I recently got a chihuahua puppy that is now 10 weeks old. At night I crate him next to my bed and during the day he has the run of the house when I can watch him. When I can't watch him, I put him in the bathroom with a baby gate over the door with his crate, food, water, a puppy pad, and a toy.
When he is crated at night he does great. He doesn't whine at all and doesn't soil his bed.
So, my question is, would it be safe to start just putting him in the bathroom instead of locking him in the crate at night now?
2007-01-09 03:48:56 · 6 answers · asked by Katie 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I think 10 weeks is still a little young to stop crating a pup. When I was training mine, I kept her in her crate at night until she was almost four months old. They come to recognize their crate as their "safe place" providing it's not used just as punishment for soiling in the house. It's kind of like having your own bedroom, puppies go in their crates when they want to nap or just get away from everyone for a while.
2007-01-09 03:57:27 · answer #1 · answered by silver_dreams_75 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Crate him next to your bed. It is better for him than being alone in a bathroom. He gets to be near you in a safe, cozy, comfy space and he seems to like it.
Don't think if his crate as a bad place and the bathroom as a better place----it is truly the other way around for him.
Keep his crate. When he is an adult you may find he likes to go in there and nap (door open) during the day.
PS Stopping the crate training now will probably mean taking a step backwards as far as housebreaking is concerned.
2007-01-09 12:19:47 · answer #2 · answered by bookmom 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he does great in the crate then keep him in it.
My 2 dogs are between ages 2 and 5, they are great in the crates as well, but we still keep them crated just to keep them safe. If we didn't crate them they could get into some stuff they shouldn't. They would be good during the night, but there's that small chance that they could get into something they shouldn't. So the crate keeps them safer, plus if your dog is crate trained then that's great!! =D
-Danny
2007-01-09 11:56:24 · answer #3 · answered by Danny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like he is doing pretty good but he still might be a little young. Think about lamp cords and other things he can get into. 10 weeks is still a puppy so he still might want to chew. What I would do is let him have the run of the house if you have to run some errands and see what happens when you come back. If nothing has been destroyed then that's great! I wouldn't let him have the run of the house for a full work day just yet. Start small and then work up to the whole day.
2007-01-09 11:55:52 · answer #4 · answered by muppetbaby82 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The crate becomes a safe place for the puppy and also is great for potty training... if he is not fully potty trained I would keep using the crate.
2007-01-09 11:56:37 · answer #5 · answered by LadyRamz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is not reason not to crate him. Continue to crate him and always allow him access to his crate. It will become his safe place, his "den". I wouldn't stop putting him in is crate at night...ever.
2007-01-09 12:38:32 · answer #6 · answered by Garfield 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋