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The doghouse

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Original poster

Puppy dog crate-what do do-clueless!

39 replies

loveyoutothemoon · 10/02/2019 08:35

Hi, getting an 8 week old puppy who hasn't been crated and pee's on paper. Do I need to crate him, and at night where do I crate him in my bedroom, or is it best to get them used to being on their own downstairs? Do they need paper in the crate at the side of the bed, they can't go long without a wee can they? If I just use a bed, do I put paper at the side. What about putting puppy on the bed?

Any tips or advice appreciated (on any aspect of looking after a puppy) as I'm a first dog owner who is clueless!

Thanks.

OP posts:
sleepismysuperpower1 · 10/02/2019 10:19

we had the crate downstairs, it helps them get used to being down there on their own. i would place a thick towel into the crate, as it gets tough to wash and dry the bed fast enough, and they don't always pee on the paper (mine just ate it!). if they get upset being downstairs on their own, you can try putting the radio on (classic fm). try to avoid putting them on your bed unless you will be happy for them to do this when they are older.

good luck! x

Floralnomad · 10/02/2019 12:35

You do not need to crate him , it’s not essential . We had a puppy pen for ours when he was small and then moved onto fencing off bits of house that were safe for him to be left in until he was reliably house trained .

Original poster
loveyoutothemoon · 10/02/2019 12:40

Hi thanks for the reply. Yeah I think I'm going to have it downstairs. I'd be happy for him on our beds once he's fully trained.

Thanks for your tips. x

OP posts:
twinkletoedelephant · 10/02/2019 20:08

We got our 8week lab on Monday.
He really didn't like riding in the car in his crate.... dd found on YouTube music music for anxious dogs we played it through my phone and poof no more whining he just laid down and went to sleep.
She had also bought a hoodie with a puppy pouch which ddog loves so much I have bought one for me as he curls up and snoozes even when hundreds of kids are comming out of school. It's brilliant for until he has his 2nd jabs and can get down on the floor. Although people did assume I was pregnant with a big belly hidden under my coat :)

Booboostwo · 10/02/2019 21:23

A crate can be a useful thing but it takes weeks to crate train a dog, you can’t expect the puppy to sleep in the crate the first night. Make the crate a nice welcoming space and feed the puppy in there. Leave the door open and allow the puppy to get used to the crate, while making positive associations for the crate with food.

It is your choice where your puppy sleeps but it is best to start as you mean to go on. If you want your adult dog to sleep in bed with you that is fine (mine do) but if you don’t want that it will be difficult to change the dog’s habits if you let him sleep with you as a puppy. Wherever the dog sleep remember that this puppy has just been taken away from its mother and litter mates - he is likely to need companionship and reassurance, so you will probably need to sleep next to the puppy for a few weeks.

Don’t put puppy pads in the crate, the puppy should not be encouraged to pee/poo in the crate. Since the puppy is used to pads you have two options, use them and phase them out by moving them gradually closer to the door, or do away with them altogether. Personally I don’t use them as the puppy has to relearn to toilet outside. The puppy is unlikely to go 8 hours without toilet, so you will need to take him out during the night.

Pringle89 · 11/02/2019 06:20

Our pup is 5 mths now, but the first week we took it in turns sleeping on the sofa. First night puppy on his bed next to the sofa, took him out to toilet each time he stirred, next few nights night bed in his crate but door open with us on the sofa, next few nights in crate next to us with door shut - all the time taking him outside when he stirred (no paper or pad in crate)

Then we stayed on the sofa for a few more nights and gradually moved upstairs, the first two weeks we set an alarm to take him out to the toilet and extended the alarm time by 30 mins each day, following this guide...thehappypuppysite.com/crate-training-a-puppy/
Until eventually after a couple of weeks we stopped getting up at all and now he sleeps 10-5/6 in the morning.

This website is really good for a crate training guide though x

billybagpuss · 11/02/2019 14:54

OMG I did this completely wrong, we bought a big crate, had water and puppy pad at one end and puppy bed the other. She snuggled straight into the bed and was left overnight immediately, overnight was 11 pm to 6 am. She never complained about the crate and in the early days would often sneak in there for peace during the day. She used the puppy pad for a couple of weeks then would hold it and do it on the floor outside in a fit of excitement when we came to let her out in the morning so within the first 3 weeks she was happy and dry in the crate over night and we just had to pop a pad on the floor before opening the crate door.

The excited wee stopped at about 7 months.

Booboostwo · 11/02/2019 15:16

The crate should be large enough for the dog to lie down comfortable, stand up and turn around, but not much larger. Too large a crate may mean that one corner is established as a toilet area. Depending on the size of the dog you need more than one crates as they grow up.

Hazlenutpie · 11/02/2019 15:27

I'm a big fan of crates, our puppy loved hers and it made everything so much easier. She slept downstairs in the crate, in the kitchen, from day one. We made it cosy for her, with a microwaved cuddly toy for company and she settled really well.

I took our puppy outside for the toilet, I think using paper or puppy pads, delays house training. I got up in the night for her to start with, by setting my alarm. She was housetrained really quickly.

Boatsnack3 · 11/02/2019 15:37

Our puppy is 12 weeks now he has slept in his crate since we got him 4 weeks ago. He is downstairs alone at night but my DP takes him for a pee when he gets up for work at 3.30am. We slept on the couch the first few nights, he is not keen on us leaving the room but is getting better. Its a bit like getting a baby to sleep a few shhhs and commando crawl out the room Grin

He has never peed in his crate and is pretty much housetrained now.

Namechange8471 · 23/02/2019 00:19

"It takes weeks to crate train a dog, you can’t expect the puppy to sleep in the crate the first night."

Not true. Our first dog slept in his crate from day 2, no crying. We just filled it with treats during the day and a toy he could only have in there.

Our second dog was fine from day one. They love their crates they have their favourite blanket and bed in there.

Just create positive association, you can also give them their meals in there that can help the dog to see it's a positive place

Booboostwo · 23/02/2019 06:24

Namechange8471 I cannot for the life of me see why you would take the time to contradict a perfectly sensible suggestion that doesn’t affect you in the least. You crate trained two dogs? Wow, when is your book coming out? Hopefully it will be followed by a demo tour!

There used to be a poster who would come on to ‘should I get a dog if i work FT’ threads and always suggest that dogs could happily stay home alone all day...turns out she had one dog who was not yet 1yo.

Yes, SOME dogs take to the crate straight away, but for the majority that do not, if you shove them in the crate, close the door and leave them, you create a negative association. That is why new owners are taught to take a couple of weeks to crate train.

Absolutelylocaltoyou · 23/02/2019 09:01

@Booboostwo

What an unpleasant response to @Namechange8471, their opinion is just as valid as yours.

Namechange8471 · 23/02/2019 09:22

Booboostwo who rattled your cage 😂

Theoscargoesto · 23/02/2019 09:35

I can only speak about my dog (also my first dog). I tried to get her used to the crate as soon as she came home, treats in it, toys to amuse her, a blanket from her breeder which smelt of her litter and so on. It was also her safe space: the children aren;t allowed to interfere with the crate or with the dog when she's in it.

She cried for 5 minutes the first night, but otherwise has always been very happy to get in the crate and sleep there. She woke me up on the first and second nights as she needed a wee (could hear her from upstairs) and since then (she;s now 11 months) she has only ever woken me if her tummy has been upset.

Now she's reliable, by which I mean she's house-trained and doesn't chew anything left on the floor (apart from socks, which she carries around very proudly) she sleeps upstairs.

For me, one of the best things about the crate was that she was safe in it so until I was sure she wouldn't chew wires or anything that might have hurt her, I left her in her crate when I went out. Nowadays she has the run of the kitchen but I often find she;s been asleep in the crate when I get home.

It might be that I have just been lucky, but from PP it looks like settling them in a crate early on is possible for some, but it's worth thinking about how you will manage if your dog isn't happy and doesn't settle

PutyourtoponTrevor · 23/02/2019 11:22

My dog settled in the crate the 2nd day and still won't sleep anywhere else all night. She regularly chooses to go in for time out, it's got blankets, cushions and toys in there and has a proper crate cover on it.

We never bothered with puppy pads, encourages them to wee inside, we just picked her up and took her outside when it looked like she was about to squat. After about 2 weeks she started to tap the door when she wanted out. She's been brilliant for an 'untrainable' chocolate lab 😊

Booboostwo · 23/02/2019 15:19

Absolitelylocaltoyou no, an incorrect opinion and a correct one are not equally valid,

Namechange8471 I think i was quite clear that you did. I have had countless people walk up to me and say that the crate doesn’t work for their puppy...it almost always turns out to be because they expected the puppy to just stay in the crate with no training. It is important that new owner should understand that crate training takes time. A very small number of dogs will be the exception to this rule, either taking to the crate instantly, or hating it no matter what, but the advice still stands for the majority of dogs.

Absolutelylocaltoyou · 23/02/2019 16:31

@Booboostwo

I really can't agree with you, otherwise we'd both be wrong.

lorisparkle · 23/02/2019 17:15

We were exceptionally lucky with our puppy and he did not need any crate training however we recognise that this is not the norm! We were recommended the Facebook group 'dog training advice and support' by another mumsnetter and it was the best thing we found. It has loads of information in files plus an expert will answer specific questions as well. Good luck! We did go through the 'puppy blues' after the first week but this soon passed.

Booboostwo · 23/02/2019 17:32

Absolutelylocaltoyou no you are just confused. Two statements that are contradictory cannot both be valid. You are probably confusing the idea that people are entitled to express an opinion (as some sort of freedom from persecution or silencing) with the idea that all opinions are quality true (which is blatantly wrong).

OverFedStanley · 23/02/2019 18:30

Best book ever on puppies is Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy

It will explain everything you need to know

percheron67 · 23/02/2019 18:37

What is all this nonsense about crates!? They are puppies not objects. A dog bed, complete with warm hot water bottle for young puppies/kittens is all that is needed. A case of someone spotting a "hole" in the market place I feel.

Booboostwo · 23/02/2019 21:08

pecheron67 you feel wrong. Crates have been around for a few decades now, first time I used one for a puppy’s was in 1997. They provide a safe and secure environment, allowing the puppy to sleep and relax in a quiet spot away from DCs and other dogs, a safe place to keep the puppy when unsupervised so that he does not chew inappropriate objects, they help with toilet training as most puppies won’t soil in their sleeping area, they help older dogs recover from injuries, they are a familiar place if you move house, etc.

Absolutelylocaltoyou · 23/02/2019 21:35

@Booboostwo

I think you are extremely self-opinionated in proclaiming that your opinion is the only valid one.

percheron67 · 23/02/2019 21:59

Booboostwo. I note your comments. However, - just my opinion - I feel that to put a pup in a crate might make it feel separated from the family and have an adverse effect. I wouldn't like to be placed in a type of situation where my world was shrunk and the ceiling was too close. All that is needed, surely, is to place the soul in a quiet corner or quieter room and tell the children not to disturb it? Toilet training needs thought and patience. I have never found it to be a problem.

To raise another "doggy" point, my dogs were on a loose lead and walked to heel and not put in a harness and dragging me along the road. I am all for change but not to the detriment of dog welfare and behaviour.

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