Crate Training

[h878]

Hi all. Our Standard Dachshund puppy is coming home to us on the 16th of November. He will be an inside dog but we are looking to crate him at night time and when we go out to places he is not allowed to go. Is there a thread anywhere to can explain techniques on how to crate relatively easily and kindly? I found one other crate thread but with half the replies being deleted, I can't follow it :)

[h878]

oh and 2 more questions. What size crate would be needed for a small/medium dog (small in height, medium in length lol!) and are wire or soft more suitable?

[Tassie]

Exciting!! Good for you for planning ahead, too. There's a lot of good stuff on the net - so try googling crate training puppies. The basic principles are pretty simple .. non chewable crate - preferably covered to make it den like - either not too big, or with a divider, so pup is unlikely to soil crate. Bedding - something like Vet-Bed material is good - less chewable - and many breeders use it in their puppy boxes.

Make crate a highly desirable place for pup to go - special treats in crate. Leave door open at first - unless pup is trained to a crate already. then close when pup is asleep, and from the beginning, it's worth training pup to come out on your release. Make sure you check pup every couple of hours and take pupout for toilet break outside (and after eating, playing etc. etc.)

Personally, I like to have the crate beside my bed, at least for starters, so I can hear when pup needs to go out and get up and take him out at night. then straight back in, maybe with a biscuit.

It's worth asking your breeder if he/she can start the crating process before pup comes homne. Many will do this, especially if their pups are likely to have to travel by plane and be crated for long periods on their first journey.

You will be so glad you taught your pup that a crate is a great place to be - makes travelling, vet care etc. etc. so much easier. They will settle in their crate and feel very safe - or in someone else's crate if they see that first. I know they say dogs don't geneeralise, but IME they do generalise the notion of crates - mine love wire crates, airline crates, soft crates - any old crate - theirs or any handy empty crate. My goofy BC boy - 21 kg - squeezed himself into his CAvalier friend's crate one day at an obedience trial, because it was the only crate available to him at the time - she was off somewhere else, so it was 'free'. :laugh:

[persephone]

:) What a busy time it will be!

these three links may help - crate training

LINK

LINK

LINK

[tikira]

Congratulations Hannah, you must be super excited right now.

I cannot recommend crate training highly enough, I will always crate train from now on, it is so much easier, safer, and less stressful for all concerned.

I was lucky in that our Jack Russell had been crate trained with his mum and siblings, locked in at 10pm at night and let out at 5am to toilet outside, The pups all learned to hold it, and to love their crate.

Our boy loved his setup from the beginning, his crate had comfy bedding, and his pen was set up on floating floorboards around our dining room table, and this has his food and water. We also added his own doggy door, and an outside run with deck and grassed area. Three weeks later when he goes into his pen he still relaxes in his crate and just watches us. We close him in at night and at random times in the day,and Hubby has been sleeping in the same area, mostly to monitor our Border Collie, who didn't like him moving around for the first two weeks. Puppy has never cried once.

We bought him a stuffed rabbit which we gave him when we picked him up, and had a towel which had been dragged around by his mum and siblings that he slept with from the start, and he still finds the Rabbit when he is sleepy.

Be patient and MAKE it work. We will be able to take Jingo to all sorts of places and know he is secure and safe in his "bedroom", and at times like ironing day, or when I am cooking, I know he is safe and happy, which makes me relaxed and happy too.

We did all of our research via google and DOL, taking what we thought would work for us, and discarding the rest. It seems that a lot of puppies cry for a while, but don't give up, start as you mean to go on, but try to make it a positive experience with toys and treats during non sleep times. We are also using his portable crate to move from room to room to acclimatise him to different situations while he is young, and to .

He has plenty of time with us, in all different rooms and outside time alone too (a few minutes at the moment). Tiny bits regularly, no fuss made, as I worry that because I am home all the time, he may become "clingy"

Good luck with your new puppy

Di

[h878]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for the links :) sounds pretty similar to teaching a baby to self settle :laugh: if the smaller the better for a crate perhaps we'll buy a small size and upgrade to a medium size once the pup grows. That is if I can't find an adjustable one. I really don't have a clue what I'm looking for. We haven't had a puppy in our little family before. My last dog was when I was 12 so a good 15 years ago!