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  1. #1
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    Deconflicting crate training with sleeping arrangements

    My desire is to crate my puppy in the bedroom at night while I am sleeping to facilitate both keep her from getting into mischief and to help with potty training. However, I understand that it may take a few days to acclimate a puppy to a crate (not force them, introduce in stages, etc). I was wondering what recommendations people may have for a situation like this. I thought about putting her in an ex-pen in the bedroom for the first few nights but I am afraid of giving her too much space to use the bathroom in one corner and sleep in the other.

    Any recommendations are appreciated.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    I use the crate from day one. When it's time to go to bed, I put puppy in the crate with a small treat and shut the door. For the first few days, I get up at 3am to take puppy out and potty, then back in the crate until I get up at 6am. There's a few nights of crying, howling, carrying on, but soon it becomes a nice quiet routine.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    I think you are over thinking it all. I use a crate for travel (small), use a crate in the puppy pen (open door so they can get to the potty area if they need) and use a separate crate in the house when it's in their best interest to be contained (my shower time, whatever). I have had no confusion here. Tonite I took the almost 5 mo old to rally class, and took a soft flimsy pop up crate. she had NO issue w/ adjustment. Just take care of the biggies and don't sweat the small stuff.
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  5. #4
    House Broken
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    Same - we put Jackson in the crate from the first night. The first day we brought him home, we had a few toys and treats (kibble, really) in the crate and he hung out in and around the crate with the door open (we were in the same room as well). And then at night, it was into the crate with a treat and the door shut. He did cry, but it was also his first night away from his mom / other pups. After a few nights, it was routine - into the crate with a small treat, out every few hours for potty and that was it. Make sure your crate has a divider so your pup doesn't potty in one corner and sleep on the other end of the crate. We always treated the crate in a positive manner (happy "time for bed", yummy treats, never for punishment) and Jackson acclimated very quickly.

  6. #5
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    We had 2 crates, a large wire one in or near the kitchen, and small 28" travel crate in the bedroom on my side of the bed. From the first night, they went into the crate at bedtime with a little treat. For Chase I had gotten a stuffed toy called a Snuggle Puppy that had a little "heartbeat", like a ticking clock, inside of it. I don't know if it made a difference for him, but it made me feel better. Lark didn't have a Snuggle Puppy- Chase had chewed its ears nearly off and I didn't get a new one. For both of them I had a towel or bathmat that had been rubbed around on their Mom and siblings before we brought them home so they'd have the smell of their litter mates in the crate with them as well. We were fortunate that neither of them fussed or whined or cried for hours on end. I did not set an alarm, they were right beside me so if I heard them starting to fuss and it had been a few hours since they'd been outside, I got up and took them out. Then back into the crate after they pottied, no play time, no treat, all business. If they fussed, I shushed them and put my fingers down where they could smell them if they wished, and they generally settled right down.

    Mine were 9- 12 weeks old when I brought them home. I just picked them up and put them in their crate- I wouldn't really call it forcing them in but I did not try to lure or cajole them into going in. It was more like, "it's bed time and this is where you sleep". I was going to bed at the same time so they weren't sitting there by themselves for long before I was in bed beside them.

    Windycanyon said something about a potty area in the puppy pen. She's a breeder and that's where she's trained the babies to go to the bathroom since the start. A new owner probably won't have a pre-established potty area in the house. I don't want my puppies to go anywhere in the house anyway, so I don't use a pen with a crate and leave the door open. I take them outside frequently during the day and let them wander in and out of their crate, including some time in the crate with the door shut if I need to take a shower, go to the grocery store, that sort of thing. You're fortunate if you are getting the puppy from a breeder who has gotten the puppy accustomed to a crate before he even comes home, as windycanyon does.
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  8. #6
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    I put Sam in the crate his first night too. He whined and howled for a half an hour to an hour for two straight nights when I first put him in. The third night I covered it with a bed sheet after putting him in and he was silent. After a few weeks of doing that he started to try to eat the bed sheet so I had to take it off and now he is just fine in it with no whining or howling. Just goes straight in at night after going outside and waits for his treat.

    I also had a towel with his litter mates and mothers scent on it he slept on. Again after a few weeks that started to get chewed so I removed that too.

    He also chews on the wire of the crate.

    Did I mention he chews?

    During the day I made sure to do the acclimation to the crate so he understood it was a good place. We would practice going in and out with treats, with the door open for a bit, leaving him in there with the door shut for a bit, feeding every meal in there, etc.

 



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