What Is The Best Way To Keep A Dog At Night

[Dame Aussie]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)

I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

:(

So this pup will be crated at night ...then crated during the day while you are at work?

You don't have a backyard ? There are so many different types of pen/enclosure available to keep pups safe , while allowing them room to move, and room to allow them to learn about toileting outdoors etc.:)

Sorry, I can not imagine a puppy's needs being met while it is spending so long being confined in a crate That is not what 'crate training' is ....

Ideally ,pups NEED to run and explore and play for muscle/brain development .They need to be able to have a discrete toilet area , and it is good for them to become accustomed to being under the sky ..to experience space and weather changes , to be constantly exposed to textures under their feet , and all sorts of outdoor noises/smells etc so they grow up confident and relaxed with their environment.

I agree, I've heard of a few people keeping their puppies in crates all day and night only letting them out for toilet breaks!

I don't use crates at all but have no issue with them being used properly. Unfortunately it seems they've become the easy go to fix for puppy mischief.

No dog of any age should be locked up in a small cage for hours on end unless it's overnight. How can they get to know their environment? Develop their muscles etc?

This is just my opinion but I think it's lazy and detrimental to the puppies development.

[BlackJaq]

What if the puppy has an accident in his crate? It will learn to relieve itself where it sleeps and then you will have a hell of a time trying to undo this.

Dogs are not hamsters and I agree with the posters who said puppies need to be able to explore and run around. Being stuck in a crate all night and then most of the day sounds like a pretty sad existence to me

Edited January 28, 2013 by BlackJaq

[newgoldie]

Our new Goldie is being crate trained. Like your Mum, I was initially a bit wary, just because of the look of the crate and feeling it may be a bit cruel. Our breeder was really keen on this method of training and put my mind at rest so it might be a good idea to see what your trainer thinks. For us it seems to work really well.

Bentley slept in his crate from the first night we had him. We move his crate to outside our bedroom door at the moment so he can see us to help soothe him if he wakes.

The first couple of nights I sat next to his crate for 10-15 mins while he whined and barked a bit before he settled. Since night 4 he knows that it's bedtime and will go in without a problem. (We usually give him a treat - a Kong stuffed with a little soft cheese which has been frozen for an hour or two - which keeps him occupied while we get ready for bed).

We sometimes get woken in the early hours if he needs to relieve himself, but most nights he sleeps through from about 10pm to 5pm-ish which is brilliant. <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

At the moment someone is home all the time over the school holidays, but once my son goes back and I'm back working we will be crate training during the day too. I'll let you know how that goes! <img src='http://www.dolforums.com.au/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Newgoldie when you say you'll crate train your pup during the day do you mean you're going to "crate" your pup (crate closed) all day or just have it available (open) while your out?

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself.

Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)

I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

:(

So this pup will be crated at night ...then crated during the day while you are at work?

You don't have a backyard ? There are so many different types of pen/enclosure available to keep pups safe , while allowing them room to move, and room to allow them to learn about toileting outdoors etc.:)

Sorry, I can not imagine a puppy's needs being met while it is spending so long being confined in a crate That is not what 'crate training' is ....

Ideally ,pups NEED to run and explore and play for muscle/brain development .They need to be able to have a discrete toilet area , and it is good for them to become accustomed to being under the sky ..to experience space and weather changes , to be constantly exposed to textures under their feet , and all sorts of outdoor noises/smells etc so they grow up confident and relaxed with their environment.

I agree, I've heard of a few people keeping their puppies in crates all day and night only letting them out for toilet breaks!

I don't use crates at all but have no issue with them being used properly. Unfortunately it seems they've become the easy go to fix for puppy mischief.

No dog of any age should be locked up in a small cage for hours on end unless it's overnight. How can they get to know their environment? Develop their muscles etc?

This is just my opinion but I think it's lazy and detrimental to the puppies development.

Woah, Woah! While everyone is jumping on their high horses, he will only be crated for 1 - 2 days per week and this will only be for around 3 hours at a time max. Once he is house trained we probably won't need to use it, and we are considering outside pens once he's a little older (we certainly won't be doing this while he is so little and the temperature in WA is an average of about 37 degrees).

Our pup will have plenty of time socialising and getting used to spending time outside and we got sound advice from experienced trainers and breeders before we considered crate training. We wouldn't have bought a puppy in the first place if we were intending to crate him for 23 hours a day, and we had a thorough vetting from our breeder before we were allowed to buy. Lazy we are not.

Calm down people - don't be too critical until you know the facts.

[persephone]

apologies, however I, and others were replying according to what was posted ..

We will be crating him (door closed). I don't want him to be able to have access to the room while we are out in case he gets into mischief, has a little 'accident' or hurts himself. <br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247);">Don't worry, he won't be on his own for more than 2 - 3 hours initially - we have a willing puppy visitor who will be coming to give him lunch and a toilet break every day I'm out at work. :)<br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247);"><br style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(238, 242, 247);">I've been practising by crating him with a Kong toy stuffed with treats, then going into another part of the house for a while - I started with an hour, then increased by half an hour each time until I got to 2 hours. The first time he barked solidly for half an hour, 2nd time about 10 mins, since then he is usually so interested in his treats that he goes for that and don't hear much at all. It has given me a bit of peace of mind for when I go back to work.

[newgoldie]

apologies, however I, and others were replying according to what was posted ..

Accepted, although my original comment was a general one on whether or not I was crate training and there were a lot of negative assumptions made :)

[minimax]

apologies, however I, and others were replying according to what was posted ..

Accepted, although my original comment was a general one on whether or not I was crate training and there were a lot of negative assumptions made :)

I didn't see a response, actually. Are you crate training (emphasis on training), or just shutting him in there and walking off?

Just that shutting him in there for an hour the first time isn't crate training...

Edited February 2, 2013 by minimax

[juice]

" 2/3 hrs INITIALLY " implies you will be aiming for longer during the day, i assume this is what most people have picked up on.

[persephone]

" 2/3 hrs INITIALLY " implies you will be aiming for longer during the day, i assume this is what most people have picked up on.

That was what I read it as , yes, juice.

[newgoldie]

Just to put the record straight :

Pup will be crated for 3-4 hours max a couple of times a week but not that long until he's at least 6 months.

And yes, we did do lots of 'getting comfortable' with the crate with short periods of play, praise & treats before he was left for the hour. He loves his 'den' and is very happy to go in if we need to pop out and will often go in there if he wants a nap while we are in.

Ta-ra

[juice]

I would have thought by the time he was 6 months old ( if not before), he wouLd much prefer to be left out in the garden. He is a goldie, he won't break.

[DogsAndTheMob]

To the OP.

I have crates for my adult dogs but I only use them if I need to separate them for meals or because one dog is ill.

However, my last four puppies have slept in a small enclosed crate beside the bed. The crate is large enough for comfortable sleeping, but too small for playing. The covered sides make the crate more den-like, which is also conducive to sleep rather than play.

This helps with house-training, because I wake up and take the puppy out as soon as he stirs. If he whimpers after being returned to the crate, I just drop my hand over the side of the bed and press it against the crate door for a few minutes,. If he continues to whimper, I ignore him.

The crate gets moved progressively further from the bedroom, because I think it is important for my puppies to learn to sleep by themselves.

My latest puppy quickly outgrew his crate, so I bought a mid-sized crate. Previous puppies have graduated straight to a full-sized crate, and slept there, for their own safety, until they could be trusted not to chew electrical cords.

<div>I do train my dogs to sleep outside on my large verandah, because sometimes I need to leave them outside overnight. My dogs have trampoline beds outside but no blankets outside, because these would get dragged around the yard.

Edited February 3, 2013 by DogsAndTheMob

[I love goldens]

I relise I have started a debate

Daisy now sleeps outside in her kennel and is inside all the rest of the time except when we are out.

Thats how she was raised at her breeders- so thats how she is raised here :)

[DakotaJ]

Our Golden sleeps in our laundry at night - kept in by a child gate. She is happy with that but it did take her a few nights to settle in because she couldn't see us. I now think crating her and having the crate where she could see us would have saved us some sleepless nights. She now often chooses to sleep in the laundry when she is inside because she regards it as "her place".

We leave her outside in the day when we are out but she's not usually alone for more than 3 hours. I know this is not realistic for working families but make sure she has lots of toys. Also be prepared for digging and chewing. My Golden managed to ring bark our orange tree in a couple of hours. You will also need to do plenty of walking, they have lots of energy so if they are alone for long periods they will really need a good walk at some time during the day. One last thing I have found really useful is obedience ptraining, they enjoy the stimulation and practice training can be incorporated into your walks.

Good luck with your dog - enjoy !