Nervous about crate training
We bought a nice big 36" crate with a divider (recommended by Ashley. Thank you, thank you). Jaxson will spend a lot of time in his crate and we will take him out approx every hour. When he only eliminates outside he will get treats as his reward. In between his hours in the crate he will have up to 6 kong toys to chew on with his kibble and possibly a treat buried inside. This will help him with his teething as we teach him not to chew on furniture and us but only the chew toys. This also keeps him busy and loving his crate. Sound like a plan? Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated. My question is how long after he eliminates outside should I keep him out of the crate? In other words when do we get to play around with him? I do not want him in the crate all day (I feel that is unfair) Keep in mind my kids when they get home from school they will want him to play every second, as will I, but it is so important to get this program right after the first few weeks/months. I really want him to get into a routine, a routine that once he passes he can have free range of the home. And on the other hand btw my wife and I work from home and we do not want to be with him every second either as he needs to be independent and know its ok when we leave, etc. Bascially trying to figure it all out before he arrives and while it will be a trail by error situation, once we get to know each other sort of thing, it is hard to say what will work today but any advice is helpful for his arrival in a few short weeks. Thanks!!!! |
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| The best playtime is after he potties. As he plays, you will want to keep him in eyesight of one of you all the time. You want to prevent him from getting into stuff, going potty, etc while no one is watching. Open plan home floorplans make containing pups harder - they are more free roaming. You may need to get creative with barricades! After a few days to a week with your puppy, you will get a good idea of what your pups "pre-potty" behavior looks like and can prevent accidents by getting him outside quickly. And not getting yourself sucked into a book, TV, computer, etc is the hard part....my husband tends to get more engrossed in stuff...and my kids (when they were still at home) were even worse! And puppy proofing - I'm sure you've done this....Puppy proofing is a lot like child proofing. One good idea is to get down on the floor (more at puppy level) and scope out potential hazards. |
Mady was our first experience with a puppy and the first time trying to housetrain. We were probably over-zealous, in that I would scoop her up and bring her outside constantly, I had 2 weeks off from work, she had nearly constant attention. We didn't use treats (and honestly, she was hardly interested in treats as a very young pup, quite different than now...  ) just lavish praise every time she did. Real lavish, like she won the nobel prize for peeing... yes we looked like maniacs, but oh well. I would say Mady understood the basics of housetraining with 24 hours, the few accidents she had were definitely when we knew we should take her out and didn't. She only pooped inside once, which was real nice. Since we had no experience with house-training, I was really surprised by how easy it went.Mady was also crate-trained with a crate and a divider. She was in her crate over-night from day 1, and she never had an accident in her crate. For the first 6-8 weeks though, she would wake me up anywhere from 3-4 a.m., and again at 6 a.m. to go outside to pee. I was completely exhausted with such constant interrupted sleep. But I'm sure that's all run-of-the-mill stuff for people who've had kids.  |
| We are the type of parents that will run him outside when its time to eliminate. Just like you David, we will probably give him tons of attention even though I want him to get used to being alone sometimes. Was Mady crate trained in your bedroom or another part of your home? Currently we have the crate in our living room which is next to the kitchen. I am not sure if he will want to be upstairs with us during night time or will accept that thats where his room/crate is. Dawn, we will keep close eyes on him at all times. Between my wife, me and my two kids we will watch very closely. I really do not want to put up a gate by the stairs. I would like not to but if necessary then I guess we will. Or perhaps I will put a gate in the kitchen doorway so he can hang there if not in the crate. Guess time will tell to figure that out  We started puppy proofing this weekend, starting from the basement of the house up to the bedrooms. So much stuff all over the place. I gotta say my basement has never been cleaner.  |
| Mady's crate is by the backyard patio doors near the kitchen. She was fine sleeping in it for the first 4-5 months. At about 6-7 months old she suddenly decided she wouldn't put up with sleeping in the crate when we were upstairs, and since then she sleeps upstairs, usually on the floor next to our bed, then later in the night she moves to the tiled shower room where it's the coldest spot upstairs. Maybe she would have put up with sleeping in the crate more if the crate was in our bedroom. We wanted her to get used to being alone, so a couple of times during that first two weeks we would crate her and leave the house for an hour or so. We've never had any issue with her being home alone. Now she's only crated when she's home alone and we just tell her "crate time" and she goes in without complaining. She will also go in her crate sometimes to nap when we're downstairs. If we're upstairs, she's upstairs though. This was taken a few weeks ago:  |
| Thanks David. Sounds like the road most commonly travelled here. I think by 6-8 months (if jaxson is housebroken) then he can sleep anywhere but our beds. We have tiled floors in the den downstairs that stay cold. I bet he will love it there. LOL. What size crate is that? Mady sure does look cozy there. |
| Enjoy 4 weeks of peace while you wait for Jaxson. You'll have so much fun once he arrives! We tried to have Howie in crate in our bedroom on the main floor when he was 8 weeks old. Problem was he just got too hot. He would pant that whole night. So we moved the crate to our finished basement, in a guest bedroom...now called 'Howie's room'. It was much cooler and more comfortable for him. At 6 months we stopped putting him in the crate at night, he still wants to sleep downstairs.  I wish he would settle in our room, but nope he prefers his own floor!Enjoy each moment of puppyhood, they grow fast! peg |
So you think this little devil will keep me up at night???? |
| Oh my, he is sweet! And yep...sleep now! It really is odd. Some pups sleep through the night early on, with the odd potty break, others not. Howie just last month (10 months old) finally slept straight through from 10:30 pm to 6:00am. I can get up through the night now and he is sound asleep ...that what I call heaven! Hope Jaxson is a pup that loves to sleep. David, great photo of Mady catching some zzzz's. peg and howie |
| So now I am prepared how to cratetrain and now onto the next....... getting him to sleep through the night. Bascially I have 6-8 months of waking up and taking care of him. Knowing my luck he will not be sleeping through the night but will do my best to try. One of the other posters here (NJ_Sheepie) said her pup has been sleeping through the night so who knows. I sleep like a rock and my wife is a light sleeper but she will wake me up to take him out if necessary. No biggie.... whatever it takes to have a happy and playful puppy around forever. |
| Yep, Dahlia sleeps through the night.... .EXCEPT.... the last 2 nights!!!!! Bummer! Last night she woke up at 1:30am---went out and then wimpered at 4am and I ignored her and she went back to sleep until 6:30am. The night before she woke up at 3am---crying and barking... so, I let her out to pee and then back to sleep until 7am. We have been trying to keep her to a schedule with her naps and sleeping and other then the last 2 nights (which I am hoping was a fluke) she has slept from about 10:30pm until 6:30pm.... or something similar.... She has never had an accident in her crate. I am hoping tonight she sleeps through! We shall see! |
| Jaxson is so cute! I love his markings, and his posing. These four weeks will drag by for you. We are the proud new parents of our sweet Charm. She has been home with us for just a week(tomorrow), and I'm drained. Good advice to sleep now.  We were fortunate to have two crates from other dogs, so Charm stays closely in her kitchen kennel, where she can see us. She sleeps in a sectioned crate in the utility room at night. She has free roam of our gated kitchen(tile), but has roughly four one hr crate times throughout the day. Puppies need sleep and rest, and I use that time for errands, housework or napping  She doesn't complain or cry at all. Just a few whines the first two nights, but nothing now. We feed her in the crate too. I entice her with little treats during the day to enter the crate on her own. Slow progress but this is just the first week. These sheepies are so quick to please. My husband and I take turns at night getting up for potty breaks. Someone mentioned to limit water two hrs prior to bedtime, and I believe it is a huge help. We bed down by ten, and do a potty around three, and then up by 5:00. Hope to forego the night wee soon. Charm has never soiled either crate   but enjoys that quick squat on the tile when I'm not looking  I hope this helps some, I'm a complete novice, and have learned so much here. I'm excited that so many of us have puppies what great fun! Gotta run, it's pottytime |
| Great stuff Brenda. Not sure if I like the word "drained", that just made me tired already lol. I really like the name Charm, she is a cutie. Thanks for the kudos, we love his markings as well therefore we chose him. Yup these 4 weeks will drag. Always does when looking forward to something great to do. Shari, seems like Dahlia is getting comfortable in her home and now starting to act like a puppy perhaps. Heres to hoping she sleeps through the night! |
auntybren wrote: My husband and I take turns at night getting up for potty breaks. Good grief would you please edit this sentence out before David sees it??? If we do get puppy number two, I want David to follow the same process that we did with Mady, with him getting up in the night and me sleeping like a princess!  If we get another puppy in the future, I will spend a few weeks cooking and freezing food. The puppy stage goes by so quickly and I should have done more to free up time. And have the littlest person in your house pretend to be a puppy and scout around for hazards. We found coins that had rolled under sofas, noticed some hazards that were at a low level, puppy level. It can be a good way to get kids involved in getting ready for the new arrival. |
I call it night bonding, and play on his guilt of being gone all day  So far, so good.....and Charm adores him, maybe too much  |
| If we get another puppy in the future, I will spend a few weeks cooking and freezing food. The puppy stage goes by so quickly and I should have done more to free up time. And have the littlest person in your house pretend to be a puppy and scout around for hazards. We found coins that had rolled under sofas, noticed some hazards that were at a low level, puppy level. It can be a good way to get kids involved in getting ready for the new arrival.[/quote] I have been trying to get my kids to clean up. Pointing out all the types of things puppies will eat. This is a great way to get them to do something. My 9 yr old daughter is like dont worry, he is not here yet, when he gets here I will clean up...... but as you can tell I want everything prepared now (hence the tons of questions asked on this site about what to do). Anyway cant wait to put this plan in motion. My 5 year old will totally go for it and my daughter should want to chip in as well. Thanks. |
| My wife just came to me with a question as we are discussing Jaxson's arrival. When we pick him up and bring him home, a- what is the first thing we should do? b- do we let him explore the house or bring him into the kitchen area near where his crate is going to be? |
| The kitchen will be plenty to start with |
| Update: Dahlia is sleeping through the night again! She only missed those 2 days over the weekend when we were off our normal routine schedule! Last night, she went in her crate at 10pm and slept until 6:30am! That is a full night sleep for all of us!! I feel like we are so lucky! It has been very cold at night, so I am glad we don't have to walk her in the middle of the night in the freezing cold! |
| Congrats on your new baby!!!!! When you first bring him home, take the crate out of the car and while outside, let him out of the crate and sniff the yard/porch and immediate area first. Then let him walk into the house himself (do not carry him or him in crate), he may need a little coaxing from you. Next, immediatley and calmly show him to his "area"...........the kitchen with the crate in it for now. Limiting his area and having his crate in that small area will actually make him feel safer while he is adjusting. Feed him or give him a treat in his crate and display calm energy...........it's hard because they are so cute, but try to avoid baby talking on a loud level or being too excited until he adjusts. Dogs are more comfortable when they have boundaries. Good Luck!!!!! Ann Marie & Julius |
| GiantFish, Scott, so glad to hear you are FINALLY getting your baby soon! We spoke on the phone many times and of course feel free to call me anytime now too! Your baby is just beautiful! When is he coming home? I kept my crate in the bedroom with us. Puppy slept in the crate but in our room with us. Not sure why, but seems pups/dogs bond at night when sleeping with their humans. Even if they are in a crate and you are not! Ha ha...During the day, crate in kitcehn area where everyone is good but if you can, move the crate to your bedroom at night... The first thing you should do when bringing Jaxson home is let him go and pee and poop! I believe he is flying in? He will need to poop and pee.... I would carry him in my arms around the house and let him smell, etc. Unless you are sure he just did potty and then I would let him walk around ( with you on his tail) to smell...The first night is really the hardest night...He is away from his Mom and litter mates, he just came off a plane...he will be a bit disoriented and probably a little scared...Try to make your household as calm and quiet and soothing as you can the first night...Leave the screaming "Oh, new puppy" stuff until the next day. The first night is for him to get his bearings... Let him settle before feeding him. I bet he will be hungry. But remember to walk him a few minutes after you feed him! Call me anytime if you have any questions. Diane |
| So this is my third time responding to the above posts. For some reason when I hit submit it takes me back to the home page. I had a long response written out both times so will make this short in case it does not work again. Many thanks for the kind words and continued support. Not sure what I would do without the help of our friends here at OES.ORG. I guess we would figure it out on our own and continue to read the books we purchased but talking to everyone here is like getting the Cliff notes so to speak. LOL!!!! Great advice above and now we cannot wait to put the advice in motion. It seems like it will be easier but ask me in about 6 weeks if all your advice was helpful. Jaxson will be here on Friday 3/25. We requested Friday so we can have a full weekend of making him feel at home. Hopefully these next 3 weeks will fly by. Any other suggestions are more than welcome. Anything you think may be helpful to us please mention. Shari, great to hear Dahlia is sleeping through....luck, lucky!!!! |
| My suggestion is to get as much sleep as you can the next few weeks! And if possible, take off the first week or so after Jacxson arrives. You will be tired! And he will need time to adjust...So exciting when a new pup arrives...like waiting to the baby to arrive! If you haven't already, you might want to find a good Vet...find a supplier of the food you will be feeding...and of course puppy proof the house over and over again...Even get down on the floor and look at the space as a puppy would so you will notice all the wires, cords, etc that you never noticed as a human on the floor that needs to be put away for the "baby"! |
Ashley wrote: My suggestion is to get as much sleep as you can the next few weeks! And if possible, take off the first week or so after Jacxson arrives. You will be tired! And he will need time to adjust...So exciting when a new pup arrives...like waiting to the baby to arrive! If you haven't already, you might want to find a good Vet...find a supplier of the food you will be feeding...and of course puppy proof the house over and over again...Even get down on the floor and look at the space as a puppy would so you will notice all the wires, cords, etc that you never noticed as a human on the floor that needs to be put away for the "baby"! Hi Diane, In regards to sleep, the last few nights I woke up thinking it would be time to walk him and how I am not looking forward to a 3 AM walk. Hopefully it will not last too long and its just a phase. We already have the vet and have puppy proofed the house but still can always find new spots to clean here and there. Finally, the food..... we have no idea where to go with this one. I need a kibble obviously so we will start to inquire now about this. Also what kind of treats are good? Many thanks. Hope all is well..... the snow is gone |
| With food I would be asking your pups breeder what he's eating now and keeping it the same at first. A change of environment, a change of water and a change of food all at once is sometimes too much for one new digestive system to cope with. Can't wait to see pics of your baby, so exciting waiting till you finally get them home. |
| Crate training, I can only go by what I did. Simon was 8wks when he came to us. We kept the crate in the bedroom. After having several puppies in my life and listening to them cry in a different room, I decided that the crate in the bedroom next to the bed would work the best. Simon wimpered a little the first night, but a few calm words from me and he fell asleep...until 1am. Outside and back into the crate where he slept like a baby until 4am....groan. This was for a week. Then we switched to one 3am outing. Another couple weeks and he slept through the night. Make sure you teach the potty word. As your pup potties use the cue word...potty, time to go, or whatever works best for you. Works great when in a hurry and you need the pup to GO. When taking them out keep them on a leash so you have good control over them and lead them to the spot you want them to potty. Keep to one spot...I wish I had done that. I don't allow my pups any play time outside during house breaking. I want them to get used to outside being potty time. They are little enough to play inside. Last, remember every dog is different. Some take little time to "get" it and some take longer. |
Simon's Mom wrote: Crate training, I can only go by what I did. Make sure you teach the potty word. As your pup potties use the cue word...potty, time to go, or whatever works best for you. Works great when in a hurry and you need the pup to GO. When taking them out keep them on a leash so you have good control over them and lead them to the spot you want them to potty. Keep to one spot...I wish I had done that. I don't allow my pups any play time outside during house breaking. I want them to get used to outside being potty time. They are little enough to play inside. That is so true, consistent with wording. Our puppers are like sponges, they absorb everything. Charm been with us for little over two weeks now, and she understands the "potty" word. She also knows that when I walk to the designated elimination(poopatorium) area, she is there for her business. We always go there first, eliminate, then walk to another area in the yard for free play. We always end our play with another trip to poopatorium. These puppies will follow you, so lead them each time in a routine. We never offer play at night. Charm is now sleeping from 10p-5am, and is on our schedule now Giantfish, it will all fall into place. The key for me is routine, routine. Jaxson will feel so much better and so will you. That is what has worked for us, hope it helps. And hold them as much as you can..this is for you  . They grow so fast, soon I wont be able to pick her up for that quick puppy fix  !! |
auntybren wrote: And hold them as much as you can..this is for you . They grow so fast, soon I wont be able to pick her up for that quick puppy fix !!I agree with the above. The puppy stage went by so quickly-I didn't scoop Mady up for hugs nearly enough when she was little enough to scoop. |
| Yes it should all fall into place. Thanks for the great advice!!! We are definately ready for the potty / crate training. We spoke to our breeder about the food and will use exactly what she is using. Then after a few weeks start getting him into some better foods. As for giving him the love and holding him, we will do plenty of that however he may like being held so much that he may think the crate is boring. I would rather be held a lot than sit alone but pups need their alone time as well. Awesome advice folks. Thank you. Anything else you feel I need to know please feel free like about treats, what do you use? |
| Based on my own experience I would hold off a little while on lots of treats as puppies gastrointestinal systems are still developing. I made the mistake of giving my dalmo puppy a few tiny pieces of cooked carrot and broccoli when he was about 12 weeks old and ended up spending most of the night cleaning up terrible diarrhea from off the puppy, the floor, the walls and the curtains. In between I was panicking about whether he was hydrated enough and if I should wait to see my regular vet or travel the 1 1/2 hours to the emergency vet. I will admit that at 8 years old he still has a sensitive tummy so another dog may have been ok with that. So with my sheepie puppy I stuck to using her kibble as treats at first, she LOVES food so she was happy to eat her puppy kibble anytime so I was lucky. There are a mulititude of treats and it depends on your dog and your philosophy. Many dogs love carrots so you and chop them up and hand them out, bananas are a big favorite, peanut butter but remember its very oily so can cause problems, cheese, same issue very fatty. Now for agility training I give Tiggy chopped up hotdog or human grade chicken sandwich meat. And there are lots of healthy treats that you can buy from your pet supplier but they are often quite pricey. |
| Mim, thanks for the great advice. Noted to hold off on the treats however will bring him along slowly. In the beginning we will give him lots of praise. |
3 more days.....and its dragging  The wife and I are over analizing crate training now that we are in crunch time. The book says to keep him in the crate and take him out every hour for potty breaks however we work from home and as long as we keep an eye on him he may not have to be in the crate all day long. The book also says to give him Kong toys with his kibble in it to practice his teething and also get his foods. Now I am old fashioned and figured to give him a bowl in the morning and a bowl in the evening but I like the idea of Jaxson getting his food through the Kong and teeth on them instead of our furniture. What to do, what to do? Dogs were known to hunt for their foods before they were pets so the challenge of them getting their foods from Kongs is interesting. What say you? |
| For your situation, I would also get an ex pen (exercise pen). It is a freestanding play area/ containment system that comes in various heights and dimensions. It would be great for you guys. You could set it up near where you are working and still keep baby Jaxron ( ) contained if you need to leave the room for a bit. You would still crate train, but he wouldn't be in it so often. And it would be a great transition to gaining full room priveleges. And when you needed to do something later on (some sort a short work away from him), you could just pop him in there with some toys and blanket, etc. and know he was safe and not getting into stuff. Here's a link if you don't know what they look like : http://www.petedge.com/product/ProSelec ... /44590.uts They come all sizes, and you can add sections or even hook 2 together to make infinite configurations and sizes. They can be used indoors, outdooors and fold totally flat as all the sections accordian stack as they collapse. Handy things! |
Giantfish wrote: 3 more days.....and its dragging The wife and I are over analizing crate training now that we are in crunch time. The book says to keep him in the crate and take him out every hour for potty breaks however we work from home and as long as we keep an eye on him he may not have to be in the crate all day long. The book also says to give him Kong toys with his kibble in it to practice his teething and also get his foods. Now I am old fashioned and figured to give him a bowl in the morning and a bowl in the evening but I like the idea of Jaxson getting his food through the Kong and teeth on them instead of our furniture. What to do, what to do? Dogs were known to hunt for their foods before they were pets so the challenge of them getting their foods from Kongs is interesting. What say you? I work close to home and come home for lunch every day. In the morning and then again in the afternoon, I put kibble in a kong and then kind of seal it shut with a bit of peanut butter. I say 'crate time' she goes in with the kong. I go to work. I have watched her through the window (yes, this time last year I was an overly worried first time puppy person) and she would work at the peanut butter, then work at getting the kibble out, then would take a drink and then sleep. Same again after our lunch time walk. When she was very young the basic rule for us was, if she is out of the crate, she was being directly supervised. And I mean directly! So that whenever she tried to chew something she shouldn't, we were on her in a flash, telling her not to, then giving her a toy she COULD chew on. Or if she showed signs of wanting to go to the bathroom. We had no issues with chewed furniture, remote controls etc. The only issue we still have is one pair of David's shoes (just the one, mind you!) and our leather gloves. I think we giggled a bit too much the first time she snatched those... |
| Dawn, I have been back and forth on the play pen. For now we were going to do without it and kind of keep him on the leash in the house for minutes at a time but you are right, give him some free range in the play pen then we know there are no worries of stuff. I mean how can I or my wife hold on to him on a leash in the house when we work. I like it and will probably go for it effective immediately. Kim, do you only feed her with the Kongs or also a bowl of food? Thanks for all above!!!! |
Like you, I was home during most days. Charm came out of her crate in morning, pre coffee  , for a potty, short walk and breakfast. Back to crate while I did paper and coffee, showered, etc. Out of crate to potty, play and have lunch. Back in crate post potty for rest. And that cycle repeated till bed. Of course, it varied by day to degree, but we stuck by it. Our lives were all easier with routine. I was going crazy before trying to accomplish tasks with a baby roaming around. And the baby needs her rest, a tired puppy is unpleasant. The ex pen is a great option too. That's what we did and still do, but her out time is extended now as her bladder control is so much improved.  Yea Charm Jaxson will do whatever you show him is routine in the beginning. That will become his routine and comfort. Less than three whole days now |
| I just found out he will arrive at 3:30 on Friday. Aunty, thanks for that. Routine, my routine will be his routine. I got that!! |
Giantfish wrote: Kim, do you only feed her with the Kongs or also a bowl of food? She gets her food in the bowl too. She is 16 months old now and still goes in her crate when we are at work. I go back and forth in my mind about this and wonder if we should let her have the run of the house. It just seems that she sleeps in her crate whenever I am peeking through the window at her, so maybe it is fine that she is still in there. Of course, we got her one of the big crates, the ones that you can make bigger as they get older. Can't wait until you post pictures of your puppy! |
| We do a lot of the same with Dahlia as Charm and it has worked well. Our schedule became her schedule. Dahlia gets 3 meals a day and also we do use a little kibble with peanut butter in her Kong.... but, we only just started doing this to keep her busy if she wants to on her bed or in her crate. We also have a containment system (we bought 2 of them) bec. you can put them together. We bought one that can be used indoors or outdoors with the weather. If you want to know which one, I can send you the link. I know how you feel when the days are dragging---but, he will be here soon enough! |
| Kim and Shari, I think we will be doing a little of the same. Kong, bowl etc but definately going to get the play pen tomorrow. I guess we will be a-ok with all this sound advice. less than 2 days!!! |
| Just got back from the pet store. We bought the 36" play pen from Midwest. The color is gold. It is perfect and now we have the best of both worlds. The crate and the play pen. We are good to go with everything we need. Only need the most important ingredient........ Jaxson!!!! |
Giantfish wrote: Just got back from the pet store. We bought the 36" play pen from Midwest. The color is gold. It is perfect and now we have the best of both worlds. The crate and the play pen. We are good to go with everything we need. Only need the most important ingredient........ Jaxson!!!!  |
| At first I'm sorry if I sound rude.. but do you really crate your dogs everytime you leave the house?! Crating is absolutely illegal in Finland and I didn't know that people really do that. If I understood right you have crates like these? I'm curious about what's in it for the dog? People don't discuss about this in Finland of course because it's illegal but why is it so popular? And again I'm sorry if I sound rude but I'm just a bit shocked because this is not usual here... |
annanas wrote: At first I'm sorry if I sound rude.. but do you really crate your dogs everytime you leave the house?! Crating is absolutely illegal in Finland and I didn't know that people really do that. If I understood right you have crates like these? I'm curious about what's in it for the dog? People don't discuss about this in Finland of course because it's illegal but why is it so popular? And again I'm sorry if I sound rude but I'm just a bit shocked because this is not usual here... You don't sound rude at all-it is a valid question!  We crate Mady because I know that she is safe in the crate when we are not home. She can't chew on electrical wires, or get into anything that would harm her if she is safe in her crate. She goes into her crate quite happily and, often, if we have had a busy day and she is tired she will go in there herself to sleep. I always peek through the window to see how she is and she is always either chewing her toy or sleeping. Someone once posted a study that said that dogs, left on their own, sleep 90% of the time. It is the other 10% that I worry about. I am lucky in that I live a block away from work, so I do come home for an hour at lunch and we go for a walk.Why did they make crating illegal? I haven't seen anything about it that makes it look dangerous for the dog, so I am interested in learning about why they made it illegal. |
| How do you transport a big dog in an airplane or a bus? How do police transport their dogs? Where do dogs go if they are scared, or to get out of the weather? How do you control a dog if you have workers in your home, or other guests who are afraid of dogs? How do veterinarians keep their patient dogs? How do groomers hold their dogs? How do you keep a dog inactive after surgery at home? |
Ron wrote: How do you transport a big dog in an airplane or a bus? How do police transport their dogs? Where do dogs go if they are scared, or to get out of the weather? How do you control a dog if you have workers in your home, or other guests who are afraid of dogs? How do veterinarians keep their patient dogs? How do groomers hold their dogs? How do you keep a dog inactive after surgery at home? That's not what I meant, in all of those cases crating is necessary but I mean that someone crates dog every day for at least 8 hours when they are at work. It sounds so silly because it's obvious here that we don't do it. I don't think that crating is sooooo bad because I believe also that dogs sleep almost all the time when they are alone so it doesn't matter where the dog sleeps. But some people have kept their dogs in crates almost 24/7 and that's why it's illegal here to crate dog for a long time. Of course we don't have enough resources to control that. I also believe that your sheepies don't have to be in crates 20 hours per day and Mady, you cleared this up for me a little so thanks |
| Hi! I'm new to your forum but will soon be the proud owner of a 1 year old sheepdog. He is a rescue dog. Do you use the same techniques with an adult dog for crate training as you would a puppy? I'm nervous about it!! Any info that I could get from someone who has experience with this would be awesome!! |
BlackbeltChick wrote: Hi! I'm new to your forum but will soon be the proud owner of a 1 year old sheepdog. He is a rescue dog. Do you use the same techniques with an adult dog for crate training as you would a puppy? I'm nervous about it!! Any info that I could get from someone who has experience with this would be awesome!! Do you know if he's been crate trained from before? The answer to your question is, yes, same techniques. But he may surprise you and already be crate trained. My rescue dog retreats to her crate when she wants some peace and quiet. I don't know if she was crate trained from before or not, but I do know she came to see the benefits of a crate pretty quickly. I still feed her in there with the door open. Kristine |
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