Crate training and the water bowl

[Julie and Maggie]

Maggie comes home July 26. (yippee!) We are starting with crate training and I am going to feed her kibble in Kongs exclusively in the beginning. I have a water bowl that will be near the crate. Our whole set up is in my kitchen/nook area with a baby gate to the rest of the house. 

 

Do I just keep the bowl full and let her drink at will? I plan on taking her out at the top of the hour every hour for potty time. Is there anything I should know about offering water in those first few weeks that can help facilitate (or get in the way of) house training? How often do puppies want to drink water in the beginning? 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Riley has been home for two  and a half weeks now.  He was nine weeks and 4 days when we got him.  For the first few days  I was taking him out every half hour because he really couldn't hold it any longer. Now we have it down to after naps and food and playing sessions and he is going from 11-7am with no accidents for the past four days at all.  I give the last meal at 7 and lift the water at 9.  We go to bed at 11 and Riley walks himself now into his crate and settles down immediately.  During the first week I got up at 3am and brought him outside to potty and straight back into his crate and then he was up at 6am.   The first week is tiring and hard but if you stick to your guns it will pass and should work out very well.  If I leave him for a couple of hours (max) during the day while I'm out he gets a Kong filled with plain yoghurt and a little kibble that I take from his daily allowance,  I freeze it and he loves it.

[Julie and Maggie]

Cool, Nicky! Thanks!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, give her a full bowl of water and she can drink whenever she wants.  However, you may want to cut off the water after dinner because it will discourage going out at night to pee.  As soon as you have taken her out first thing in the morning, let her start drinking again.

Oh, and by the way, most puppies (all of mine did) like to tap dance in their water bowl.  Our water bowls were outside and inside the sliding glass door and on tiled floors inside.  You would see the puppies just jumping and splashing the water all over the place.  I think it is kindof like winding off the toilet paper.  They all seem to go through it and it is just a stage and passes quickly.

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

how is everything???

[Amy, Kokomo & Killian]

These are some great ideas  for food/crate.  Kokomo is not a fan of her crate.  I don't want to put her food/water in there because she acts like a sponge with her ears and chin and everything would be wet.  I do want to try the food in a kong thing though!  I go back to work in 3 1/2 weeks and am trying to figure out how I can get her to enjoy her crate. 

 

Right now we take Kokomo out after naps, play and about 20 minutes after eating.  She does not have access to food or water all day long...unless we are outside.  If we are in the yard I bring a water bowl.  But in the house, I pick up the water or she will need to go out much more.  She has had 1 accident each day in the house...usually because I was occupied and the kids didn't know what signals to look for when she is 'finding a place to go'.  She has had no accidents at all in her crate.  She is 9 weeks today.  Do you think that she will have an accident if she is in her crate with kibble?  She will be in her crate for 3 hours...then I come home to let her out...then she will be back in there for about 3 1/2 hours.  Rather than give her lunch, it would be good if I gave her the kibble in a kong her crate after I let her out.  Do you think that would be OK to do?  She will be 12 weeks by then.

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

if we lived closer Kokomo could hang out with Lilly during the day..

[Mimi Linna, Lilly and Lolly]

komoko at 9 wks is smarter than lilly at 9 wks..she just barks at the bells..