Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Crate Training Question

14 replies

baxterbee · 22/12/2022 17:13

Hi- we are bringing home a puppy in January and getting things in place

We have a crate and bought a bed today - but I'm confused if the the bed should be in the crate- or just blankets?

We will need to move the crate around the house as me and DH both WFH in separate rooms and will need the pup nearby during nap times - will that confuse the pup or are we best to keep it in the Livingroom?

Also- we don't want to have the dog in our bedroom - for the first few nights should one of us be sleeping downstairs in the Livingroom to help the dog settle in?

Thanks!

OP posts:
arbitraryarsehole · 22/12/2022 19:05

I'll tell you what we did, although I'm sure it's not the only/right way! Got a bed for inside the crate, although it's more like a mattress really & fits exactly. Also a blanket and few toys to make it cosy. We've always kept it in the same place & pup either naps in their (we leave the door open) or random spots in the house. At night he goes in and we close the door. When he came home I slept next to him for 3 nights. On the fourth night I sat by him and stroked him for a while until he settled, then he was fine! He's slept through in his crate since.

arbitraryarsehole · 22/12/2022 19:06

...crate is in the kitchen but I would just put it where is most convenient and leave it there

YourWinter · 22/12/2022 19:14

If it’s a baby puppy (eg 8-10 weeks) whose life since birth is about to be turned upside down by leaving it’s mother, siblings, and the only home it’s known, it will need time to decompress and adjust to everything that’s different about you, your family and your home. Focus on being safe, calm, kind, and absolutely the best fun ever.

Then look up Emily Larlham (Kikopup) whose approach to bringing up puppies is unbeatable. Susan Garrett’s Crate Games is great but it’s expensive, and I find her too hard to listen to.

Good luck, and enjoy your dog!

tiredfriday · 22/12/2022 19:16

I watched an interesting video by Zak George about crate training and it was amazing how much time he took letting pup become familiar with the crate rather than just plonking it in at bed time and saying goodnight.

He would tempt pup in with treats leaving the door open, shut the door for milliseconds then open it straight back up etc and also taught pup quite quickly to wait for a command to come out of the crate.

Sorry not what you asked but I found it useful for my future puppy!

YourWinter · 22/12/2022 19:17

And join Free Dog Training Workshop on Facebook, it’s a spin-off of Susan Garrett’s team and is a brilliant resource for all things puppy, from their first night in the new home.

Spacemonkey2016 · 22/12/2022 19:30

Very new to dog ownership, so certainly no expert answer here, but this is what we've done: Crate has his bed (a large cushion really, that fits the whole of the crate), a couple of blankets, his favourite teddy and a cover over the crate. It looks like a cosy den really. It doesn't move fron room to room and is in our living room. DP is still on the sofa at night, because puppy is only 11 weeks old and still wanting to go to the toilet 3 times a night. Next week when he's been with us 4 weeks, I think we're going to try and retreat upstairs and just come down once in the night for the toilet. Puppy had all naps in the crate with the door shut when kids are at home, for his peace and quiet. When they are at school/nursery and evenings, he tends to nap on our lap or by our feet.

Original poster
baxterbee · 22/12/2022 23:27

Thank you all!

Yes will be 8 weeks when we get him so will be a shock to his system bless him :( I feel like I've overwhelmed myself with research whereas my DH is more of a "wing it" type of guy- he's excited to figure it out as we go

But I'll have a look at the links you have shared :)

OP posts:
Newpeep · 23/12/2022 08:01

This is what we do.

we have two crates. One downstairs for training. One in the bedroom for sleeping. From night one pup was put in bedroom crate, stroked to sleep then the door shut. In the night she woke, was taken outside to wee then put back to bed. She was going 9 hours in 2 weeks. She’s 4.5 months now and still does this BUT has to be tired and drifting off before we shut the door. So she needs to be awake for 2-3 hours before bed. If we don’t then bedtime is a bitey stressy nightmare.

That’s not crate training per se. Crate training is weeks and months building value and time in the crate. Our downstairs crate I’m training her very gradually to chill in there when we leave the room. We’re up to 20 seconds. It’s building day by day. I’ve not shut the door yet. She has meals and treats in there too to build value.

crate training isn’t shutting them in and letting them cry. They just shut down. They have to LOVE their crate. That takes time.

my husband WFH and has moved downstairs for now so she can have the dog proofed living room to spend her time (we also have a cat)

Newpeep · 23/12/2022 08:03

I crate trained my last dog and it took a year to do it properly. It was a game changer for her for camping, agility competitions, car rides, holiday cottages and just general life. But if you’re not using it long term I’d not bother tbh. It’s a lot of work and time. I enjoy it but it’s not for everyone.

Bananabreakfast123 · 23/12/2022 08:13

We have a mattress type bed with blankets in the crate and a proper bed for relaxation in the living room. We started with the crate in our room which helped with toilet training in the middle of the night. We gradually moved the crate out the room by putting it towards the door then on the landing with our door open etc and pup was fine.

She wasn't a big fan of the crate in the day time and it took a lot to get used to that. Think she had fear of missing out. She much preferred to nap at our feet as we worked from home during the day and that worked well for us as we could still keep an eye on her.

Pup is now 2 and won't use the crate for naps in the day time unless we're going out and she's home alone. She doesn't really need the crate at all now and we leave the door open with curtain down but she seems to be more comfortable in there if we're out the house or in bed at night so happy to keep using it for that. It's been in the same place since she was a pup and I think she likes that familiarity. We only need to say bed and off she runs.

tabulahrasa · 23/12/2022 08:23

If you’re going to use the crate to enforce naps from the start before he’s crate trained then it’ll need to be beside you.

Yes the crate wants a bed in it, a mattress that fits it is easiest, and yes if you’ve only one you can move it, it’s no more confusing than moving any other bed.

Tubbyinthehottub · 23/12/2022 08:24

Mine really only went in the crate at bedtime so I'd put it where you want the puppy to be overnight. During the day while we were wfh she napped near us on a blanket or bed. In the crate we had a mattress and blankets.

Perpop · 23/12/2022 08:27

Please invest in this - Positive puppy training book

Saucery · 23/12/2022 08:29

It’s handy to get them used to the crate moving around the house if you want to go away with your dog when they are older. We always take the crate to holiday cottages even the most dog friendly ones as we don’t want her roaming around exploring all night. From 6 months she has been happy to jump in it when we say “bed time” at home or elsewhere.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page