What happens if you're not crate training?

[PurpleSweetPeas]

Everything I read is geared up to crate training. But what do you do at night if you don't put your puppy in a crate? Or put them in your room.

What are the steps to not coming down to wee/poo on the floor? Is there a hide somewhere or is it more common sense.

Someone please point me in the right direction before I lose my mind!

My pup was in my room, but not my bed, and after a couple of weeks simply learnt to hold it overnight (because she would sleep all night). Until then I'd wake when she woke and take her out, but if they are downstairs you could set an alarm. There were some accidents, but it was such a short period of time that it's not something I'd stress over. I certainly don't think a crate is necessary for toilet training, although some books will claim otherwise...

Mine slept on the bed. We never had any accidents as he just woke us up when he needed to go.

Mine was, and still is, in the hallway at night with a Stargate (Stargate went after about 6 months.

Out for toilet last thing at night, she would whine at about 4 so I would get up and take her out. That probably only lasted for a couple of weeks before she made it through to 6 which is when our alarm goes off anyway.

Very few accidents and as I remember none after about 16 weeks old.

An alarm clock and night letouts and a fixed morning letout time
Teach the pup that it is ok to be verbal when it needs to be let out
And that the first thing to do after being let out is pee

Ours was in the hallway overnight , we fenced off a large section for him and then got up in the night to let him out , he was also left there if we were out during the day . Once he was fully housetrained he had the run of the house .

We have two dogs. First one crate trained and used for 1st year. By time number 2 came along we kept crate but he could sleep in it or on sofa. Number two joined him on sofa, never crate trained. Floor is easy to mop. To be honest if I could rewind we’d have crate trained 2nd for at least first 6 months as toileting and lasting night without accidents is still an issue at 8 months. Not a problem for first who was toilet trained mostly in a week and completely by two months.

No one ever crated a dog when I was a child , you just took it out for a wee before bed and then it slept eventually.

Crating is a horrid business imo because no one understands how to use it as intended and just shut them in it all the time and especially as a punishment 🙄

Well this is what I figure but everyone seems fixed on crate training.

We tried it for the first two nights and it was awful. He howled all night and in all honesty I can't take it - set off my anxiety triggers 😞

@Frenchfancy and @AnSolas
You have both given me hope.

Pup is currently 9 weeks. He crashes at 10pm after lots of play and fun times, as well as lots of toilet breaks.

What time do you think a good first alarm time would be? 2am? Which is roughly in the middle. I haven't heard him whine but have come down to two wees/poo in the morning. One of those I think is close to wake up as he isn't interested in going for a wee when I come down at 7am.

I had quite a hard time with my actual human babies and PurplePup seems to be setting off old anxieties from that so now all over the place.

2 seems early. Try 4am and see how you get on.

Thank you - will try that tonight.

Mine slept/still sleeps in my room in a bed by mine, I blocked off the space at the bottom of my bed so she couldn't wander around the room. She had 1 overnight wee a few days after I got her and dry all night otherwise.

She'd wake between 5-6am and want to get on my bed for a cuddle then she would sleep until the alarm went off. She doesn't get on my bed at all now though.

The last puppy we had DH slept on the sofa for the first couple of weeks to take him to the toilet if required. Others have spent time in our room if needed, but they all gradually decide sleeping downstairs is preferable. Depending on your house set up you’ll probably be able to hear if they have woken up.

Ive never had a puppy (or rescue for that matter!) destroy anything or not toilet train because I haven’t crate trained them.

I would split the out to toilet from out to play during the day
And have a fixed To Do all done very quietly
Eg
You go to door
call to come to door
Sit*
lead on
Open door stay sitting
Say a training word
Go out to the toilet spot
Say word again
You stand guard
Finish with small reward
Move away
take lead off and play or
go back into house Sit until door is open

*Short term If you have wooden floors would get a big water proof mat for in front of the door and dont ever "play" on it.
Added benefit is the pup learns not to push through the door

The pup wont whine because up to now the mother would be cleaning up at night telling the pup where is ok to bathroom. You have to train what you want before the pup can begin to ask

if he went twice he is empty in the morning for the week or so 1 would try every 3 hrs and then move it to out if the floor is dry.

I would first go to the door at night and stand to see if the pup will come. So as the pup learns to stay dry it will show by body languge that just wants to sleep or it needs to meet you on the mat to go out

You managed human babies, this one is a very quiet on but will potty train faster

Mine just slept in my bed with me (as they would with their mother and siblings) and just went for a wee before and after bed.

We never crated our dogs. They were in the kitchen with a baby gate across overnight. There were accidents for a few months, but we were rigorous with taking them outside regularly and never used puppy pads, so they didn't get the idea that it was ok to go indoors.

What breed of pup?

Our labs always woke us to toilet in the night, we never had any night time accidents. Wake up times tended to be about 3am after a 10:30pm bedtime, then about 5:30 for a poo if they'd only done a wee earlier.

@PurpleSweetPeas it's awful shutting a dog in a cage all night .. just deal with the wees . They grow out if it

yes same. I've had 3 dogs throughout my life none of them had ever been in a crate. I really don't like this modern crating craze I think it should be banned as I know people with quite large dogs who lock them for hours on end sometimes all day while they go for days out in tiny cramped crates. its cruel and a real step back in animal welfare.

It would never have occurred to me to buy a cage for a dog. Plus it's a big piece of furniture to have in a kitchen

I’ve never used a crate, mine were taken outside regularly during the day with copious praise and treats, at night they were in the kitchen with newspaper down in one place. Taken outside at 10pm, then at 6am.
It’s not taken long at all to train them, two weeks was the longest.
My current Romanian rescue came at nearly 5 months, never been in a house and was reliably clean after 8 days. She is actually the easiest dog I have ever had, bless her!

Yawn on the crate hate again.

I would against most advice put down a puppy pad if the puppy is peeing pooping in particular area as it then saves the floor being ruined, and you can then remove the pad when they have gotten used to going outside.

My puppy at that age went out for a wee at midnight, then would normally sleep until 4 am-ish when my husband was almost getting up for work and then would go back to sleep and go through til 7 - 7.30 am but he was/is crated although it is now a much larger playpen and never had an. accident overnight.

My oldest female dog wasn’t crate trained and sleeps in her own doggy bed or floor in my bedroom. Farts all night long. The boy puppy sleeps wonderfully in his crate and is a dream. Sleeps 10pm till 6.30am and is dry. He’s 5 months.

@Moanycowbag I'm allowed to hate then . I hate them because people who have never owned pets think dogs go in cages and they don't!

Used correctly they should be a safe space for the dog . I know some people shut dogs in there 12 hours a day while they work , then again all night .

I'm sorry but that is cruel!

I don't think many people use a crate like that, and if used responsibly then they are lovely little safe spaces that dogs choose to spend time in and great if you have a dog that injures itself or needs crate rest.