When to let pup have more freedom sleeping out of crate at night?

[Jackie]

Beckett is almost 6 months old. He's housebroken now. I had gotten a plastic crate for the bedroom but I didn't want to get a big one (or expensive one) We already had a wire crate for him downstairs. (with a divider for him to grow into) He's almost outgrown the bedroom crate. I'd like to let him sleep in my bedroom. (out of the crate) I'm not sure if I should give him the run of the whole room or just part of it (which I can do..just a small area next to my bed) I was going to start with the small area next to my bed and leave the crate open near the foot of the bed so he could sleep in it if he felt more secure there. I tried it a few nights ago but he wouldn't settle down. He kept trying to get on the bed, barked, etc. I tried it for about half an hour or so. I did it on a week night which I shouldn't have 'cause I had to get up in the morning. I couldn't let him go too long! Does anyone have any hints or ideas on how to get him adjusted to it? Thanks

[Mary, Scrappy, Sully and Olive]

Although we were tempted to let Scrappy sleep out of her crate, I held off until she was closer to a year. The first night I left the crate open like you and had the same results. She seemed a bit confused and uncomfortable, so I didn't try again for a couple of months. Now she sleeps in our room soundly, as long as I close my bedroom door. If not, she'll go downstairs and bark at shadows outside all night!
She just naturally would end up sleeping either on our bed or the floor almost every night anyway and that made it easier to adjust to no crate I guess.

[Jackie]

Yeah, I'd like to wait longer. I might be able to hold off alittle longer. But the crate we have in the bedroom is going to be too small for him soon. I think I can wait a few more weeks(don't think he's growing too fast now) But I don't want to get another one and can't bring the wire crate upstairs. I don't want to just let him have the run of the whole bedroom to start out. I think I might try my "plan" (small area of bedroom) in alittle while. Hope he adjusts to it soon and doesn't have a hard time like when I tried before.

[Ali]

Well right now my puppy is 3 months. I never had her sleep in a crate, except for the first 4 days she slept in a box next to my bed. She either sleeps in my bed with me or I set her up with all her toys and her bed in the bathroom a few feet away with a baby gate blocking it. I would keep her in a small space at first, that way she knows this is her sleeping spot. It may take a while for the puppy to get used to but it will happen. It also take a while for my puppy to get comfortable and she moves from spot to spot until she is asleep.

[5a54ofb5qk1d]

LOL, we very unintentionally let Wrigley sleep out of her crate last night! (15 weeks old) We always use the end door of her crate to put her in/out, but sometimes our wee ones will play with the side door. Daddy put pup to bed late last night and didn't check the side door. When I got up this morning (7 1/2 hours later), there was Wrigley, lying at the foot of the stairs and just thump thump thumping her tail to show me how pleased she was! I was DREADING what I may find (potty, poop, chewed up stuff) but my DARLING pup had been an absolute angel and didn't go anywhere in the house and didn't bother a thing! and no, we won't be intentionally leaving her out in the near future, but what a good puppy she was last night. :-)

[Sue & Willy Babe]

Hi JIll
How is Wrigley doing ??? Willson is growing like a weed he is now a big 30 Lbs!!!
We haven't tried letting him sleep outside of his kennel yet he is only 14 weeks time really flies it was just like yesterday when he was soo very little. He is doing very well with not having accidents in the house, and loves to play with the little puppies in the neighborhood we have a puppy play time almost everyday, especially after work, I do keep willson out of his kennel when I get ready in the morning and he does very well.
Willson can shake hands now yea!!! and puppy class is going well its the walks I am have problems with, but that will come he really just wants to play.

[5a54ofb5qk1d]

Hi Sue! Wrigley is also doing wonderfully! LOL, I thought SHE was growing like a weed and she just hit 20 pounds at 15 1/2 weeks. Willson sounds like he's going to be BIG. Yes, I would say that Wrigley is housebroken. YAY! She's only crated when we have to leave her, but she's confined in the kitchen when we're home and can't watch her. She goes to visit Doggie Day Care this week so she'll have a place to stay and play with other doggies when we can't take her with us, and she starts her first puppy classes on October 6th. She hasn't had a chance to really play with other puppies so I'm excited that she'll have these opportunities for socialization.

[Richard Crowe]

Holly was a goldenpuddle until just exactly 3 months of age. She suddenly turned the corner and realized where to go (or where not to go) potty. She has had no household accidents since then...

At first, she would try to wake us up at the crack of dawn but, we didn't give in to that. She now sleeps a reasonable time after first light. Of course, we have four Maltese so we do get up early.

Holly hated being crated and as soon as we realized that she had her bladder under control, we let her sleep without being crated....

A funny thing, when crated; Holly used to get me up 2-3 times during the night to go potty. As soon as she began sleeping uncrated, she began sleeping throughout the night with no wakeup calls and no puddles. I think that she really wanted to get out of her crate for a while and just peed incidentally.

[Jackie]

Beckett was like that during the day when he was in the crate. He'd sleep but the minute someone stepped foot in the same room as he was in he'd bark to get out. One day it was hot and he fell asleep in front of the fan. I let him stay there instead of putting him in his crate. He slept for an hour and a half! I could step right over him and he never woke or anything. He never really liked the crate. That's one reason I was thinking of letting him have more freedom at night. I thought maybe it would help him to sleep later in the morning. He'll sleep all night but wake up early barking to get out. Not sure if it has anything to due with the crate or just that he's still a puppy. I think I'll try it this weekend or next.

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Well even though my husband doesn't like it I let my new baby (and the big one) sleep with us in the bed. I am a working mommy so anytime I can keep them out of their crates I do!! My pup is about 14 weeks - almost 4 months old and has been really good. No accidents as long as he is in the bed with us. Things are easier with him because we have an older dog though...he tends to copy off of my older dood. I think they will suprise you...like anything they get used to things. Is yours a chewer? I guess I would worried if that was the case as well.

[1knme66wzgv4k]

At 6 months old, we had our labradoodle sleeping outside his crate and he did great all night, but when we started obedience training, our trainer wanted us to crate him again because he was just getting too many freedoms and it was showing up in his training. She absolutely did not want him on the furniture or in our bed and we've followed her advice explicitly and have found that he is a much more obedient dog. We didn't know why our dog was not obeying us and it turned out because he thought he was king of the house. (ha ha HE WAS!) We have returned to using the crate and he definitely knows his place in our household now. So the crate is more than just a place to confine a puppy, it's also very useful in teaching obedience. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

[Chris Houtchens]

Harley is 6 months and has always been in the crate at night. He has only need to get up his first night and a couple of times when he ate something he shouldn't have. He seems to like it in there except during the day. He does not like that at all.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is 6 months old also. He took to the crate at night right away. I wouldn't have even tried one except we do a lot of camping in our RV and I DIDN'T want him roaming around at night chewing on car parts. However, like Harley (great name), he does not like being in the crate during the day. We have used it in the RV when we leave it to do something but I think he whines the whole time. At home we use a doggy door, block the kitchen, and have 2 other dogs to keep each other company.