Crate training?

Can someone please explain to me what exactly this is?
Thanks

 

Let me ask a more specific question...does crate training mean that you keep your pup in the crate all of the time unless you are taking them outside to go to the bathroom?? :?:

 

A crate is a place your puppy can call its own. Some place where it can go to rest and some solitude. It's kind of like the doggie equivalent to a baby's play pen. A place where you can leave your pup without worrying about him hurting himself or tearing up your house when you're not home or at night when you're asleep.

Never use it for a place for punishment or a place to "store" your puppy when you're done playing with him. To lock a puppy away in a crate for long periods time is not only cruel but can lead to behavioral problems.

Place the crate in a secluded area and put something soft down for him to lay on and a favorite chew or toy for company. After awhile you puppy will associate the crate with nap time or quiet time.

If you want your puppy to be crate trained, start when they're young. Older dogs are more difficult.

 

I have alittle dog and a big crate, which I have heard is not good for training, but after a while he thought of it as his private room, I had a lace table cloth over top of it and it was near the front door and near the tv, so if he was bored he wold just go to his room and play with his toys and if someone came to the door, he was right there or loud noises on the tv he could check it out, I think he really enjoyed his own private room and it would drive him crazy when the cat would take it over for the day. I have since moved and haven'T set it up.
but you should keep your dog in their, when you can't watch over it constantly and you can't trust it all the way, like say he is still a puupy and you have rfiends over and you know you will be talking away to your friends and little bingo slips out of the room bc he needs to take a dump rith in the middle of your brand new white couch. Or if while you sleep, he likes to chew on things that aren'T his. It is for their own safety, and they might be intimidated at first by the crate, but after a while the dog will start to really like it.

 

For those of you who crate train I have a few questions with my new pup since this is the first dog we are crate training. My first is do you guys think it is ok to put her in there periodically during the day, like when its quiet time, or I have alot to do and cant keep a good eye on her? I dont keep her in there long maybe 20 min and she doesnt whine or anything. She has toys in there and most the time just naps, she goes in on her own alot during the day for naps. Also she doesnt have anything soft to lay on, the reason is she pees on anything I put in there. Do you guys think this is ok or should I try and push her being able to have a blanket in there. Anyone if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. So far though she loves her crate, like I said she will frequently go in it on her own and doesnt whine when she goes in it when we leave or bedtime.

 

I think that sounds ok, but maybe put some of that stuff down to make dogs not want to pee on the blanket that goes in there. But she is still not very old isn't she? maybe she fally asleep and can't control it? like little babies? or do you see her do it? how big is the crate compared to her?

 

I have crate trained two dogs now... our chi started out in a cat carrier. He had lots of room to turn around and streach as he was a pup when we first got him. He now has what my husband calls his condo. lol He never pooped or peed in his. I think it is because his crate grew with him...was never to big.

our second crate trained dog was a bit different... she too was a pup.. but when we bought her crate we got one big enough for her to use as an adult. Which left A LOT of room to poop and pee... which she did. As she got older and housetraining got better she no longer does that. She never has an accident now. Bless her heart.

Both dogs now have free roam of the house with our gsd and cat. So far so good...lol

I highly recomend crates as long as they are never used for punishment. You want them to think of the crates as their own personal space. Some times our two craties will switch houses... the collie/lab will go into the chi's crate and in turn the chi will go into the collies crate. I don't know why they do this...but they do. Once we saw Anna the collie and Duke the Chi sleeping together in Anna's crate.

Crazy dogs I tell ya!!

 

I wondered the same thing when we got Rudy. We decided to try it. He is kept in his crate mostly just for his sleep time. It seemed like he was in there a lot at first, but then, puppies sleep a lot. We do put him in his crate on occassion when we are really busy doing something that he will get into - like washing the kitchen floor or loading our 5th wheel camper when the back door is open for longer periods of time. He doesn't seem to mind. We take him most places with us - so he's not home alone in his crate much. It also is a great way to keep the grandkids from pestering him when he's trying to sleep. I'm not sure we have done everything right or not, but he has responded to it really well. (Maybe it has trained us better than him.)

 

This never came up for us because we both work - so when we were home, I could never put Nala in her crate since she spent so much time in there during the day and again at night! In fact, I used to get up 2 hours early in the morning so she would have some "free time" before going back in for the day. Then she got let out again at lunchtime and then again when I got home at about 3:30pm. Then she was out until bedtime.

My sister stays at home, though, and I know with her pups she will crate them for short times during the day if she can't watch them. Like, she will put the pup in her crate while she goes downstairs to throw a load of laundry in. I think she even crates if she has to go to the bathroom, although she might just bring the pup along.

Both my sister and I believe in expending a LOT of effort in supervising a new pup. The fewer accidents you allow, the faster it goes. My house went to heck when Nala was a pup because I spent every waking minute in the family room with her for several months.

 

Thanks sooo much for all of the input!!!
I haven't gotten a pup yet, but I am expecting it to happen very soon.
My hubby works and I am currently not working, but have a job offer. I am still waiting to hear when my start date will be. So if I am working, should I keep the pup in the crate all day? I feel sooo bad doing that! Can I just block off the kitchen and let him/her have free range of that area?
If I am not working for a week or so when we first get the pup, should I let him/her out of the crate all day, but leave the crate door open in case he/she wants to nap?
The purpose of the crate is so they do not go to the bathroom in the house, right?
Thanks again!

 

How long you can leave the pup in the crate depends on the age of the pup and the particular pup that you get. A general rule of thumb is that a puppy can "hold it" for a number of hours equal to his age in months plus one. So if you get an 8-week-old pup, he is 2 months old - so he should be able to hold it for about 3 hours.

With a small pup like this, you will want to have someone come home and let him out a couple times during the day. Since we felt we could not manage this, we elected to get a slightly older pup - about 4 months old. My husband goes home at lunchtime so he let her out at that time. She never spent more than 4 continuous hours in her crate. At night I would listen for her to cry or get restless and then get up and take her out.

If you want to leave the puppy gated into the kitchen, be aware that he will have accidents and it will take longer to housetrain him. However, it is one solution and people have been successful with it. If you can't go home to let him out during the day and you have no neighbors or family to help you out, it may be the best option for you.

Before you get your puppy, why don't you buy (or check out from the library) one of Ian Dunbar's puppy books? Also look at "Power of Positive Dog Training" by Pat Miller, and "How to be Leader of the Pack" by Patricia McConnell. Read these things BEFORE you get the puppy and things will go much more smoothly!

 

Thanks for the advise. I read about lining the floor with newspaper an gradually reducing the amount of the paper on the floor, teaching the pup to go to the bathroom in the same spot. I think we will try that. We live in an apartment, so where we will walk the dog will be where other dogs have been (and gone to the bathroom). I have read that this is a no-no until the pup has completed all of it's shots. So, I guess I will have to let the pup go inside on the newspaper anyway until all of the shots are complete. :?:
I also got 2 books from the library, one about puppies in general and one specific to the type of pup we are looking into getting (miniature pinscher). Thanks

 

There are many different puppy books out there. If your book talks about anything like smacking the pup or popping his collar, then look elsewhere. I highly recommend Ian Dunbar - he has some great puppy books out there with everything you need to know to get off to a good start.

With paper training, you may have a harder time getting the dog to understand when you want him to go outside. Switching from papers to outside can be difficult. However, it can be done and in your situation you may have no choice, as you said.

Also, you might think about the kind of papers you will use. If you want to use newspaper, be prepared that you will NEVER be able to leave your morning paper on the floor. If you do, your dog will pee on it.