Jump to content

Can I Get My Puppy To Sleep In A Pen Outside?


jemdabrera
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi, I'm currently raising a Japanese Spitz puppy, who is about to turn 9 weeks old. I'm going to wait until he's at least 12 weeks before I attempt to leave him outside at night- but how would you go about this?

I have an eight-panel pen that is 91cm high.

He does well left on his own inside, but if you leave him outside for any period of time by himself he starts whining.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He'd be undercover. We have a patio.

There's not many rooms he can sleep in at this stage- the laundry is too small and all the bedrooms are carpeted. He's capable of relieving himself on newspaper- but can't seem to do it on command. :/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't suggest keeping a puppy that age outside just yet. You are worried that he will pee on the floor, I'm guessing that is why you want to put him outside? I suggest crate training your puppy. :) Crate training a puppy teaches them to hold their bladder longer (puppies do not like peeing where they are sleeping/lying down) and is used as a place for them to feel safe. My Australian Shepherd cried the first few nights we had him, it drove me crazy but he eventually got used of his crate and now he loves it, he even goes in there by himself now :)

20121110162231.jpg

Crate training is also great because you can put them in there if you cannot watch them (No more than a few hours!) and they feel safe. Merlin is 10 weeks old and goes to the toilet at around midnight and wakes up at 6:30am, just a week ago he had to be let out every 4 hours.

So yes... Definitely do some reading about this. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would suggest crating for a JS puppy - they are companions. Crate training comes in handy for so many things besides bed time (eg vacuuming or when you're traveling with pup)

We crate our JS girl - you can start in the bedroom and then slowly move them 1m/week toward the undercover area.

Though, I can tell you, if I tried to make Ziva sleep outside, she would be complaining to the entire neighbourhood very loudly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic! :'D

Crating sounds a good idea.

He currently has newspaper to relieve himself, but away from his bed in the room.

If you crate train him, the one thing you NEVER want him to do is toilet in the crate.

If you want him toilet trained, you need to get him outside when he needs to go. By 12 weeks, he could be sleeping through the night if you make the effort to get up to him now.

I would worry about a Jap Spitz pup being cool enough sleeping outside in summer and in winter he'd need an insulated kennel.

Have you considered sleeping him in the laundry and putting in a dog door?

Edited by Haredown Whippets
Link to comment
Share on other sites

crate TRAINING is just that ..taking time to get a pup used to going in, then staying in a crate.

It is NOT intended to physically stop a puppy toileting inappropriately indoors...and it is not at all kind or fair to leave a pup crated until it HAS to soil its bed area :(

Crate training will mean initially more work for you ..as YOU will be the one letting him out for toilet ...YOU will be timing his crate time, teaching him about crates, and toilet training him by taking him outside every hour or so , unless you are happy for him to toilet indoors on paper always

He currently has newspaper to relieve himself, but away from his bed in the room.

think hard about this ..you have a baby puppy ..and whatever he learns now will be with him all his life :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would worry about a Jap Spitz pup being cool enough sleeping outside in summer and in winter he'd need an insulated kennel.

Have you considered sleeping him in the laundry and putting in a dog door?

Many JS sleep outdoors - I know a few of us have asked our JS to sleep outside (with a basic covered kennel) in winter to bulk up their coats :)

OP - are you in an apartment? I know plenty of JS who have been indoor toilet trained using a fake grass toilet or pee pads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in a single storey house- He's learning to toilet outside, but while he's inside, he still uses the newspaper.

My main issue is I want to move him from my bathroom to a puppy pen, and teach him to toilet outside 100% of the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in a single storey house- He's learning to toilet outside, but while he's inside, he still uses the newspaper.

My main issue is I want to move him from my bathroom to a puppy pen, and teach him to toilet outside 100% of the time.

Get some fake grass for him to use as an inside toilet while training, while it isn't the same as real grass it is much closer than newspaper. If he's allowed to go on newspaper now there is a possibility he will always think that newspaper is a good place to go. Put some fake grass over the newspaper so that at least it is simulating real grass.

I had Hamish sleeping in a crate from the day I got him. The first week he would wake up once in the night and tell me he needed to toilet, but after that he started sleeping through the whole night (11pm-6am), mind you he is my easy puppy! Now both my dogs will only go outside unless they really can't hold on and can't get out (I have a dog door, so it is very rare that they couldn't get out whenever they needed to).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If he is using the newspaper inside then it probably means your not taking him out enough. I would wait until you are having less 'accidents' on the news paper until you remove it so that he doesnt have accidents in less convenient places, and try and increase the number of times you take him out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in a single storey house- He's learning to toilet outside, but while he's inside, he still uses the newspaper.

My main issue is I want to move him from my bathroom to a puppy pen, and teach him to toilet outside 100% of the time.

I had my JS puppy in a puppy pen under the kitchen table. From day one he slept about 6 hours through the night and called to be let out early in the morning to toilet. I then took him out, praised him for going and put him back in the pen until I wanted to get up. Sometimes it would be half an hour, sometimes 2 hours. I left newspaper at one end of the puppy pen for a couple of months in case he couldn't hold on but he only peed on it a once per night for the first couple of days and after that could hold on. In hindsight he was completely housetrained by 10 weeks but I kept up the training to toilet on command for several months to make sure he didn't make any mistakes.

A puppy pen can also be put on a plastic tarp in a carpeted room but cold floors are best for a JS coming into summer. I have no idea how you would get a lone JS to sleep outside without barking the district down every time they hear a noise. Mine likes to be as close to us as possible and once he was almost trustworthy in the house, around 8 months, I allowed him to sleep wherever he wanted and he usually chooses the cold floors, a dog bed in my room or on one of our beds, depending on the weather. I prefer not to crate coated breeds because they can get very hot. We only put the pen up now if we are all going out and he gets put in there with no fuss as he has the other dog loose in the house for company. Right now he is lying next to me touching me as he prefers to have some contact with one of his family whenever possible. If he cannot lie next to one of us he lies touching my other dog when he can. They are not a breed that likes to be alone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:) A JS breeder I knew had most of her dogs/pups outside :) They were such wonderful happy chappies :)

Yes, dogs/pups plural is fine but one dog on it's own is a different matter, especially with a male as they are very sooky compared to the more independant girls. The biggest problem though with having them sleep outside is the fact that they are an "alarm breed", bred to bark at anything unusual so out on acres might be fine but I wouldn't want one outside all night in suburbia. Having said they my little guy doesn't work the night shift, sleeps like a log but he is secure inside with us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The biggest problem though with having them sleep outside is the fact that they are an "alarm breed", bred to bark at anything unusual so out on acres might be fine but I wouldn't want one outside all night in suburbia.

I didn't know that :)

and yes, a barking dog all night is not a good plan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

To teach your puppy to toilet outside you need to do a number of things

Remove the newspaper and teach him to toilet outside only. No inside option. You don't want the pup learning that going inside is ok sometimes even just on newspaper. Unless you always want them to toilet inside on newspaper etc. start as you want to go on.

Supervise your pup in the house. Household privileges must be earned and are not a right. When you can't watch your pup have your pup crated or in a pen or outside.

The most important one is to take your pup outside to toilet frequently. At this age your pup has little bladder control so will need to go out lots. After play, after waking up, after drinking or eating, first thing in the morning (early) and last thing at night. Also maybe during the night. Take your pup out every couple of hours at least. Take your pup out on lead. This is not play time it is toilet time. Praise after they go.

If your pup goes to the toilet inside or on its bedding, clean it up immediately. If you catch them in the act , be a banshee and yell aaaagghhhhh! Loudly at them to interrupt them and then take outside. If you didn't see it, resolve to be more vigilant in supervising your pup. You can only correct if you catch in the act. The aim is to take them out enough that they don't have accidents.

Edited by espinay2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...