# Crate at bedtime



## EmilyGrace1991 (Apr 12, 2013)

Hi guys

I was wondering if you could clear some things up for me.
We have got a dog gate on our kitchen to make it a safe area for Jessie (my new puppy, picking her up in 19 days), I also have a dog bed and a crate.

What is the best way to approach helping her sleep, do I need to close the door on the crate or leave her in the kitchen. Plus how long does she need to use the crate for and when can I go out and leave her just in the kitchen, or do I always need to use the crate?

I'm a little confused sorry if it seems a little silly but this is all very new to me.

Thank you in advance xx


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## Woody2012 (Dec 29, 2012)

Hiya. We use a crate for woody. He still sleeps in his crate at night. We close the door at night and put blankets over it to keep it dark (as recommended by our breeder). Woody has never cirede at night and has never messed his crate. I've never got up in the night to let him out either. I think it just depends on your dog! We have just started leaving him In the kitchen when we go out now as opposed to locking him in his crate, but he's nearly 6 months old and isn't chewing everything. Although until now, we've always crated him when we've gone out (up to 3.5 hrs) at a time. We still crate him at night as he likes it, he always gets in his crate at bed time of his own free will!


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## Woody2012 (Dec 29, 2012)

Oh and I bought him a dog bed as well, which he ate within 2 months!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

If the breeder has crate trained, then its easier for you to continue. Otherwise start from scratch. 

Everyone has different methods, it's what suits you and the puppy. What I did was make the crate like a den, cover with a blanket, a vet bed on one side and puppy pad/newspaper on the other. A few toys and a small stone bowl of water at the back far corner. Although Millie settled into her crate at night without much trouble, if I put her in it in the daytime she made a right old fuss. Sometimes you need to contain them during the daytime.

By the time she was 5 months old and toilet trained I got rid of the crate.

Now in hindsight, I should have let her be crate upstairs as that is where we put her bed (in the hallway, but our bedroom door is open). We crated her downstairs.

If you search on here you will find lots of threads about crate training.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

EmilyGrace1991 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I was wondering if you could clear some things up for me.
> We have got a dog gate on our kitchen to make it a safe area for Jessie (my new puppy, picking her up in 19 days), I also have a dog bed and a crate.
> ...


I used a crate with Molly and it worked out great. The first night was kind of bad she would wimper but had her on my night stand so when she cried I would put my finger in and she would stop. She slept from 10pm to about 3am then was crying really hard cause she had to pee so took her out. She has been sleeping in her crate ever since we only had 1 accident which is amazing...she is a good girl!

She still sleeps in her crate and she is 6 months old now. She is at the foot of the bed cause she is in a bigger crate now. Not a peep from her at night she goes to bed at 10pm and sleeps til 7am. I love that we got her used to a crate it's the best

I crate her during the day also for a couple of hours so I can have some me time and she doesn't mind it at all. I felt bad at first but she likes it in there it's her safe zone.

We always had the door closed if you google dog crating they have great instructions on how to do it!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

I think a lot depends on where you would like her to sleep eventually, If you are happy for her to sleep upstairs with you then have the crate in your bedroom, some people have not used a crate at all. We have a no upstairs rule (due to hubby's asthma) so had the crate in the hall from day one - luckily it fits under our stairs and I was able to secure a very small area just outside of the crate and left a puppy pad in that area, our boy did go outside of the crate for about 3 nights and was then dry so I started closing the crate. If you are leaving them in a crate then at night it does make them feel more secure if you cover it with something. (although I imagine if they are near you this may not be needed). Good luck. Oh and a lot of people get rid of the crate once the puppy is housetrained, we still use ours as he feels secure in there and as it is tucked under the stairs it is not too much of an eye sore, even so we will get rid of it one day I expect. It is good if we stay somewhere else as he just settles in his crate where ever we are.


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## Emmaar (Apr 14, 2013)

Hi my puppy is 13wks and I too have some questions after reading this link, he has now settled in his crate ( took about 2 weeks of sleepless nights ) we cover it with a blanket and he is happy to be in at bedtime and if I need to go out in the day, I have a big crate and I have a bed one end with toys and a puppy pad the other this was the advise given to me when I got barney, my husband works shifts so he will try and get his up between 4am - 6 am to go to the toilet but barney will not get out if his bed, he has made him get out and took him Out and he just gets back in, barney will then about 7am let me know he wants to get out I run down straight away thinking he needs to go out and he has already done a poo on his pad! This has been the same every morning for 2-3 wks we have tried getting him up different times of The night and it makes no difference, someone told Me to put him in a smaller crate - which I have ready for when he is older and he won't poo in his bed! But the problem is he has before twice! So I would rather him use the pad then be forced to go on his bed! Will he grow out of this or any tips,thank you


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## RangerC (Jan 23, 2013)

Day 3 since we picked our puppy barney up. I have done the same as millidog but barney has cried and cried and cried in his crate. It's not so much that he doesn't like it but he doesn't like being on his own (at night and if i go out). He is in the laundry room at the moment and I puppy proofed it as best I can and left the crate door open last night as he does a poo in the night and gets upset about doing it in his crate. It didn't stop the crying but did stop the barking. (Which was his way of telling me what he had done).

They are all different but you will work it out when he arrives so don't worry.


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