Crate Training & Introducing More Freedom

[Jaime + Oliver]

Hi All,

We've been crate training Oliver since he came home with us 5 weeks ago, adding a little time every day.  He's now 13 weeks and does 2-3hr chunks of time like a champ - I watch via spy cam :).  He'll go in to the crate willingly to nap, look for toys etc.  Whenever we crate him he cries for a few minutes and then settles down.  For the most part it's going well.

Despite lots of special crate-only toys, lots of exercise, lots of positive reinforcement, and plenty of fun time outside of the crate, he just doesn't seem to like any kind of confinement (crate, xpen etc).  He's always looking for a new adventure and will never forget there's something he wants to see/smell/chew outside of his crate.

I'm curious when people started letting your pups have some free reign of a room during the day vs being crated?  Is it a one way street once you stop consistently crating?

[Gail and Bailey]

 I am not sure if you are asking about crating when you are gone, or crating at night, or crating when you can't watch him constantly.

There are some folks on DK who crate whenever they leave the house even when the dog is grown.  Lots of them have dogs who are 5 years old and even older.  It is a matter of feeling certain that your dog is safe and you know nothing can happen to him if he is in his crate.  Those full grown dogs will just sleep in their crate when you are away and you can relax knowing they are safe.

Puppies need to be crated or confined to keep them from hurting themselves or getting into trouble destroying stuff.  Your  pup is still a baby and needs to be confined for quite some time yet. If you are consistent about crating him he will soon know it is expected and settle right away when he is in it.  It is a safe place and he will probably just sleep soon after going in it.  I would suggest crating him with regularity so he gets used to it and you will always have the crate as an option when you really need.

I kept my dog crated whenever we left the house until she was a year and a half old. I gave her a special treat and a favorite toy (that she could not destroy or get hurt with) and she was happy. Then I started leaving her out of the crate when I worked in the yard and checked on her without her knowing.....after that I started leaving her out when I would run to the store quickly.  I gradually increased the time until I felt sure she was just chilling out while I was gone. This took me a couple of months.  Now I can leave her for hours and she does great.  My goal was to put the crate away for good and we finally did.  

[Jaime + Oliver]

I guess the question was all encompassing in terms of when people saw enough trustworthy & safe behavior to get rid of the crate (day, night, errands etc).  I've just heard people giving freedom very early on (4 months) and was curious as to the "norm."  

I know we're in it for a long haul, especially through teething, and our main goal is to keep him safe when we can't have our eyes on him.  I just needed some light at the end of the tunnel :)

[Gail and Bailey]

Just hang in there!  The puppy days will pass and soon you will have a full grown doodle!  I know it is hard when they are so young but it is so worth it to put in all the necessary work when they are young in order to wind up with great companion!  

Your little Oliver is adorable!  There is not only a light at the end of the tunnel.....there is also a wonderful grown dog waiting to emerge.  You just need to help him along.  Enjoy every day!  :>)

[Jaime + Oliver]

Thanks for the encouragement!  I keep reminding myself all this work now will pay off in the long run - it's just surviving the puppy stage first :)

[Lindsay n Archie]

Not all dogs take to crating. We tried for months with Archie, he banged scrratched, cried the entire day. It was miserable. We worked with specialist, called animal behaviorist, and did not know what to do.at around 5 months when he was getting nurtured we decided to put him in the kitchen during the day and let him sleep on the floor in our bedroom. He was fully potty trained by the time but he will get into anything that is in his way, paper towels, etc. But does great otherwise

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

It sounds as tho our pups are just about the same age and same stage in training. At this point, I'm not sure a pup this age is really going "to like" the crate. Ours enters not so willingly, but lies right down. Especially at night when it is time for bed. For those times during the day when I must confine her for an hr or so...she"ll bark a bit, but settle down quickly. No way would I even think of giving her full freedom at this point. She loves her toys and hasn't done any damage YET, and would like to keep it that way.;). My now deceased Golden ,loved his crate as time went on. In fact, we took the door off, and he could always be found snoozing in it. It was his safe and cozy place. I'm hoping Enzo learns to love her crate the same way.

[Jaime + Oliver]

Enzo is adorable!  He looks like such a happy pup!  Good luck with your training too :)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Thanks! She is a very happy girl! ;)

[Jaime + Oliver]

Thanks everyone - this community really helps you feel not so alone in the challenges of doodle raising!  It really is safest for us to keep trying to crate train Oliver - he's too adventurous and brave for his own good :)  And it sounds like we're going to wait a while until we can trust him with some independence.

[Camilla and Darwin]

We never stopped crating Darwin and he is 4. He does completely fine with free roam and when we leave him at someone else's house, or even if we think he could use with more space during a long duration we'll leave him out. However, (and we know this via spy cam) he seems to be in his crate most of the time even when he is left out so I think he really enjoys it. We still crate him at night because when we don't he paces a lot. 

Basically we wanted to get him comfortable with either one, and it's been very nice for all of us to have him that way. We have the flexibility of leaving him crated if we need, or letting him out free. He loves his crate and I keep it up, despite the fact that it's huge and we really need the space. :-)

If your pup doesn't seem to like being crated maybe it would be better if you slowly transitioned him to free roam once he's older. However, you may find that by the time he is old enough to transition he has started to love his crate.