Crate training

[Quillie]

I read somewhere that a new puppy should be given his/her own, small room, as opposed to being locked in a crate for extended periods, e.g. at night, so that when left alone, h/she can pee and poop at will and then get back in the crate and go back to sleep. I can do this with my puppy, but it seems to contradict the potty training I am doing with him, which involves using puppy pads by the back door, with a view to eventually taking him outside to do his business. It seems to me that allowing him to eliminate in his room at night, but also in a designated area by the back door when I am around during the day would be confusing for him. Is this true, or am I worrying too much?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Quillie

 

[Maxy24]

This would probably confuse him, he will think it is okay to potty in the house or at least in that room. I would crate him, it may seem "harsher" but in the end you'll want him sleeping at night anyways right? Just make sure you put him in there tired, not full of energy (so don't let him sleep for a couple of hours before bed, excercise him about a half an hour before bed and do some training within an hour before bed, that's good exhausting work). Also remember that he will need to be taken out at least once through the night (depending on age and breed). Is there a reason he cannot just go outside now? It is much easier, if you plan to remove the pads, to simply start having him potty outside now, otherwise you'll have to potty train him to the pad and then do the whole thing over again outside. Plus if you remove the pad he will most likely continue to potty there for quite some time because they often learn that they go potty in that spot, they don't think about the pad and after being rewarded for going there he will be confused when it is suddenly unacceptable.
It can probably work but I feel it would be very long for you and confusing for the dog.

 

[Quillie]

Thanks!

You have confirmed what I already suspected! As regards the outdoor training, it is tricky as it is -15 at the moment where I live (Quebec, Canada) and will be down to -40 by the end of February and the puppy in question, Yostin, is only four weeks old (I know this is too young to separate a pup from its mom, but he was a stray). I think outdoor training will have to wait until the spring.

Thanks again,

Quillie

 

[PoodleMommy]

Crate training is really the best way to potty train a dog if you will not have your eyes on the dog every second which is nearly impossible.

I think the idea of giving a dog their own small room as opposed to being in a crate is a great idea if possible but only once potty training is no longer an issue and you are just containing the dog in a designated spot when you are not home.

If you are planning to eventually train the dog outside only... keep the pee pads by the door and when it is warm enough move the pad outside and start taking the dog to the pad outside and eventually remove the pad.

So... we dont give advice for free on here you know.

we need info about the pup... like breed, gender, maybe some pics?

 

[Dekka]

How big is the pup? I would still crate train, but take the pup out more often.. even if its to a separate part of the house, where he can't go without you to go. Unless he is a tiny toy breed I would take him outside to go once he is 8-10 weeks. At that point he is still young enough to quickly relearn to go outside.

I seem to get fall and winter born pups and have to go through this. Just don't take them out too long, and get them a coat if needed.

 

[PoodleMommy]

I seem to get fall and winter born pups and have to go through this. Just don't take them out too long, and get them a coat if needed.

I always get pups in the winter too? And toy breeds at that...
the poodles were both outdoor trained as soon as we got them... standing in the snow didnt seem to phase them at all... they were content to wait for an hour to pee... it was me who wanted to cry

 

[AllieMackie]

Weather should never be a concern! It goes with the territory. My pup is coming to me mid-January, and will be let out to do his business just as much as he would if it were mid-May. I know where you're coming from on the cold thing, believe me. I'm from Eastern Ontario, and we easily get -30 or -40C winters. But I want to train my dog properly, it's more important than how cold I am!

Give your little one a sweater and let the outdoor time be quick, for both of you. Go out for more frequent, quicker sessions if need be. Once your pup is a little older, it should have no problem being outside for longer periods of time, depending on breed/coat type/etc.

 

[Maxy24]

Ah, 4 weeks, that is very young, did you bottle feed him? At this age I would not worry about potty training at all, he can't get the concept yet really. For now a room might be fine with pads, newspaper, etc. pretend like he's still at the breeder's house. I did not realize how young he was, so I agree, no going out yet!! You can still work to get him used to being in the crate and praise for going potty in the right places but he cannot yet "get it", or at least I've never heard of a 4 weeks old puppy that is on his way to housebreaking, wait until 7-8 weeks to really try and potty train. The reason I might say stick to a room for *now* is because a 4 week old pup will need to go potty multiple times through the night and you would not want to get in the habit of crate soiling.

You may want to look more into books about breeding as opposed to having a new puppy since yours is so young, those books are geared more towards 8 weeks old pups.

 

[Quillie]

Thanks!

Yes, I should have mentioned the age in the first post! He's actually doing pretty well with the puppy pads: more often than not now he will run across the room to the pad to do his business, although if he can't see it, he will go wherever he happens to be, which is obviously to be expected. He is good with the crate as well: he has only soiled it once and that was because we fed him right before he went to bed the night before and didn't give him a chance to eliminate, which is not his fault, obviously.

 

[Quillie]

One more thing ...

I forgot to mention: he is a husky/black lab cross-breed and probably several other things as well as there are a lot of strays wandering around where we live.

Thanks for all the help guys!