# Puppy crate training



## 1968toot (Oct 31, 2013)

Only 9 sleeps now until we can collect our puppy (Alfie). Not that I'm counting the days or anything!! CAN NOT WAIT!!
In preparation of the big arrival I'm doing lots of reading/research into what we need, puppy training etc and am totally confused about crate training. I have bought a 2 feet x 3 crate (as recommended by the breeder). Do I fill this with half bed and half newspaper/puppy pad or do I just fill it with bedding? Do we feed puppy inside the crate? We'll be picking him up early evening - should he go in the crate on the first night home? Is the crate too big - should I buy a divider as half the size would be big enough for him to stand, turn round and lay down. Also, if crate if puppy pad/paper free should I still place puppy pads outside the crate or near the door. Sorry for the heap of questions but any help/suggestions would be really appreciated. Thank you very very much!!
Ruth


----------



## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

The great thing is that there's no right or wrong - go with what makes you and your puppy happy.

Has he been crated at the breeders? If not, he may not be a fan of the crate so doing things like feeding and giving treats in the crate might be a good idea. If he does hate the crate, don't be afraid to move him to your room or sleep by him for a few nights - leaving your mummy and litter mates is really scary, he's only a tiny baby.

Personally, I had half bedding, half puppy pad and Tilly slept in the crate from night one - but after persevering for 5 months, she still hated the crate and now sleeps on our bed where she sleeps like a log!

Other people have a puppy play pen around the crate, some have only bedding in it and some don't crate at all. It's all about what works for you...... I only wish I had realized that myself!!

Good luck,its such an exciting time


----------



## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

I put a barrier up in their crates so it was only bedding. But that also meant that when they were tiny, I was up every few hours throughout the night. They kind of maxed out at 4.5/5 hrs. Around 4 months I brought them into bed with me and we three had the first sleeping through the night moment. They haven't gone back into the crate since.


----------



## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

When we got Molly last year at this time she was 3lbs so tiny so my neighbor gave us this tiny cat crate it was perfect for her. She could sit, stand and turn around in it! She never pee'd or poo'd in it! Then as she grew we got her a bigger one. I had her on my nightstand so if she cried I would put my finger in the holes and she would suckle on it. So cute. If she needed to pee or poo her cries were intense so I would take her out!

She never messed in her crate and we used pee pads in the apartment til she was about 3 months (we would take her out and do the pee pads) By 4 and a half months she was completely toilet trained...no accidents in the house except when we got her new sofa bed. She pee'd on it the first day it was here so I washed it and she hasn't had an accident since! She is a good girl! We used to poochie bells for 3 months and she caught on really fast! Now the bells are gone we take her out every 4-5 hours and she does her business! 

Some people train them differently but that is what worked for us! Good luck with your puppy!! Pictures would be lovely too! Just sayin


----------



## Caira (May 27, 2013)

I can only tell you what worked for us, but every puppy is different, so you might need to try few different things and see what works for you. 
Summer was 8 weeks old when we brought her home and first night she was crated in our bedroom, with puppy pad in half of her crate, but she didn't like it,she kept chewing and ripping it -and I wasn't keen on that either, I just didn't want her to associate her crate with pooing or peeing, so second night it was just bedding, blanket, teddy bear and Summer of course  I had to take her out at midninght, 3 am and 5 am..pretty much everytime she whimpered, which I did for about 3 nights and I found it very exhausing..so after that we decided to try to put an open crate in our kitchen with some newspaper on the floor, so if she had to pee, she didn't have to do it in her crate - almost forgot to mention that I slept next to her crate for 3 nights. We did that for about 2 weeks,but she hasn't used the paper from night two in the kitchen so after 2 weeks we decided to let her sleep in our bedroom in her doggie bed, now she can go easily from 11pm to 6am and if she does need to go for a wee, she just comes and puts her paws on our bed and whimpers to be let out. Sorry for such a long post, just to show that you might need to try few different things before you find what works for you


----------



## arc (Oct 23, 2013)

We have had our puppy for just over a week and the we have failed miserably at crate training!!! He's yet to enter the crate as he barks all the time he is left alone. He now sleeps on my youngest daughter's bed when she goes to sleep at 7 until about 9. Then he has a play and sleeps on the sofa. Then about 11 when we go to bed he goes on my son's bed until about 4.30. Then my daughter wakes up and goes and gets him! He's pretty happy about his bed hopping and hasn't made any mistakes at night!!


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

It is called musical beds and it is a time honoured game played in millions of households the world over!


----------



## arc (Oct 23, 2013)

Lol!! We all will do anything to get our sleep!!!


----------



## Lexi&Beemer (May 5, 2013)

Caira said:


> I can only tell you what worked for us, but every puppy is different, so you might need to try few different things and see what works for you.
> Summer was 8 weeks old when we brought her home and first night she was crated in our bedroom, with puppy pad in half of her crate, but she didn't like it,she kept chewing and ripping it -and I wasn't keen on that either, I just didn't want her to associate her crate with pooing or peeing, so second night it was just bedding, blanket, teddy bear and Summer of course  I had to take her out at midninght, 3 am and 5 am..pretty much everytime she whimpered, which I did for about 3 nights and I found it very exhausing..so after that we decided to try to put an open crate in our kitchen with some newspaper on the floor, so if she had to pee, she didn't have to do it in her crate - almost forgot to mention that I slept next to her crate for 3 nights. We did that for about 2 weeks,but she hasn't used the paper from night two in the kitchen so after 2 weeks we decided to let her sleep in our bedroom in her doggie bed, now she can go easily from 11pm to 6am and if she does need to go for a wee, she just comes and puts her paws on our bed and whimpers to be let out. Sorry for such a long post, just to show that you might need to try few different things before you find what works for you


It's amazing what happens when you open up your bed to them. For me it was blissful sleep for more than three hour intervals.


----------



## 1968toot (Oct 31, 2013)

Thanks for your replies. It sounds like I need to have a more flexible approach. It would seem that what works for one may not work for another. 7 sleeps to go!!!!!!!! Thanks again.


----------



## arc (Oct 23, 2013)

I was adamant that the puppy wasn't going to go upstairs and wasn't going in any beds! But after just 2 nights of barking non stop we gave in! Last night he slept from 10.30 to 6 on my son's bed! He's 10 weeks tomorrow. You may find your puppy loves the crate! I think ours needs to man up a bit!!


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Look at a photo of a litter of wolf pups and tell me if a puppy would naturally lie alone in a crate or snuggled in a bed with his boy?  I am a sucker for a whimpering pup, no one sleeps alone in my house.


----------



## Caira (May 27, 2013)

fairlie said:


> Look at a photo of a litter of wolf pups and tell me if a puppy would naturally lie alone in a crate or snuggled in a bed with his boy?  I am a sucker for a whimpering pup, no one sleeps alone in my house.


Summer loves sleeping next to me, during the day she'd be next to me on the sofa, in the evening she'd be in bed with us while we read and then in her doggie bed by our bed, she is happy with her crate if I need to go out or I'm taking the kids to school/preschool, but she is always happier to be close to her pack


----------



## Holly88 (Oct 12, 2013)

Maybe we've been lucky but our pup has slept every night in his crate and takes all his naps in their during the day. On the first day he came in and fell asleep and i put him straight in the crate so he sees that as is sleeping spot. At night His crate is next to our bed. He cried on the first night and after gently trying to calm him my boyfriend did a loud clap and then he just stopped. Now if he whimpers when he first goes in we just give a short sharp shh. He wakes up once a night for wees/poos. I think as long as you're consistent they'll get it. Good luck


----------



## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Think all pups are different so are owners approach to it, so do what works for you, we left Dudley in his crate with just a little bit of space outside of it (ours fit under the stairs, we left the door open to the side but put a large sheet of wood by the side of the stairs so he couldn't get out from under them) which we put a puppy pad in, first night he cried for 10 mins then about twice in the night he did the same, as we know he could get out of the crate to poo/pee we didn't go down to him, in the morning he had pee'd outside of the crate. 2nd night he cried for a few minutes at first then quiet all night! also pee'd outside of crate, from then on he didn't cry at all and after about 4 nights was dry so we started shutting the crate door, I know we were really lucky and if he had cried a lot I expect we would have changed the plan, it probably helped that we had picked him up a couple of days after the rest of his litter had gone. Good luck.


----------



## Bella Girl (Sep 6, 2013)

I am a recent new owner of a toy breed cockapoo who we rescued from an individual you longer wanted to take care of her anymore. Female one year old. I started off with a small/medium size crate that came with her. Not knowing how much the previous owner worked with her on potty training I pretty much felt I started with scratch. Started with crate half bed and half potty pad. We had couple of accidents and then after a about 3 weeks of that she started tearing up the potty pad in the crate. By the way I left small bowl of water in crate during the day. My husband and I work full time 8-10 hr days and I am a firm believer to crate your pet when your not home. I finally started feeling bad about the small confined area and her all day being in it. We moved her beside our bed. I set up a baby bassinet by our bed for her to sleep in when we sleep. I also increased the crate are sized by adding a pet indoor / outdoor playpen around the crate. I have the playpen up next to the crate door which is open so she can go in our of crate or play in her space in the playpen. No more potty pads were added. She has not had an accident since then. I love the playpen area where she room to play with her toys or she can sleep in crate. I drapped a pink blanket over crate to cover it so it would be private and keep her room if needed. Enjoy your new pet and do what works for you.


----------



## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Bella Girl said:


> Enjoy your new pet and do what works for you.


Great advice!


----------



## Les (Dec 3, 2013)

Hi there. 
We pick our puppy up in a week! I've been reading the puppy books and have just ordered my crate and playpen! Good luck.


----------



## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

I love the way our poos get round us so easily, and I love the musical bed stories! I was brought up to believe that dogs should sleep on their own downstairs and our dogs were never even allowed upstairs let alone on the beds. Now both of mine sleep on our bed (even my "indifferent to dogs" hubby tolerates it) and I love that we all sleep together like a little pack! They have never messed in our bedroom and we always have lie-ins if we want them as they are just so happy to be with us!


----------

