crate training ?

[Lucy & Ellie]

Lucy is about 5 months now and she's doing pretty good with house training.  I honestly thought by now we'd be done but whatever :)  Any accident is usually after a big walk/drink or when a visitor comes and she hasn't gone recently so she just lets it all out!

Anyway, my question was about crate training.  There's probably a good answer that I'm just not realizing since so many people crate train... including us.  But if a puppy learns that her "home/area" is her crate, when and how does she learn that the rest of the house is also her home/area and should not be soiled?  

[Laura & Sophie Doodle]

I was under the impression that puppies do not soil their crate because it's an innate behavior to not want to lay around/sleep where they eliminate (and who could blame them?! :) ) They may eliminate in the house because it is not a confined space and they know they can just leave the room/immediate area. Crate training keeps our pup from having accidents while we are sleeping or not home but she also has stopped eliminating in the house even when she is not in her crate because we have reinforced that it is a "naughty" behavior. I don't think she associates with not eliminating in her crate and not eliminating in the house with the same reasoning (i.e. not wanting to sleep where she soils vs. not wanting to be scolded). Just give Lucy time.. she will get the hang of it! :) Sophie is nearly 6 months and has only about 1 accident a month (if that). Ironically, that accident was today. Sigh. They're lucky we love them so much ;). Good luck! 

[Mari Bezanson]

I think it depends on the dog.  For our puppy, as soon as he steps on carpet he associates it with grass, and goes almost immediately.  It was almost a year before I  trusted our other dog to be 100% house trained. 

[Ada and Emma]

This is such a good question. I have a 5 month old Goldendoodle, and was thinking the same thing about when I would be ready to totally trust Emma around the house. She doesn't soil in her crate, but will go pee on the tile floor of she has to go. She Is only allowed to roam the house when we can watch her or is in the same room with us. The moment she gets up to go to another room, I am right behind her. The stairs are blocked so she doesn't go upstairs, but I allow it only when one of us can watch her and walk with her from room to room. The reason I do this is to be able to catch her in the act If she trys anything inside the house. Also every time she comes out the crate she is taken outside to potty. Hopefully all this will lead to her understanding where she needs to release herself and her becoming 100% potty trained, with the exception of any accidents.

[Sheryl & Safiy]

I think for Safiy, he learned the best when I caught him in the act, I yelled loudly, clapped my hands and immediately took him to his place outside. If he finished outside I praised him. But if he didn't... I made him stay outside for a long time. Also I started back to square 1 with him, meaning he spent most his time in the dining area and he would wear his leash in the house and I would take him out regularly about every hour- or if we are playing every twenty minutes. He is 7 months and I still keep him by me when he is out of the gated kitchen area . If I can't watch his every move I keep him in the gated area. He does not have accidents there. Good luck! Catch them in the act and let your pup know you are not happy!

[Marie and Hoka]

For us, it always seemed that if we gradually increased the area it worked.  First (when too little to hold it) we had a crate open in the gated off bathroom. Then moved to closed in the crate in our family room (there is no carpet and a door outside).  Then only let out in the one room with the open crate. Once he seemed pretty reliable here, we slowly increased the territory.

We long ago got rid of all carpet... only area rugs and this only as needed.  Makes life easier with lots of dogs, kids, lazy humans.