# First Time Crate Training



## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

no advice as i don't crate train myself, but good luck and i'm sure you'll get tons of great responses! i bet you are so excited for hunter to come home


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## HuntersMomma (Sep 25, 2007)

missmarstar said:


> no advice as i don't crate train myself, but good luck and i'm sure you'll get tons of great responses! i bet you are so excited for hunter to come home


I am sooo excited only 8 more days... I know the last day or two is gonna go by soooooooo slooooooooooooooooooooooooow:yuck:


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

I am also crate training for the first time with this pup. I have another 2 weeks until she comes home!! The wait is killing me!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

I will offer some suggestions and I am sure many will have additional thoughts. 
First and maybe most important the crate's function is not a "time out" spot for when they get into trouble. It must be a HAPPY place if it is to work. I feed my pups all their meals in their crate. We play games like fetch using a treat and throw it in the crate while sayinng "Go crate". Eventually the dog will be in the crate before the treat, which is what you want, when you give the command. 
As for using it to assist in housebreaking. Their natural instinct is to be clean, no really it is, so you do not want the crate to be so big that they can go to one end of it and eliminate yet go to the other end and be "clean" You can make a divider for a full size crate so the pup can just turn around in the room you leave accessible. The other thing with the crate is to not allow the pup to walk out of the crate on it's own. If you do as soon as he gets one inch out side the crate he will pee. You must lift the pup out and carry it outside before putting it back down. Then once the pup has relieved itself you should carry on like he just found the cure for the common cold. Other thoughts on housebreaking, if the pup dozes off the moment it awakens you need to get it outside, it is going to pee momentarily. Also excitement causes the need to pee so when you are playing stop after about 10 mminutes and get the pup outside it will want to pee. If the playtime last less than 10 minutes get the pup out also or you will more than likely have an accident. If you take the pup outside and after 5 miuntes has not done it's business bring the pup back inside put in the crate, wait 5 minutes and take the pup (carry) outside again. If again nothing after 5 minutes back to the crate and repeat till success. 
Never give into a pup's crying to get out of the crate. If you think it is carrying on because it has to go, then take outside as stated above. If the pup is just looking for attention you have to be tough or they will be "training" you. 
Always praise every time they do their business outside, make a big deal over it. Also if you tell them to "go pee" (or what ever command you choose) as they are going eventually the dog will do it on command - great on those cold and rainy days!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

When my girls came home as pups, I had a crate for each ready and waiting. This was (is) their "den"...... a safe spot. Although I didn't feed in the crate, many do. I had them in their crate whenever I couldn't be with them and they slept there at night. I always had a cheery voice putting them in and gave them either a nugget of their food or nyla or something. Yes, they will cry some, but before you know it, that's where they'll be when they're sleepy or want alone time. Luckily, we work from home, so I was around to take them out very often.... puppies will not usually soil their den, but do need to be taken out FREQUENTLY. BTW, as young pups, we kept the crates in the family room.... so we could sleep better. I could still hear them when they needed to go out, but not all the other goings on. Later, we moved the crates to our bedroom. Now they've graduated to sleeping with us !


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Before I found this forum I used this site for advice. See if you find this useful in addition to the tips you find here 

http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/Crates.htm


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Brady's mom said:


> Before I found this forum I used this site for advice. See if you find this useful in addition to the tips you find here
> 
> http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/Crates.htm


That pretty much covers it. Great link!


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## herschelsmom (Jan 19, 2008)

We got a large crate that had a moveable divider. At first, pup's space was small. We did put food and water in there. First two weeks or so we had him,(got him at 8 weeks old) I slept on an air mattress next to the crate. That way, when he awoke during the night, I could take him right outside. I would put him to sleep in the crate, but didn't mind if he came walking over on the air mattress to be with me. 

Now, I left the crate door open for the first week or two. I wanted pup to learn that it was a good spot, and he wouldn't be trapped in it. It worked for our puppy. I just kept putting him back in when he should go to sleep. Never anything negative. At about two weeks, I could close him in. He never whined or cried in there. At that point, he could make it all night, and was housebroken. Our pup never ever peed in his crate. 

We used his crate until he was about 18 months old. He would respond to "go to bed", by walking into his crate. He would get a bedtime treat in there, and then go to sleep. After 18 months, he was trustworthy about not chewing on things, and we really didn't have a lot of room for the crate, so we put it in the basement, and let him sleep wherever (on the main level). He generally sleeps near the front door now. I would have probably kept his crate if we had had more room for it. But even so, it was so very very useful at the younger ages, and I'm so glad we used it. 

Good luck with your new pup!

Linda


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## SillyTilly (Jan 22, 2008)

*Just started barking and whining when in the crate*

Tilly is 3 months old and we've had her for a month. We crate trained her and she has been doing great for about 2 1/2 weeks. But now for the last 3 nights when it's bedtime, she has been barking and whining for about 20 minutes. I take her out once, just to make sure she doesn't need to potty and then it's right back in. But she continues to fuss. 

This started on Sunday night and she did have her first pee accident in the crate that day. Could this be the problem, or is this just a normal crate training pattern.

Any advice is appreciated.


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## AndyFarmer (Jul 9, 2007)

I can only vouch that the little man did not pee in his crate at my house over night sleeping, but he did have accidents in the house because I wasn't paying attention to the times in between playing and drinking (bad me). Good luck Donna and Hunter!
Make sure you get some good spot remover from Petco!


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## Merlins mom (Jun 20, 2007)

AndyFarmer said:


> but he did have accidents in the house because I wasn't paying attention in between playing and drinking (bad me).


Maybe you should cut back on the playing and drinking......

 :wavey:

LOL! j/k

Yes, I edited your post to make you look bad! LOL!


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Merlins mom said:


> Maybe you should cut back on the playing and drinking......
> 
> :wavey:
> 
> ...


What where you playing???? I know what you were drinking.....


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