# Crate Training Questions with 8 week old GR.



## jactim23 (Mar 14, 2007)

Hi there, first time poster, long time reader. 

My wife and I just brought home our 8 week old golden retriever puppy las weekend. We have made it through the first week but not without some questions. Our pup, Maya, can only go about 1.5 hours without soiling her crate. We tried strict crate training throughout the night until about Friday when we were both sleep deprived and not functioning during the day (because we were taking her out every 1.5 hours). Now, during the night, we have been working on paper training where she has a small area (approx. 4 feet by 4 feet) with her crate to sleep in and papers on the floor outside the crate a few feet away.... for whatever reason, she HATES this setup and will whine and jump and scream when we secure the baby gate. Is this too much space for her to feel safe and secure? Also, it is apparent even after a week that she knows that she is supposed to go to the bathroom outside, yet a lot of times when we take her out she gets completely distracted with sticks, twigs, etc for her to do her business, even after 20 minutes or so. When we finally take her in she promptly pees on the kitchen floor.... does our pup have ADD?  

Any advice?


----------



## Banner (Jan 25, 2006)

Hi,

Welcome to the forum. There are some great people here. We have a 1 1/2 yr old Golden named Ripley. 

I think your puppy sounds very normal. Please post pictures when you get a chance

Someone asked a similar question the other day and I did a quick Google search for "Patricia McConnell" and Puppy. Here is some info I found. This is the method we used and it worked pretty well. 

Potty training is one of the most difficult tasks to teach a puppy. We suggest that you do not paper train, this will only teach your dog that it is okay to go to the bathroom in the house. Instead, try to take the puppy out every half-hour. Set a timer for yourself so that you do not forget. Also take the puppy out on lead to a specific potty spot after every meal, when he plays, and whenever he drinks water. When you take your dog out, use a command like "go potty," "park," or "hurry up," and when he does go to the bathroom, praise him and give him a treat the instant the dog finishes pottying. You may also use some of his dog food rations for training.

If your puppy just sniffs around and does not go to the bathroom, just give lots of praise but no treats or food. If you know the puppy has to go potty, and he is not going, bring him back in the house and watch him like a hawk for 15 minutes, or put him back in his crate. Once 15 minutes has passed, take him to the potty area again. Repeat this method until you have success. This will teach bladder control and potty training at the same time.

If the puppy potties on the floor/carpet, use an enzymatic cleaner like Outright Stain/Odor Remover or Nature's Miracle. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for the product. It is also safe to use these products in carpet cleaners (extraction machines). If you catch the puppy pottying in the house, just go to the puppy and say "outside, outside," take the puppy to the potty area and give your potty command, then praise and treat. Scolding a dog will only teach the puppy not to potty when you are there, and that will defeat the purpose of putting it on command. Rubbing the puppy's nose in the mess does not give the puppy any information about what you wanted the puppy to do, and is therefore ineffective. A mess in the house is just a missed opportunity for training, and next time you will know to watch the puppy much closer. Many of these guidelines at discussed in a book written by Dr. Patricia McConnell Ph.D. The Puppy Primer, is an excellent guidebook for owners trying to get through puppyhood


----------



## Thor's Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

You've gotten some good advice. Young puppies don't have great bladder control. They do need to go shortly after eating, drinking, napping, etc. Every hour and a half is good. For evenings most recommend not giving water after 7 or 8 pm - maybe ice cubes. When our pup was young DH and I alternated nights to get up and take him out. Be sure to take him out right before bedtime. Don't confuse crate training with potty training.


----------



## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Yes, the advice you have been given is excellent! I'm sitting here wondering though if Maya (pretty name by the way) isn't wanting to go out to PLAY!! They are VERY quick learners and if she is having a good time when she goes out ------ you interacting with her, chasing sticks and leaves, etc. then its entirely possible your little girl wakes up and is bored and wants to go where she had a good time before. I would wait until she makes some kind of sound to let you know she's up and then take her out of the crate without a word to her, march her outside (carry her if you want to) and put her down without a word to her. Watch her very closely and when she squats make a BIG fuss over her, maybe give her a little treat and take her right back in, put her back into her crate with a little treat, say nighty night, cover her crate up with a blanket, much like you would a bird and walk away. Let her cry if she has to. Won't be too long and she'll get the idea --- its not playtime, its WORK time! We were VERY lucky with our Jasmine who is now 11 months old. I put her in her crate the first night and fully expected to be up with her in a hour or two but didn't hear anything from her until the next morning when I went to get her up. She has been that was EVERY NIGHT since! NEVER soiled her crate once! Now, my SunnyRose on the other hand ---- I thought I'd lose my mind before she was night trained! I even took her to the vet to see if there was a physical problem! Nope, just a little slow on picking it up! 

Try covering her at night. I found that works wonders! It makes their crate like a little den which they love and if people are up walking about they can't see them! 

Jazzys Mom


----------



## jactim23 (Mar 14, 2007)

Thanks for all of the advice. When crate training her during the day I run into the same problem. Today, for instance, I fed her breakfast at 8:30 and took her outside shortly after (About 9) where she did her business which was great. I headed off to work and was back home about 11 and saw that she had peed in her crate. I let her out, fed her again at about 11:30 and took her outside (about 12:00) where she did her business again which I was happy about. Then I went home at about 2 to check on her and AGAIN, another pee-filled crate. She can't even go two hours which is somewhat discouraging. My wife and I both work full time so getting home MORE often than every 2 hours is pretty unrealistic if we want to keep our jobs.... but I don't want her to get into the habit of soiling her crate every day. Any thoughts on this?


----------



## Banner (Jan 25, 2006)

As puppies they really don't have the muscle control to be able to hold it that long. As she grows and develops she will gain this control. It's important to understand that she 1. she doesn't understand the whole "go outside" thing yet. 2. Even if she did understand she is not physically able to hold it for very long periods. Once she has grasped the concept and is able to hold it she will not want to lay in a pee filled crate and she will want to please you. 

A pamphlet by Dr. Patricia McConnell called, "Way To Go" is available through sites such as Amazon. This pamphlet booklet may be very helpful. You can get it for as little as 3 or 4 dollars. 

Good luck, please keep us posted and post some pictures!!!  

Dan


----------



## jactim23 (Mar 14, 2007)

By the way, here is a picture of Maya at 8 weeks. She's kind of posing  . One thing is for sure, I am excited about the time she will be able to hold it for any length of time whatsoever.... or at least longer than 30 minutes. It will give my wife and I a bit of a break. I'm really not even sure where all that pee comes from, she doesn't drink THAT much water!  I came home to find my wife pretty discouraged, she had taken Maya out for 20 minutes with no results, then, between 4:45 and 5:05pm, Maya peed 5 times (!) in the kitchen. My wife said she even took her outside for a minute or two in between with no luck. We'll get her figured out yet, her first vet appointment is on Monday.


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I can't offer much additional info to the great info above but will offer that it will pass in a heartbeat!  Be prepared to go outside after your cute pup eats, sleeps, plays or seems at all distracted. You will soon learn the signs of when your pup needs to go out. I am with the previous posters that paper training will just slow the process. It may sound foolish to praise a dog for peeing outside (neighbors might think you are foolish) but it really does work. 

Oh, and welcome to the best golden forum on the web and please post lots of pictures so we can see your pup grow.


----------



## Banner (Jan 25, 2006)

jactim23 said:


> By the way, here is a picture of Maya at 8 weeks. She's kind of posing


Maya is very sweet. Please keep posting pictures. 

It can be so frustrating to house break a puppy. Reportedly one of the hardest breeds to house break is a Wire Haired Fox Terrier. Of course that was our first dog. She lived to be 17 years old and all the years of fun we had in those 17 years quickly erased the memory of mopping up pee and shampooing the carpet. We thought she would never get it, but eventually she did. 

Dan


----------



## jactim23 (Mar 14, 2007)

Thanks for the encouragement!, It CAN be very overwhelming for the first couple weeks... it definitely changes your life.... but in a GOOD way


----------



## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

At 8 weeks I agree with everyone else. She doesn't have the ability to hold it that long and she doesn't quite get the going outside thing yet. She just doesn't realize the difference. It will happen and it will almost be overnight. Be sure you also talk to your vet. Your vet should want to hear things like this and may have some advice or pamphlets also. Some petstores also offer house breaking classes. you don't take the puppy it's just a room of people all asking the same questions at once. I know some people have found it very helpful.


----------



## Princess Bella (Oct 17, 2006)

That's a really cute puppy, don't worry, use a command and reward and they will learn in a week or two, enjoy the puppy hours, they don't last long.

Next you will have the biting, it is OK, don't worry it will pass, it's natural, annoying to us but common for them.

After that it will be the constant chewing, this one will probably last a year or so, provide a lot of toys, don't leave stuff like shoes around and spray furniture.

Then comes the teen months... I'll let you find out that one on your own...


----------



## Pilotsmom (Feb 2, 2007)

Hi there. Maya is beautiful! I have an 8.5 week old, (Gracie) and we are going through the same sort of things... but hang in there. We got her at 6 weeks... so we have been doing this now for a few weeks. Maya will get it soon. Gracie cried the first few nights in her crate. I kept it right next to my bedside. And she got up alot. Now... if I take her out at about 11 PM, she will make it to 5AM and usually does not pee in her crate. She has not pooped in her crate for a week or so now... so that is progress. 
What I do is when I get her out of her crate, my little routine goes like this ... (no stopping for water or anything else first...) I PICK HER UP (don't let her walk herself..) and take her to the door... I keep the leash and treats (Mother Hubbard Lamb... they are little bites ...) and my slippers right by the door... and i have a bell on a chain hanging there just almost out of her reach...I jingle that a few times, and I grab the leash and a few treats, and go outside the door. Once outside (I have a screened in porch, so she really can't get away from me...) I put her down clip the leash on, and out we go. The whole time I am telling her we are going OUTSIDE to go potty!!! Let's go potty OUTSIDE!... etc We are gonna get a TREAT! and she usually goes right when we get outside after sniffing around for a few minutes, if that. And I make a big deal out of it, pet her, love on her, praise her, and give her a treat. Then we walk around for a few minutes ... this part takes a little longer...or maybe a second trip outside to poop. If she doesn't do that the first time, I still give her a treat when we go back inside. 
I read that if you ring a bell, she will associate that with going outside and eventually ring it herself. (my boss uses chimes for her Corgi.. and it works...) Right now she has to jump up to get at it with her nose. I had it longer and she thought it was something to play with, so I put it up further out of her reach. She has done it ONCE so far and just sat there and waited for us to come. Geeze, I got so excited that you would have thought we won the lottery...  It just takes a while, but they are so eager to please, once they understand what you want, they want to do it that way. It is hard and trying at first.....It is kinda like having an infant to take care of all over again. But don't give up. And the key is consistency. My college age son is home during the day with her, and I don't think he is as consistent with her in this little routine as I am, so it is taking longer...
I got the bell at Petsmart it looks like a little cowbell and I think it was about $6. I have it hanging on an extra piece of ceiling fan pull chain looped on a hook by the door. I just started that part last Sunday.... so it is still hit and miss.
The problem I am having the toughest time with is that sometimes when we go back in, she will almost always poop on the floor within a few minutes. Luckily I have tile. I tell her a stern NO!!! NO TREAT! Go potty OUTSIDE!! (I try to use the words TREAT and OUTSIDE together...... It just takes time and patience, but she will get it....


----------



## DaisyMay's mom (Feb 27, 2007)

*i hear ya!*

Yes, i could have written the post myself! Our 11 week old still hates her crate and her potty training is still not coming along as we would have liked- and we've had her for 4 weeks now. I am still taking her out every 45 mins- in the beginning it was every 20-30 because she had and still does have vaginitis (like a UTI) and soils her crate every night. Its totally normal puppy behavior- i would say in the first week or 2 she was going outside at least 12 times a day. And she also would get very distracted by leaves, twigs, dirt, and snow. Just an FYI for anyone with a new female puppy, it is very common for them to come home with a UTI/vaginitis infection especially if they were bred in large close quarters. They pick these infections up from their mom or littermates. We were told that these infections are extremely common in female puppies so if she is still peeing in the crate and going like every 30 minutes, then i would take her to the vet and just get it checked out- she could have a UTI which is treated with amoxicillin pills. Your vet can tell you more. But don't worry, all this is normal and i hear it gets better with time. Good luck!:wavey:


----------



## jactim23 (Mar 14, 2007)

I can't thank you all enough for the advice. I think mostly, I just needed to hear that this is common. My wife and I were discouraged when we weren't "Loving every second" of being puppy owners and we're glad to hear that some of these things pass quickly. :crossfing 

I'll make sure to post some updates here shortly!


----------



## crnp2001 (Feb 18, 2007)

*I feel your PAIN!*

Thanks for all of the advice. We are having the exact same issues with our girl, Honey, who is 9 1/2 weeks old. I'd forgotten how "endless" this period feels!  Thanks for the reassurance for me, too. For us, the only time she is wet in her crate is the longer stretch when we're at work...at night-time, we have been fortunate in that she woke us up the first two nights, and has been dry from midnight to 5:30. So I KNOW that she has the ability to hold it for a bit!

Honey has the vaginitis, too...I was wondering if that may play a role, since we'll walk her at least every 45 minutes, then she'll go again once inside. I'll have to check on that with her vet~

~Kim~


----------



## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

Phoebe was 7 weeks old when we brought her home, she was housebroken within 4 days. I always leash a puppy to me, crate when not leashed, if the dog messes in the crate I make the crate smaller, box on one end, take out all blankets, feed the pup in the crate. I take the puppy out after naps, after playing, after eating..I go with the puppy to make sure the puppy is staying on task, if the pup begins to play, I bring the puppy back in the house, still leashed to me and take the puppy back out in about 10 minutes. Your puppy does have a small bladder and does need to go out often, but when you first start training, the pup has to understand there is a task to accomplish when he/she goes outside. If the puppy is taking time to play, it is not learning what is expected of him/her. Very important...find out what motivates your puppy (treats, praise, toys) and remember to lavish whatever it is that makes that puppy happy whenever it accomplishes its bathroom task. When a puppy is leashed to you, you catch the pup in the act, it gives you a chance to correct and immediately take the puppy outside. If your puppy is pottying outside and then pottying again in the house within a few minutes of being outside have the puppy checked for vaginal or bladder infection.

Jan, Seamus, Gracie, Phoebe & Eliza Doolittle


----------

