybe ingesting, bedding /toys

Toileting, then having to stay in it all day ..

stressing, maybe trying to chew his way out /breaking teeth ....

Edited January 28, 2013 by persephone

[gsdog2]

:(

So this pup will be crated at night ...then crated during the day while you are at work?

You don't have a backyard ? There are so many different types of pen/enclosure available to keep pups safe , while allowing them room to move, and room to allow them to learn about toileting outdoors etc.:)

Sorry, I can not imagine a puppy's needs being met while it is spending so long being confined in a crate That is not what 'crate training' is ....

Ideally ,pups NEED to run and explore and play for muscle/brain development .They need to be able to have a discrete toilet area , and it is good for them to become accustomed to being under the sky ..to experience space and weather changes , to be constantly exposed to textures under their feet , and all sorts of outdoor noises/smells etc so they grow up confident and relaxed with their environment.

I have to agree with this ^^^^

To have a happy, well-adjusted puppy they must be able to experience life. Being confined to a crate at night is teaching them that this is a time to rest/sleep (quiet time). To spend so much time in a crate is 'possibly' going to create problems for the future. As has already been said puppies need to experience life and their brain needs to be active - giving a Kong with treats and having a visitor is great if he's learning to spend time alone in the backyard. What's going to happen when you finally decide he can't stay in a crate all day? You are going to have a puppy that still won't know how to behave all day on his own - only he's going to be twice as big (and possibly twice as destructive) as he is now

Edited January 28, 2013 by gsdog2

[minimax]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)

I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

Crate Training is more than putting them in there and shutting the door.