Can anyone help with crate training my puppy please.

[auntypurple]

Pup will be 11 weeks on Monday and has had a crate since I brought him home 3 weeks ago. Anyway he has a huge crate as he is a GSD and I wanted it to last him. The breeder I got him from advised that I put half bed, and half paper in the crate and also leave him a full bowl of water over night. Just wondered what age roughly will he stop going toilet in his crate? He has done 2 nights without pooing in there, but not in a row. He pees loads but drinks loads too. He is very good during the day and will ask to be let outside most of the time.
The other thing is, he eats his poo if I am not quick enough to clean it up, where ever it is. Have read that it could be down to his food, or because he is cleaning up after himself. What do you think? Thanks

Hi, I think you need a smaller crate. The idea is that dogs do not like to mess where they sleep. The fact he messes suggests that the area is too big. I am assuming he messes on the paper side. If you are at home with him in the day, you should get into a routine of letting him out so he understands and waits to be let out to do his business. It's good if he lets you know but what that also does is teaches him that if he shouts and can't get out he has no choice but to go in his crate. If he learns to wait to be let out this will be prevented.

Anyway, I would let him out as late as possible before bed for a good 15 minutes. Get a smaller crate (you can usually rent or borrow them from people who run puppy classes) and get up early and let him out. Bit by bit as he grows you can extend the length of time he is in there overnight. Hope this helps.

I have a GSD too and he is a fantastic dog. They learn really quickly. Good choice and good luck.

Oh and re eating his poo. My lab did that, it's not at all unusual. Dogs that are kennelled for long periods often do this so it may be him trying to clean up his area? The smaller crate may help. I'm not too clued up on this specifically, but do know that although we find it gross, lots of dogs do it.

Hiya,
Thanks for the reply. During the day I am home almost all of the time so I just leave the door to the crate open so he can go in for a nap if he feels like it. Yes it is his paper side he uses to go toilet on, sometimes he gets a bit on the edge of his bed which is next to the paper. Yesterday I started putting his bed over the whole crate while the door is open during the day and not putting any paper down, so he hopefully gets the message. The breeder had him in a 9am - 9pm routine, where he was left with the other pups. I have him up from 7ish, till 9:30 ish, maybe I need to get him out earlier and keep him up later, but he is usualy fast asleep by 8:30pm.
He will eat the poo, if it's in his crate or the garden.
Thanks again, will look into making his crate smaller, have seen some divider(sp?) things