Crate Training Basics

[Milo&Doc]

Deborah, thank you so much! I am really excited to be joining this community, what a wonderful resource. We have been letting Doc go in and out of his crate as he pleases and rewarding and praising him everytime he is in there and especially when he is lying down in there chewing on a toy. I have also been feeding him in there and shutting the door, yesterday we put him in and shut the door and didn't let him out until he calmed down for a second. He doesn't like being locked in there and I am scared he is going to hurt himself if left in there alone. I ordered a corral for him on Amazon so our plan is once we receive it is to put his crate in the corral with his bed and some toys, rope bone, stuffless skunk etc. My main concern at this point is our other dog Milo, him and Doc get along great and play a whole lot. I think Doc would be happier out in the den where Milo has run of the house rather than being along in the bedroom however I am nervous they may try to play through the corral and not sure if thats a safety issue or not. We will try out corraling him while we are home and see what they do, I am just very concerned about his safety.

He is doing pretty well with eliminating outside, I am fairly confident he is aware of what he is supposed to do, he even does the fake squat trying to sneak some extra treats. We live in Vermont and have a bunch of snow so its easy to tell when he is faking and when he isn't! He is a smart little whipper snapper.

For now we have all hands on deck and aren't leaving him alone yet, it seems as though it also takes a community to raise a great dog.


And yes sleep is highly overrated, this will be great practice for a newborn!

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

It's wonderful practice for a newborn! They are much harder to "train" than a puppy. I have 2 sons, one of whom just turned 20, and the other is 15 and a half. I'm still "house training" them.

As long as safety is your number one concern, you will be alright. I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work. Much like human babies, just when you have it all figured out, they (the pups or babes) have another growth spurt and the whole routine changes again. Each change is usually quite positive, and by the age of 1, you will have a well trained, happy dog.

I am pleased to hear that you are happy with our community. It does take a Village. Personally, I learn something new all the time from the Forums and hearing other people's experiences.

We have another member in Vermont who is a darling. I know Vermont is not a huge State so perhaps you two will meet one day, at least on here.

I also think it's easier to house train a pup in the winter as the cold makes them go right away, so no fussing about in the warm grass being distracted. When Oliver was a puppy, we made a snow wall on our deck, so all we had to do was open the sliding door, and put him out. He couldn't escape, but he could explore. As you also mentioned, we knew immediately if he had conducted his business or not. Henry was an entirely different ball game.

Michelle, perhaps you should start a thread in the Introduction Section so we can all meet and greet you properly.

[LovemyElla]

How do you know when you have reached the point you can leave a dog uncrated, alone in the house (or a room) for short periods? I have grown up with dogs all my life, but we never crated, so this is my first experience. She seems to do fine during the day (I work from home 2 days, and have a dog walker come in twice a day when I am in the office), and she sleeps through the night in the crate. But I don't have a good sense of when you know it is ok to start leaving the door open at night (without worrying about nighttime potty accidents and destruction) or when she can be on her own, uncrated, during the day.
As background, I adopted my puppy Ella (some kind of lab mix - the rescue isnt sure what the mix is) a few weeks ago, at 16 weeks old. She is making good progress with potty-training - accidents now are only when i am not being as attentive as I should be. I know that allowing her to be 'free-range' is still a long way off - I am not so crazy as to think we are anywhere near fully housetrained in only a few weeks - but without any crating experience, I am curious to know how one knows it is time to relax with the crating, at least for short periods or at night.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

While I also grew up in a home where crates were rarely used, a safe, secure room was. Confinement of one sort or another is often most desired.

"LovemyElla" - Obviously it depends on the individual dog, but as a general rule, I wouldn't even attempt short absences until at least 1 year of age. One of our members had a great idea when she first left her dog alone for only 10 minutes. She set up a Camcorder so she could see how her dog reacted while she was gone. I usually just fly by the seat of my pants based on how long I can go in the house without having an eye on the pup/dog at all times.

I really think it's one of those things that you can judge by the way the dog behaves. Since you have the ability to work from home for 2 days/week, you have the advantage of seeing how your puppy spends its entire day. You know how long the puppy likes to go before going out, as well as eating, or when boredom sets in. I think by the time your puppy is a dog, you will see that she sleeps for the better part of the day, and really only seeks your attention because you are there. That will be your cue to start off with very brief periods of time.

Always remove any temptations, such as garbarge, food, shoes or any other hazard (including her own toys on which she could choke). Some dogs can NEVER be left with free range. My neighbour has a very well behaved 13 year old Chocolate Lab, Kimmie, who has been "fixed" since she was a youngster. However, if she is "cross" with her "Daddy", she will rip up carpeting, or drywall and eat it. She had to have emergency surgery last summer, and nearly died! I also had a Lab that could never be fully trusted either, so if I had to be out for any length of time, she went in the Laundry Room, which is also where she slept at night, with her sister, my Golden.

I'm sure that's the longest "non" answer you've ever read, but I hope you grasp my point. I also don't wish to paint all "Labs" with the same brush. It just so happened that those were two examples with which I'm very familiar. Jack Russell Terriers are an entirely different story. My answer for them would probably be NEVER.

As with human children, most rules have to be "played by ear". Good luck to you, and don't stress the confinement. Many dogs feel very safe in their "dens".

[kian]

Yup it does depend on the dog, mine have been crate graduated by 8 months, that is very early. Like Deb said, a year is most likely for most dogs. Do start out 10 minutes at a time. When I let mine out of the crate for that very first night, I seem to sleep with one eye open for a few nights.

She is only 16 weeks, so you do have a long time to go before total freedom happens.

LOL Deb, JRT's never, that is a true statement!

[LovemyElla]

Thank you both for the quick reply. I guessed that it would be a good long time, especially since she loves putting anything and everything in her mouth at this point!

[kylie_g]

I can't get over the feeling that it would be cruel to leave puppy in a crate when I'm not home. She has a living room and kitchen as well as the backyard to roam in when we go out. I've shifted the entertainment unit so that all the cords are closed off in the corner and she can't access them. The worst she can do is scratch up the couch. She really tries, but I think she's too small still to do much real damage. Do you think we can train her out of these behaviours before her claws and teeth become strong enough to ruin the house? Is it really bad to leave her out of the crate? She can't get into the other rooms of the house while I'm out because the doors are closed. So really the only things on the floor are her toys and food dishes and her bed and crate. Is this okay?

[kian]

You have to think dog here and not human. Puppies go through several teething phases and left to thier own devices anything becomes fair game and some of those things they chew on can hurt them. Is there anyone that come home during the day to let her out of the crate or pen? You can gate her off in a safe area if she doesn't take to the crate. I love having my dogs crate trained, just last week one of mine went through some diarrhea and needed to be crated while I was gone. He hasn't been left in a crate at home for over a year, he did great. It's good to get her use to it if you can.

It isn't cruel at all, it's thier safe place and now she will sleep a lot. Leave soft music on, a old t-shirt with you have slept in so she has your scent and when you let her out, make no fuss about it.

When you say she has access to the backyard, is very secure as in no one can see her? I would hate to see her stolen, it happens and it's horrible.

[kylie_g]

The backyard is very secure; I used to run a home daycare centre. The only positions with a view into it are one neighbour's upstairs window and another neighbour's kids treehouse. My biggest worry is security because I leave the back door open for her. Vi also can't get the house warm fir the same reason! Gotta install a pet door ASAP! And I'm never gone more than 2-3 hours. I'm a university student but I do most of my study at home.

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

Since you used to run a daycare, then my question to you would be, "would you allow a 4 year old to make good decisions for themselves for 2 to 3 hours at a time with the same amount of access you are giving this puppy"?

That is essentially what you are doing with your puppy as well as exposing your home to intruders. While we can't and don't lock children away unattended as they are humans, dogs can be safely secured. See Kian's above post! Quite frankly, if crate or "pen" training is done properly, it gives the dog a sense of security that makes them far more transportable as they mature.

Oliver will go anywhere happily as long as he has his crate, with its special "blankie". He knows that wherever we leave him, if he is in his "safe house" (den) that we will return, and his surroundings are familiar. Although I am late in responding to your posts, I've read most of your comments. Your puppy is not a child, but you must equate the pup's needs to that of a child's using appropriate measures for a dog.

Good luck to you!

[LexiLoveLaugh]

Wow, this post is just what I needed I've had my 8 week old puppy Lexi now for exactly 1 week and we have been working on crate training since day one. Very true sleep is overrated haha First couple days were exhausting But today has been a great day and I'm very excited My work has been paying off. Yesterday, I had been training her "in your bed" every time I noticed her dozing off. She would take her nap "in her bed" and then would of course cry when she woke up (2 hrs later) but I would wait for silence before I let her out then it was lets go "outside". Playtime then again "In your bed". However, my bedtime while she is in her bed is very interrupted about every 2 hrs. So last night I had just been way to sleep deprived as is also my husband who has to wake up for work.... He NEEDS sleep so I ooops let her sleep with us and we got 6 hrs of silence and sleep So today, I've been doing the same training and actually got her to stay in her bed for me to walk all the way around it (she cant see me because its covered with a blanket on the sides and back) I was very proud Hopefully tonight she will sleep soundly "in her bed" fingers are crossed

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

That was an encouraging post, but it's been 5 days now. We need an update!

I can't say I blame you for bringing her into your bed so you could sleep. I did that with Oliver, and then Henry, and I've never regretted it. However, I most certainly did not do that with my Golden or my Lab! Size is a consideration.

[LexiLoveLaugh]

Lexi has been doing great in her bed I continue to work with her through the day getting her to go into her bed and stay. Every now and then I sprinkle some of her puppy food in there and it has actually encouraged her to go into her bed and nap even when there is no food there for her. I've caught her several times going into her bed and soon enough fast asleep. However, it still hasn't worked to well through the night she is still sleeping at our feet. But the first time she wakes me early in the morning "attacking my face and head" I pick her up take her out play a bit then have her go into her bed so I can get at least 3 more hrs of sleep. She complains for a bit but soon enough shes asleep again Everything is a work in progress but she at least isn't crying every single time she is "in her bed". I will post another update in a couple days once we try having her sleep there during the night. Hopefully it goes better than the previous tries .... Overall I am very pleased that she is going into her bed on her own now to sleep

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

That's wonderful!!!! That is precisely how it goes....2 steps forward and maybe a half a step back. By the time she is a year old, this will all be but a distant memory.

I just realized that we brought Henry home 3 years ago on June 23rd!!! (I was travelling on that day or would have posted something to celebrate the anniversary). He was quite a handful in the first six months and now he's a great big sleepy head when we need him to be. It took a while for that to happen, and I'm sure by the next time there is a pup in my midst, I'll be referring to this thread for refresher tips as we do tend to forget.

In the grand scheme of things, when one considers the length of a dog's life, the time spent now is but a drop in the bucket, but it sets up a lifetime of terrific companionship. However, no one is going to deny that it doesn't feel long when one is living it. The fact that Lexi will go back to bed and give you 3 more hours of sleep, with only mild complaining is excellent!!!

Keep us posted, please!!! Posts like yours give others hope and reinforce the notion that goals can be achieved through persistence and consistency.

Yay Lexi!!!!

[LexiLoveLaugh]

Lexi is growing to accept and actually like her bed she hasn't slept a full night in it yet. But, early this morning as she woke me up by attacking my face thinking it was play time (was so not even play time lol) swiftly got picked up played with a bit and encouraged to go in her bed. There was protest for a bit but finally some peace and sleep for us all As we all know its a work in progress

Oliver & Henry's Mum its so encouraging to know that by a year maybe less she will love her bed with no protest