Anyone NOT use crate (and not faced destruction the next day?)

[Cuppatea14]

Sorry if this has been done before! We picked up our new 8-week old lurcher pup on Thursday, and she’s great. We have a two-year old little terrier already and they are getting on well together (the pup is already the same size as the terrier!!). We have been crating her at night and she is a absolutely miserable. She cries all night and badly soils the crate, it’s anxious, diarrhoea soiling rather than proper poos. Our first dog always loved his crate, so we are a bit mystified and not sure what’s best to do. We are now thinking of trying her ‘free range’ in the kitchen at night, has anyone had any success abandoning crates with small puppies? We are doing all the usual things like giving her treats in her crate, leaving t-shirts with her etc.

We never used a crate with our poodle, but he was sleeping in our bed

We now have an 8-week-old puppy and my daughter sleeps on the sofa in the living room for now whilst he sleeps in his dog bed. He has been very good and seeps in his bed just getting up when he wants to pee/poo (which my daughter SOMETIMES wakes up for )

The thing is with crates, you’re not supposed to just use them straight off the bat if your puppy isn’t used to them.

You’re supposed to crate train them first, so your options are to either do that or stop using it, but using it with an upset puppy isn’t actually how they’re supposed to be used and isn’t likely to end well.

How do I crate train other than give her treats in her crate etc? Everything I have read equates crate training with putting pup in the crate at night. Any tips?

www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/crate-training

The important bit is to do it at their pace, so you don’t move onto the next step if they’re not happy and if you do move on and they’re upset, it’s too fast and you go back a step.

Poor puppy - taken from his mum and siblings to a strange house and then caged.

I would sleep downstairs or have him in my room until he is more settled.

You can put her in the crate at night (with the door open) and then sleep next to her until she is more settled. The problem at the moment is that she is being left alone when so little.

Carry on putting treats in the crate in the day time and feeding in the crate but do not shut the door until she is totally happy going into the crate. This may take time now as she has been upset in the crate already

Also where does she sleep whilst training is in progress?

Sorry crossed - post, thanks @polly. Has anyone had any success that does not involve sleeping on the kitchen floor?!

@Cuppatea14

Also where does she sleep whilst training is in progress?

Either in your room or downstairs with you nearby.

Use a camping bed - then gradually move away every few nights.

We used a large pen at first it was about 5’x5’ , I used to sit nearby until he was sleeping then sneak away to bed and kept going back everytime he woke up etc . Once he was settled at night on his own we moved him into a fenced off part of the hallway and once he was house trained he slept upstairs on a bed .

@Cuppatea14

Also where does she sleep whilst training is in progress?

Wherever you are and that suits you... living room, bedroom...

I've never created mine, she's a year old now. We did have a couple of toilet accidents early on but nothing major. She's never chewed anything she's not meant to.

Our puppy is now 12 weeks old and we're crate training. The first 2 weeks I slept on the sofa so was in the same room as him as our house is 3 stories and I didn't fancy carrying him up and down the stairs in the night. He cried/barked the first few times but we were told to ignore it as heartbreaking it is. If you go and fuss, they aren't stupid and know if they make a noise they are let out.

We make his crate his safe happy space so all treats - puppy bones, puppy marrow, frozen carrots or his lick a mat with frozen yoghurt on - is all in his bed and the door shut. As puppies need to sleep up to 18 hours a day, we make sure his naps are all in his crate but he gets a treat etc in there, door shut and cover pulled over. He goes to sleep after eating for approx 2 hours a time. Sometimes gives a bark but stops after a few minutes as he knows I'm not letting him out until he's had a sleep. You could also do some training for bed so give bed command, put treat in there so pup goes in, treat for coming out and keep repeating. It will help as ours when I've his carrot or mat now runs from the kitchen to his crate as he knows that's the only place he's allowed anything treat wise or if we say bed, he again runs into it as he knows something nice is going to be given. I would definitely recommend a lick a mat as it helps anxious dogs too. We put natural yoghurt on it and then freeze it but there's other things you can put on it. I'm now back upstairs and he sleeps from 10:30pm - 6am every night and goes into his bed without any issues.

We've joined an online training group called Southend Dog Training. They are on Instagram and YouTube too but have really helped us put a routine in place which has our pup thriving.

Never used a crate. Never had destruction, Labrador.

Like babies - keep everything out of the way. Give chew toys and nice bed.

Thanks @parker, think we are going to hang about in the kitchen tonight til she falls asleep and see how she gets on. We’ll move cushions etc out of her way before we go. Fingers crossed she’s happier and there’s no falling out with our other fella!

We've never used a crate. Three puppies: no major issues. Current puppy: don't ask, she lovely but a little shit!

Didn't use a crate. Bought it. Realised I didn't like it and she needed to be near me, so we slept together!
A puppy that age is a baby..and one used to sleeping with others not in a cage. Yes I know lots of people use them but it's still a cage. My pup slept with me, and that way I didn't miss her signals that she needed to toilet and she wasn't anxious because she was near me. Just like I did with my human babies.
She's nearly 2 now and sleeps on the floor in our bedroom (has a bed but ignores it mostly. She has never pooed in the house and a grand total of 4 weeks as a tiny pup so it worked ok for us!

Crates have to be trained. Otherwise she's just isolated and caged.
You've likely taught her that the crate is an unpleasant stressful place now, so you'll need to counter condition that

This link has some good crate training advice

www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/APBC-Advice-4-Using-an-Indoor-Kennel.pdf

We crated our lab pup for the first year at night. He was chewing everything in sight for the first 8 months of his life so this was the best option. It took him 2 or 3 nights to settle - we were told to ignore whining at night. I never slept downstairs with him - it didn’t occur to me 🤭. After the first few nights, he was fine and took himself off to his crate when he wanted a rest .
After the chewing phase was over, we ditched the crate and he sleeps downstairs on the rug/in his bed

Where does your terrier sleep at night? Will they sleep together in the same room?

I've never used a crate with any dog I've owned. I have had various breeds over the years. Currently own huskies. None have been destructive. They have plenty on chew toys. They sleep downstairs.

We've never used a crate. I slept downstairs in the kitchen with our dog for the first couple of nights as advised by the rescue centre we got him from. He barked and whined for a week or so after that, but gradually got better. They're not much different to babies really, they need contact and reassurance. I always do a reccy of the kitchen before we go to bed to make sure there's nothing he could damage or hurt himself on. Fingers crossed he's pretty good now and happily goes and gets in his bed. I know crates work for lots but for some dogs they cause distress.

I've never used a crate for any of my golden retrievers over the last 40 years.
They sleep in our room in their beds next to ours (never allowed on any furniture). As puppies you hear them as soon as they stir, so you can get them outside to toilet. They don't cry as you are there.

They have a bed downstairs for during the day- in a quiet safe spot. Some prefer to be under my desk or under the table. I don't leave puppies in on their own for long, but would shut them in the kitchen/hall if I had too.

Crates are ok if you use them as a sort of indoor kennel they can retreat to if they want to - but so many people treat them as a sort of "dog toy box" to shut the dog in when they don't want to react with it. I'm sure you are not this sort OP,btw!

Thanks for all the good advice. Our other dog never suffered from separation anxiety and always chose his crate, so it has been a different experience with this girl, and awful to have her upset at night. Great to hear other dogs have been fine without, it seems to be the received wisdom that crates are ‘a good thing’. Hopefully tonight goes better, we are all exhausted!

Quick update - much better night last night, we put her our at around 11 for her wees, then stayed in the kitchen til she settled herself and snuck off. Not a peep from her until about 5am, definite progress! Other than the inevitable wees on the floor (yes I know I should set an alarm to let her out at 2am, but I’m not going to) no destruction to be seen, she’s in great form this morning!