crate, is it a must?

gell914

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#1
i just got my puppy on the 25th and i just let him lie in his bed in the living room without a crate. is a crate really necessary?
 

leaughxp

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#2
I don't think you have to have a crate but everything I read says that it makes housetraining a lot easier. If you don't use a crate, make sure he can't get into anything; you could use baby gates to block off an area or just put his bed in a small room. We just got our third dog and all have had crates so I don't havae any experience having a dog without a crate. Our westie liked his crate because it was small and darker like a cave. Congratulations on the puppy! Puppies are always fun. What breed is he?
 
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#3
Crates are not a must. I've never used one - never owned one except for the cat's cage for riding in the car (which ended up being totally unnecessary as well since he loved to ride).

I understand they can be very helpful especially with the smaller breeds that can sometimes be more difficult to house train. Truthfully, the only small dogs I've had have been Terriers - and they think they're big dogs. Shiva's the first dog I've ever had to really keep out of trouble, so I've Shiva-proofed (as much as possible, the dog could break into Fort Knox) the laundry room and that's where she stays when we're gone.

If you're not having problems, I wouldn't worry about a crate. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! :D
 
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#4
we have a 9 week old Shih Tzu who loves his crate. when he gets tired, he'll go in there and take a nap, with the door open! we close it at night and when we are not home, but we take him just about everywhere we got ( my wife insist on it) i think it has made housetraining a bit easier. he's about 80% on going potty on the puppy pads. now if i could just get him to stop using our hands as chew toys. i've tried to whelp like a puppy would when he applys any kind of pressure, but all that does is make him want to bite more. he doesn't give up easily.
 

gell914

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#5
my dog's german shepherd/chowchow mix..and i think he's more quiet without a crate at night cuz he can just walk around the house but then in the morning i'll be stepping on puddles of pee in the floor.. i tried to carry him to the newspaper after he woke up/eat/drink but he just sits there and start biting it.
 
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#6
Housetraining a puppy isn't usually a short process. I'd also suggest, that with a dog that's going to be the size of a GSD/Chow mix, you'll probably want to train him to use the outdoors rather than a paper.

Restrict his food and water intake - none after 7:00 p.m. or so. After he's eaten, let him have a short quiet time, about 15 minutes or so, then play with him - either inside or out, although I'd suggest starting inside then going out. That should stimulate his system to 'go.' If the weather's okay and he's having a good time, let him play outside for a few minutes after he does his business so he doesn't get the idea that once he's done it the fun's over.

Take him out every two or three hours, whether he acts like he needs to go or not. Play with him; if he's got to go at all, that should get things accomplished.

And, most importantly: Praise him to the skies, pet him, make a huge deal out of it every single time he goes where he's supposed to.
 

gell914

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#7
hey thanx for the advice. :) i started to take him out first thing in the morning and around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. he isnt so big yet since he's only 7 1/2 weeks old so i'm trying to paper train him. (it really doesnt matter how large he'll be in the future) :eek:

today he tried to pee on the floor and i just carry him all the way to the newspapers near him, he peed there and i praised him like hell (he just walked away like i'm invisible though.. :( ). its the first time his pee actually touched the newspaper in 3 days. does anyone have an idea of how long will it take to paper train a dog? :p
 
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#8
It takes different lengths of time for different puppies. I got lucky with Bimmer and didn't even have to house train him. Buffy was the same way, but Shiva and Kharma both had to be housetrained. Fortunately it didn't take very long. There was still an accident every once in awhile until they were six months old or so, but nothing major and for some reason they made sure they had their accidents on paper.

But trust me, you're not going to want even a 50 pound dog using newspaper in the house instead of going outside when it's time to go! :D
 

gell914

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#9
well yeah but i'll worry about that when he grew up. prolly let him pee in the shower room or som'n i dunno cuz my mom said if he still pees everywhere at that age we must give him away and i dont want that to happen. does windex work to remove the odor away?
 
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#10
Nope, no Windex! You don't want to use anything with any ammonia in it since urine has ammonia and the smell will just bring him back to it. A citrus based cleaner, like one of the orange cleaners, is a good choice, and there are cleaners especially for pet odors that you can find at most pet supply stores.
 
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#11
we use those clorox wipes. they work good, but we always go over them with a plain paper towel. we have hardwood floors thoughout the house, except the bedrooms have carpet, and wet areas have tile.
 

dogsrmylife86

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#12
crates in my opinion should be used. you may need one if he picks up chewing or rampaging throghout the house later. including if he picks up biting habits when visitors. training goes smoother and it gives the dog a sense of belonging when you have a crate because it's where he'll be sent when punished or wants to take a nap or get away from something scary.

allison
 

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