alrite, our we right on track?

Question

Okay, i asked users here before, and they have told me that i should only crate my puppy when i'm not here or at night. But i'm still wondering if i should do that as online and in books they say to keep the puppy ina crate, and take it out every hour? Well right now he's in the crate as we are going to sleep soon, and he's barking but he eventually falls asleep. Don't worry, we do wake up early to take him out to "go". And we already let him before we put him in. Also, we're going to have training sessions w/ him once a week.

So i just want suggestions, or are we doing things right? He's a pretty behaved dog but gets hyper sometimes and hates the crate. But he's just learning the house rules and we're giving him time.

oh i spelt the title wrong, alrite are we rite on track** is what i meant =]
so please leave serious answers.

Answer 1

Good job at working so hard to do the right things for your dog. Looks like you're doing really well with your dog.

The idea behind him being in his crate "all the time" is that it doesn't give him an opportunity to pee wherever he wants. Really, what's better is to have him attached to you (with a leash) so that you can still make sure he doesn't pee.

Crates are great for housebreaking, but dogs don't need to live in them. Puppies also need socialization and to spend time with their families. If you're able to watch him, keep him with you. If you can't watch him, crate him.

I don't know if anyone's brought up socialization, but if you haven't heard about that, you might want to look into it. The idea is that when a puppy is young, it goes through key learning stages, and puppies need to be introduced to many different kinds of people, animals, environments, etc. Dogs that are not adequately socialized often are more fearful later in life.

Put simply, take your puppy everywhere you can and introduce him to everything. Use common sense and be careful not to scare him (i.e., if you're introducing him to a horse, don't let it be a horse that kicks). Sometimes he'll be more confident and sometimes he'll be more fearful, but let him explore things at his own pace. You can introduce him to new things in your house, but if you take him out, make sure he's had the right shots.

Good job taking great care of your puppy, and good luck!

Answer 2

You don't want to keep in there all the time. I've seen some books that say to keep the dog in a crate constantly only letting it out every hour or so for 10-15 minutes to eliminate.

You only want to use your crate when you can't be there to watch the puppy like a hawk. Give him some time, he'll start to love the crate, as long as he doesn't spend all of his time in it.

Training classes is a good start. Remember to practice everyday, and use what you learn in everyday life not just in practice sessions. For example ask him to sit before you put his food bowl down, or before you open the door etc.

Sounds like you are off to a good start.


*You actually spelled "right" correctly the first time. ;)

Answer 3

Well if its just the beginning then sure.But keep him out of the crate all day and just let him outside when he needs to go.No puppy/dog wants to be in a crate all day.And at night when he's in there a long time i hope its a pretty big crate.I'm thinking a 6 foot by 6 foot is big anough and about 4 feet tall so he can't hop out.And also so u can hear him and see him so nothing goes wrong and so he can breath :] he's gonna need some room to roam or just play around.He's an only dog right?? Well get some toys and put them in there.But as long as he will need no crate when he's older than i think ur doing fine :] as long as u give a lot of love and caring!

Answer 4

I think you're on track and I commend you for taking him to classes! Personally I don't agree with crating all the time. I think they should be given as much confined freedom as possible, but at times like, for instance, they have just come in from relieving themself outside, and only when you can be vigilant about watching them. I actually think it's helps speed things along the more chances you have of catching them in the act. How do they know a thing is wrong if they never have a chance to do it and be taught correctly? All in all I'd say you're doing great :)

And I have to disagree with the statement don't use a crate for punishment. I always looked at it like sending a child to their room for getting too far out of line and being in general unruly. The child doesn't hate the room for it and neither does the dog..it's just a time out, not a prison sentence. All my dogs continued to use their crate well after I stopped using it for training so if that statement were true my dogs would never go there on their own. Maybe it's just all about how you view it and the attitude you approach the dog with..?

Answer 5

We have had 2 crate trained dogs and they love their "rooms". Our current on goes in his room when I pick up my wallet or my wife and I start putting on our shoes. He runs right in because he knows he gets a small bone for going in. He does sleep with us at night, and goes in his crate when we go to work. He spends about 6 hours in his cage each day, and is perfectly fine when we come home. It is much better to crate train than leave them in a room to tear up things.

Answer 6

Sounds like you are doing things correctly. Just make sure you are not using his crate as punishment...you don't want to make him hate it. He might not like it but if everything is going like it should he will start to go in no problem. Good luck.

Answer 7

Why in the crate when your on the Internet? Also, your not ready to go to sleep yet.