Do We Really Need To Crate
- Thread starter K9OWNER
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Hi
This is just my experience as I never knew about crate training years ago and wish I had.
I believe that crate training is the very best way to train a pup.. Letting them run the house without constant supervision leads to many accidents in the house which is hard to fix once it starts. You can confine them when you are out or just too busy to watch them every second. ie (when you are making supper or have to leave the room) This doesnt mean leave them in the crate for hours on end or for punishment.
It keeps them safe when you cant watch them and they like the feeling of being in a den. If you cover it when they go to bed at night on four sides they like that. Also they feel safer in a small space and they wont mess in their own bed at least most dont.
I had such good luck when I had my lab pup and now with my Papillon pup. I wouldnt live without it. Also the dog pens are good too for training I find with the crate. Gives them a little more space but not the run of the house.
Anyway there will be lots of other great advice on here coming to you.
This is just my experience as I never knew about crate training years ago and wish I had.
I believe that crate training is the very best way to train a pup.. Letting them run the house without constant supervision leads to many accidents in the house which is hard to fix once it starts. You can confine them when you are out or just too busy to watch them every second. ie (when you are making supper or have to leave the room) This doesnt mean leave them in the crate for hours on end or for punishment.
It keeps them safe when you cant watch them and they like the feeling of being in a den. If you cover it when they go to bed at night on four sides they like that. Also they feel safer in a small space and they wont mess in their own bed at least most dont.
I had such good luck when I had my lab pup and now with my Papillon pup. I wouldnt live without it. Also the dog pens are good too for training I find with the crate. Gives them a little more space but not the run of the house.
Anyway there will be lots of other great advice on here coming to you.
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Just my opinion, but YES you need to crate a puppy........unless you plan on being with him every minute of every day. Why? Cuz he will chew anything he can get his little mouth on, including but not limited to: your couch, your floor, your antique table, the sheets on your bed, you favorite shoes, your tv converter, the cordless phone....you get the picture. He can and will also chew things that can cause him harm such as electrical cords and plants.
Do you work? Where is puppy going when you work?
Ive had Chili 5 or 6 weeks now and yesterday was the first day I put him in the crate without him causing a ruckus....crying/whining/barking. You know.....I went out for 2 hours, got my hair done and did a little shopping and not once did I worry if Chili was ok......I knew he was safe in his crate.
HOW to crate train? Easy...put him in there.
Have some scheduled times that you put him in, give him an extra special treat when you do, tell him he's a good boy and close the door. DO NOT respond to the whining and crying. Stick to your schedule and gradually increase the time he spends in there. I started out with 10 minutes, three times a day and worked my way up to an hour. Make sure you've taken him out to potty before you put him in there.
Do a google search on "crate training your puppy".......you'll find oodles of wonderful tips and hints.
Good luck with your puppy.
Do you work? Where is puppy going when you work?
Ive had Chili 5 or 6 weeks now and yesterday was the first day I put him in the crate without him causing a ruckus....crying/whining/barking. You know.....I went out for 2 hours, got my hair done and did a little shopping and not once did I worry if Chili was ok......I knew he was safe in his crate.
HOW to crate train? Easy...put him in there.
Have some scheduled times that you put him in, give him an extra special treat when you do, tell him he's a good boy and close the door. DO NOT respond to the whining and crying. Stick to your schedule and gradually increase the time he spends in there. I started out with 10 minutes, three times a day and worked my way up to an hour. Make sure you've taken him out to potty before you put him in there.
Do a google search on "crate training your puppy".......you'll find oodles of wonderful tips and hints.
Good luck with your puppy.
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This is a very important piece of information that everyone has forgotten to mention. The crate MUST be just big enough for him to turn around and lay down. (dogs wont poop/pee where they sleep) If it isnt, he will poop in one corner and lay in the other. If you do this and you find he still poops in the cage, its probably still too big. It needs to be small enough so that if he poops, he is laying in it (which he wont do). Buy one that is big enough for him as a full grown dog. Many of them come with seperators so you can shrink it while he is a pup, if not, use boxes to block off the empty space of the cage. You may think this is cruel, but they really dont mind...they are den animals as Elly was saying.
I didnt believe the shrinking the cage thing was necessary, and I learned my lesson when I was constantly cleaning up Brinley's "mess"
I didnt believe the shrinking the cage thing was necessary, and I learned my lesson when I was constantly cleaning up Brinley's "mess"
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I have heard of many people who after their dog is COMPLETELY house trained, leave the crate where it is and take the door off. The dogs become accustomed to their crate and go their for comfort, to take naps, whatever. This way you know they are good in your house, but they can come and go from their crate as they please. Plus you have something for travelling with them when necessary.
I always thought crating was mean up until we got one of our dogs years ago. I found he really enjoyed his crate. We kept it in a corner near our living room and if he was in it, he still felt a part of everything. We even found that keeping the door open when we were home he would go in there to sleep.
It keeps them safe. Puppies like to chew and my biggest fear was chewing through an electrical cord. And at night you know where they are....
It keeps them safe. Puppies like to chew and my biggest fear was chewing through an electrical cord. And at night you know where they are....
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As someone mentioned earlier.......crate training does not have to be forever.
I kind of think of it this way:
When my kids were very little, if I needed to run downstairs and throw a load of laundry in, I plopped them in the highchair or playpen.That way, I knew they were safe cuz they didnt know any better (just like a puppy) and they might hurt themselves or do something I didnt want them to.
When they got a little older, I could run down and do laundry without having to put them in the playpen. As time went on, and they got older still.....I could run to the grocery store while they played on the computer, read a book or whatever. I knew they were past the stage of coloring on walls or sticking their fingers in electrical sockets.
Now...the oldest is 18 and she hardly ever has to be put in the playpen anymore
A puppy who's age is still measured in weeks does not know how to keep themselves safe and free of trouble....especially if left alone for any length of time.
I have to say....the crate training made me miserable...I felt so mean. Chili cried and yelped and carried on for WEEKS! But Im glad I stuck with it, because over the last few days, he voluntarily goes in the crate, he doesnt cry anymore and I have the freedom to do things without worrying. Hey, I'd love to be able to take him wherever I go...but there are just some places a dog cant go and I dont want to spend my time worrying if he's chewed cords or eaten a hole in my new couch or destoyed some shoes.
I kind of think of it this way:
When my kids were very little, if I needed to run downstairs and throw a load of laundry in, I plopped them in the highchair or playpen.That way, I knew they were safe cuz they didnt know any better (just like a puppy) and they might hurt themselves or do something I didnt want them to.
When they got a little older, I could run down and do laundry without having to put them in the playpen. As time went on, and they got older still.....I could run to the grocery store while they played on the computer, read a book or whatever. I knew they were past the stage of coloring on walls or sticking their fingers in electrical sockets.
Now...the oldest is 18 and she hardly ever has to be put in the playpen anymore
A puppy who's age is still measured in weeks does not know how to keep themselves safe and free of trouble....especially if left alone for any length of time.
I have to say....the crate training made me miserable...I felt so mean. Chili cried and yelped and carried on for WEEKS! But Im glad I stuck with it, because over the last few days, he voluntarily goes in the crate, he doesnt cry anymore and I have the freedom to do things without worrying. Hey, I'd love to be able to take him wherever I go...but there are just some places a dog cant go and I dont want to spend my time worrying if he's chewed cords or eaten a hole in my new couch or destoyed some shoes.
When I got my two puppies at 12 weeks they were already started on crate training with their breeder. They view their crate like I view my room, a place where I can be by myself, not bothered, and feel safe. When they are in their crates, nobody is allowed to bother them or try and force them out, and they love their crates. I find them napping in their crates more than I do napping anywhere else. As soon as they see me getting around to leave (putting shoes on, turning off the tv, etc.) they both jump in their crates and wait for me to shut the door.
And honestly, if I hadn't crate trained them, I probably would have killed myself by now, lol. If they got overwhelming or I started getting frustrated with them I could just put them in their crates (even if it was only for 5 minutes) and relax until I was calm again. So i would say that it is in your best interest as well as your puppy's to crate train it.
And honestly, if I hadn't crate trained them, I probably would have killed myself by now, lol. If they got overwhelming or I started getting frustrated with them I could just put them in their crates (even if it was only for 5 minutes) and relax until I was calm again. So i would say that it is in your best interest as well as your puppy's to crate train it.
Crate training is the best thing ever. I learned this the hard way. When I first got Lizzie she slept in a box by my bed, and after she learned to jump the box I kept her lose in my room (HUGE mistake) I would wake up in the morning to poop and pee everywhere and a general disaster. She even went as far as breaking the zipper on my portable closet so she could sleep in there. Thats when I decided she needed a crate.
I went out and bought a plastic crate, large enough so she will still fit full grown. I couldnt find anything non edible to block off a part so I just put her in there. She took to it like a natural, and has never soiled the crate despite it being so big. She had 2 accidents but only because she was sick.
I go to sleep at night knowing she is safe and comfortable, and knowing that I wont have to wake up in the morning to a house full of pee! Its made housebreaking so much easier, without the crate she would pee anywhere she felt like it, and when I took her out in the mornings she would go.
But now that she sleeps all night in her crate she is raring to go potty outside. When I get home from work she does not use the bathroom anywhere inside, and when it is time to go to sleep I put her in the crate and give her a little treat.
I honestly dont know how my family had our past dogs without crates
I went out and bought a plastic crate, large enough so she will still fit full grown. I couldnt find anything non edible to block off a part so I just put her in there. She took to it like a natural, and has never soiled the crate despite it being so big. She had 2 accidents but only because she was sick.
I go to sleep at night knowing she is safe and comfortable, and knowing that I wont have to wake up in the morning to a house full of pee! Its made housebreaking so much easier, without the crate she would pee anywhere she felt like it, and when I took her out in the mornings she would go.
But now that she sleeps all night in her crate she is raring to go potty outside. When I get home from work she does not use the bathroom anywhere inside, and when it is time to go to sleep I put her in the crate and give her a little treat.
I honestly dont know how my family had our past dogs without crates