Crate Training a Puppy - Link to Pics Added

flea · 03-12-2008, 01:44 AM

My husband and I have a full grown dog who was crate trained initially to help her get housetrained. She's graduated to not being in the crate anymore (she only spent a few months being crated anyway and is now 2 years old). We're talking about getting a new puppy next week and I was wondering if it would be detrimental to use a crate to train the new puppy while our Bodie isn't crated.

Any opinions or experience you wonderful dog ownin' folks can offer?

www.fleatopia.com/galleries/domibodi/

Ronda · 03-12-2008, 12:42 PM

I crate trained all my dogs. I highly recommend it, and the only "tip" I have is to make sure that the crate "fits" the puppy. You don't want the crate too big, or the dog will do his business in the crate and then walk/roll through it. Ask me how I know! LOL The dog only needs enough room to lie down, stand up, turn around, and lie down again.
With my last pup, I kept her in the crate whenever I couldn't watch her. I didn't really give her an opportunity to have an accident in the house. I work from home, so a lot of times she was on her bed next to me on the floor. I used a leash to keep her from wandering around. She's a good dog and doesn't do anything in the house. She doesn't chew up anything or have accidents! We still have the crate though, but it's a little bigger now. She goes in when are leaving the house for extended periods of time. When we leave for just a couple hours, we let her stay out. She actually walks in the crate on her own sometimes!

Ronda · 03-12-2008, 12:44 PM

Oh, and PLEASE post puppy pictures! I need my puppy fix now and then! (My dog is 3 years old.)

flea · 03-12-2008, 03:00 PM

Thanks for the input!

And of course, once we've gotten her home I'll post lots and lots of puppy pics. I'm a digital camera lovin' fool.

saracidaltendencies · 03-12-2008, 03:30 PM

Ronda pretty much covered all the bases...lol...I totally agree with crate training the new puppy as well...We did that when we got our Mastiff and though we have another dog as well, the crate training was not a problem. She had a couple accidents when she was a little puppy (one of which ended up with us having to tear up the carpet and get a new floor put in...lol), but, she quickly learned to go outside to do her thing. And, she never went in her crate!

vaknitter · 03-12-2008, 03:41 PM

We crate trained our new puppers while our old fart wasn't crated. He would just lay in the room with her. Of course, I have been told I am not a traditional crate trainer...I did not use the crate while I was home after the first week. I would call the baby to it and put treats in it and treat her while in it, give her the good toys etc and then we would only put her in there while we were gone.

nonny2t · 03-12-2008, 03:42 PM

I think it is absolutely the best thing to do for a dog. We didn't do it with our yorkie and I am truly sorry because he has a lot of problems when being kenneled.

First off, it helps them hold their urine etc and they are better housetrained, secondly if you travel with them, when staying somewhere they are easily handled and don't bark and such if put in a crate or cage, thirdly, they aren't so traumatized when kenneled at a facility and fourthly leaving them at home crated if you go shopping or such keeps them from tearing up your house or urinating or whatever in your house. It helps with obedience too. My son's dogs are crate trained and go right in their cages to eat meals and at night and such.

I would definitely go that way.

bailsmom · 03-13-2008, 02:50 AM

Does your Bodie sleep in her crate now with the door open? If she does I'd get a second crate so they both have their own 'den'.

We crate trained ours, she's 8 now, and we just leave the door open for her and she sleeps in there, voluntarily of course, quite a bit. Actually our one cat who hates our dog has been sleeping in her crate the last few weeks! He's not a dog person.

Good luck with the new puppy!

I'm jealous!!

flea · 03-13-2008, 12:21 PM

Bodie doesn't use her crate at all anymore. In fact, we only dragged it out of storage today. We have to run to Petsmart sometime before Sunday and get a replacement divider though. It's too gigantor compared to a small puppy.

When we moved, I think I "accidentally" tossed out the divider we did have.

I'm so excited! A puppy!

flea · 03-17-2008, 01:53 AM

We got our new puppy yesterday! Woo hoo! She's adorable and Bodie is adjusting to being the older sister by bossing poor Domina around mercilessly. It's hard to let them settle these things themselves instead of stepping in, but I'm managing with my husband's help. I'm just too softhearted.

The bad news is that Petsmart doesn't sell just crate dividers in the store so I've had to order it online. Domi's just making do right now with one of our large boxes from our move into the condo. It seems okay so far, but the real test comes Monday night when Rusty and I both have to work.

I have pictures! www.fleatopia.com/galleries/domibodi/index.htm
There's a second page linked at the bottom of that page. I'm supah pleased with how it's all working out.