# Crate training problems



## beckyr (May 28, 2012)

Hi. 
Wondering if anyone can help. 
Pup "scamp" due home home in less then 2 weeks. Have everything bought for him. 
Planning on crate training. But have heard so many different approaches. 
Through books - small crate (no room for toileting). Sleep in and take them out to go, they will let you know? Will he? 
Larger crate. Let them sleep and urinate in other section of crate. And go from there. 
Am a little confused. 
Any suggestions? 

Becky.


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## flounder_1 (May 12, 2011)

We chose the smaller crate option - but instead of getting up in the night we chose to take shifts. Hubby (who's a bit of a night owl anyway) would stay up late with Lolly and take her out for a last wee at about 12.30am and I would get up at about 5.30-6am when I heard her waking you. We gradually lengthened the time as she grew older. We were very lucky and I think we only had one wee in her crate on the first night. She would be pretty desperate to go outside when I got up in the morning and my son (who's an early bird anyway) would get up with me and open the crate so that I could be opening the back door so she could dash straight out. 

The down side to this option is that we had to buy another crate as Lolly grew. I think we started with a 30" crate and bought another one when she was about 6 months old (although this one only got used for a few weeks as we stopped using a crate when she was about 8 months old) We now use the smaller crate in the boot of the car for her to travel in.

I have to say that we were very lucky and Lolly got the hang of toilet training very quickly but I think this is a bit down to luck - like children - some pick it up sooner and easier than others.


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## Jhunter_83 (Jun 11, 2012)

I think we have been lucky with Barney (although he had been in a crate from leaving his mam along with his brothers or sisters).

We bought a big crate (32" i think it is) and folded a vet bed up and put it in one half and put training pads in the other half. 

Barney used to go over to the training pads in his cage to do his business from the start, he used to go to bed at 9pm and we would let him out when we woke at 6am. The only problem was that we had to clean him as he would get excited to see us in the morning and would jump over his pads.

As soon as we woke up we opened the back door and took him outside. 

Eventually he stopped using the cage as a toilet and always went outside for a wee/poo as soon as he woke up. 

He now goes to sleep at 9pm (Barney insists) and doesn't get up till we get up in the morning (6:30am weekdays and about 8am on weekends)


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## Fifi (Aug 11, 2011)

We had a 30" crate for Gaia, tried puppy pad first night but she ripped it up. She took 30 mins to settle first night, then started again about 2 am, I got up to let her out and she wee'd, put her back in crate, took 10 mins to settle. So she did let us know and I continued to get up until she went through the night took about 3 to 4 weeks, but she never messed in her crate.

Incidentally we have only recently stop using the crate and she is one of the larger poo's standing 17.5 inches.


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## beckyr (May 28, 2012)

*Crate Training*

Thanks for all suggestions.
Everyone seems to be doing it differently.
Where did everyone keep there pups, as the "experts" say to have them in your bedroom the first few nights in their crate, so they can let you know when they wont to go. And then to take them downstairs once they have settled. Wont this just confuse the pup?
Sorry to sound like such an eejit, but im a little confused.

Becky


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

Jasper's crate is big enough for a bed and a small area for a bowl and for him to sit or lie on if he gets hot and bothered. We have vet bed covering the base. The second night we had him he had a poo and a wee, disgustingly the poo had gone before I got to it and the wee had soaked away leaving the top surface dry! Luckily at 10 weeks he's grown out of the poop eating phase, lol. I get up in the night or early morning to let him out. It was quite a few times a night at first but now he lasts till about 5.30am then goes back to bed till about 7ish. I suppose his bladder is maturing. I do not talk to him or reward him for going to the toilet. I just pop him straight back in his crate after he is done so he doesn't see waking me up as getting attention. It's hard getting up but at least he isn't doing his business in his bed. Good luck with it! 


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## loopyloo (Aug 18, 2012)

Our boy has never been upstairs to sleep. He has a 30 inch crate which was 1/2 puppy pad in holder and 1/2 vetbed in the kitchen. The first night we got up about 2 o'clock to him to take him to the garden. After that we put him to bed about 10.30 and wake him about 6.30. The first 3 nights he had used his pad, and as said in the other post, he had walked in it so had to be cleaned up. Since then we've had a clean and dry crate (fingers crossed) and, at the weekend, we removed the pad as he just ran round the kitchen with it after we'd woken him. This has worked well for us but all pups are different, as are people's circumstances. Hope this helps


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

Jasper has always been in the kitchen but I can hear him if he cries! He does come up for cuddles when it's a reasonable time such as 7ish but I have never brought him up when he's cried in the night. I know keeping the crate in the bedroom works for some people but jasper is more than happy in the kitchen x


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## Duckdog (Jul 23, 2012)

From night one, Binky has been in a crate in the kitchen. 

She goes to bed fairly late (11/12) but the last two nights has taken herself around 10.30pm. We do not hear a peep from her in the night, and never have. In fact she is quiet until I get up...I do not leave her longer than 7 hours overnight at the mo as I think even though she is quiet it is not fair. 

I have a 36" crate, vet bed, and two fleece blankets at one end, and a puppy pad at the other. Routine is, last wee in the garden (she never poos last thing at night) and then in the crate, snuggle bear, (no heartbeat as she is not bothered by it any more and no heat pad as she is a hot pup), cover 3 sides of crate with fleece blanket (exposed side is near a wall so no view into a big room), radio 4 on low, dim light in the next room, and I say a quiet night night. 

She has used the pad twice in the 2 weeks we have had her, and that was for wee only and I know why in both instances (tooooo much water after 9pm).

She does not mind having the pad at all. It is not touching her bed, so she seems OK with it. In fact the other day I forgot to take it up during the day (well it was clean and I was busy!) and the lazy toad had a nap in her crate and peed on the pad because she couldn't be bothered to go outside!

We do not have her upstairs at all during the time we are in bed...this may change as she gets older, but right now if it ain't broke and all that!!


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## Kt77 (Sep 20, 2012)

Jumping on your thread here but I'm wondering about all this too. I was going to get a 36" and either divide it with pad outside or not? Presume the pad goes at the rear and bed at front? Bit confused to say the least


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

Jasper has a 36" crate we let him out in the night so doesn't use pads. We have vet bed in the bottom which draws the wee away from the surface if he has any accidents. This is jasper's crate -









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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

His crate has an up and over door which we leave open in the day it also has 2 other door options  


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## beckyr (May 28, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions. 
Am feeling alot more confident about this now. 
Just wish it was the summer save us getting drenched everytime he needs a wee.

Not long now, we get him next wednesday. He's going to be a lot of fun


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## JasperBlack (Sep 1, 2012)

So excited for you! They are so much fun! I'm dreading the snow, if we have any it will probably be deeper than jasper is tall, lol x


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## loopyloo (Aug 18, 2012)

Kt77 said:


> Jumping on your thread here but I'm wondering about all this too. I was going to get a 36" and either divide it with pad outside or not? Presume the pad goes at the rear and bed at front? Bit confused to say the least


That's the set up we used originally but in a 30 inch crate because we already had one that size. We had a pad in a holder at the back and vet bed on a flat bed at the front. We have since dispensed with the pad as Rafferty is clean and dry at night now:twothumbs: See my previous post for details. Hope this is of help


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

We are fans of the smaller crate!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

We had a 30" crate, it fit under the stairs and we managed to leave the door open to just a tiny space left under the stairs and put a pad down in that area, we had a large piece of hardboard stopping him going anywhere else. The crate just had vetbed in. We left Dudley all night as we knew he could go pee or poo if needed, for the first 3 nights he did a wee outside the crate but after that stayed dry so we closed the crate at night, he never once did a poo in the night. He was hard work with biting and general puppy naughtiness/playfulness during the day, but at night time was brilliant.


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## Toffin (Aug 8, 2012)

So far so good with this. 36" crate in utility room by radiator, floor lined with a sort of vet bed, Scruffs donut bed in back, puppy pad in front. Polly goes to sleep in the front room cuddled up at about 9pm, out for a quick wee at 10 then straight into bed in her crate. Radio 4 on quietly in the dining room, hall lamp on dimly.

She uses her puppy pad through the night for wees and poos. I go down at 7am and she's still asleep. Quietly unlock the crate and pull the pad towards me so she won't walk on the soiled pad (although she tends to use the sides of the pads not the bit in a direct line from bed to door!), then she stirs and bumbles towards me with the whole-body-wag!

This was from the first night (although I went down a bit earlier the first morning as I was worried about her!) and we're now on night 5. Gosh, I hope she keeps this up!

Toffin
x


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