Crating

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Did everyone crate their pup at night? Did anyone allow their puppy to sleep with them from day one? I am interested to hear what members have to say. Thank you!

[Heather Thompson]

We couldn't fit the crate into our bedroom, and lived in a condo, so his LOUD barking and howling was not okay, so we slept next to the crate the first week. Then read the book by the Monks of New Skete, and they suggest tethering pup to your bedpost. Allows them to be close to you (ie smell & hear you), gives them the same "don't potty in your den" sense so helps with house training AND allowed us to sleep in the bed again. I must have gotten up 10 times each of the first few nights we tethered him to make sure he wasn't caught up in the leash - he never was. I got over that in about a week and we tethered him until he was about 6 mos old (several months after he was reliably house trained).

[Meridith and Lola]

Lola did not like sleeping in the crate at night which was in the living room. She got the house training down really quickly and was able to let me know that she had to go potty by either going to the gate or just whimpering at me so I decided to let her sleep in my room starting at 4 months. I bought a dog pillow but she mostly just stayed on the hardwood floor at the foot of the bed. When she had to go, she would just stand near my face and make some noise (I'm a fairly light sleeper). But she mostly slept until 5:30/6:00 am until she got a little older and slept later. I would crate her during the day when I was out at work (dog walker came twice a day) until she was 6 months. She never liked going in - would run to another room (in spite of the treats). So at 6 months, I stopped putting her in the crate and just kept her gated in the living room. At around 9 months, she was able to jump over the gates (she is a mini and they were pretty high so it was surprising) so after that she had free reign of the apartment. Except for chewing on a rugs in the foyer and a bath mat, she was amazingly well behaved.

[Minga & Malu & Costa]

After not crate training my last 2 puppies until they were after 1 year old (siblings) I won't be making that mistake again! They got into all kind of trouble chewing all sorts of things (clothes, rugs, carpet, eye glasses, underwear.....the list goes on). Once they started on the carpet I got the kennels. That was the chewing part, then there were the accidents to clean up. Soooooo, new doodle (get him on Friday!!!!) will be getting crate trained.

I am thinking I will have one in the living room and another in our bedroom so I can hear him if he sounds like he needs to have a midnight potty. He will go in the crate when I am at work (I will come home to eat lunch, do some training/playing and have a potty break) and for bedtime. I presume that as he gets older he will sleep in bed with us (2 other dogs and 2 cats do) and then get locked in the kitchen with the other dogs while I am away at work. But I don't really want to come home to find my kitchen cabinets all chewed up, lol. So best to prevent the behavior, in my opinion. I imagine it will be easier to potty train him too.

Countdown to Friday!!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Sounds like everything is going very well, Laurie! I am glad the crating is going well.
In our case, Peri figured out she could get our attention by making weird noises at night. So after Week 2 or 3, we moved her to the hallway (where she was still in sight)...and then to her "room" next door. She slept better in there. We stopped crating at night when she was about 6 months old. After she was spayed, we started letting her sleep on her bed in our room. We never went back to night crating. We do; however, wake up some mornings to her on our bed. She sneaks up there sometimes...hehe.

[Tamara & Giada]

I crated my dogs from day one, and at about 7 months old gated them in the laundry room, but I also am home all day every day. I think crates are great, but if over used could be VERY cruel. So, for me I think it depends on what your lifestyle is like if you would be home a good majority then a crate is good for the times you may be away. BUT, if you work 40 hours a week, to me that is WAY TOO long for a poor pup to be confined, and an alternative would be best. GL!