Puppy help with crate!

[Molly]

We recently got our sweet golden doodle, Pacey. We have a three year old German shepherd lab mix. Parker is so sweet to his new sister. The first week we had Pacey she hated her crate. The crate is in our room. She sleeps well through the night. However, if I left during the day, she would soil her crate every time even when I took her outside right before. I did research and I didn't put anything soft on there for her to go to the bathroom on, I covered it with blankets, and I leave kings and bones in her crate. I also put the other dog in the room with her. SLOWLY but surely it got better and she learned to love her crate. She is now 11 weeks, and my husband and I would like to transition her to the office where Parker usually sleeps. Since it took her a while to enjoy her crate, we are putting the crate in the other room for a couple of hours increments, but still letting her sleep next to us. I feel like we have started all over again. She barks when I get home and she has started scratching off the blankets and peeing on herself. I always leave a sound machine, Parker in room, and plenty of treats. I need help! Is she too young moving her to another room? Does she have anxiety? Should I make it to where she can see Parker or leave him out? I feel like a terrible mom and I am getting tired cleaning it up every time. Any advice is welcome!

[Amy and Annabelle]

I think I would leave her with me for awhile until she got a little older. I know I wouldn't move her twice in such a short time.  At what age did you move Parker to the office? Annabelle is 2 years old and still sleeps in bed with me. So maybe I am not the best person to respond.

I would only let my puppy have a bone and treats under my watchful eye and never leave them alone with one. I know that wasn't one of the questions, but am throwing that one out there anyway. Too much can happen.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

We kept both our doodle puppies in a crate in our bedroom for 3 days to 2 weeks (each had very different needs) and then transitioned them to their crates downstairs in the nook area of our kitchen. They slept down there until about 1 year old and then we allowed them to sleep with us in our room with no crate. To make the transition easier for Oscar, our 2nd doodle, (3 yrs younger than Lucy) we had Lucy sleep in her crate downstairs too, right next to Oscar's crate. Neither dog had any problems with the transition, but then both loved their crates from day 1. I think they were exceptional in how they loved their crates from the start, as it seems most don't. I also played a CD called, "Music Pets Love: While You Are Gone" by Bradley Joseph during each transition. It seemed to help a lot.

[Lynda Kamrath]

It takes a little while to completely house train a puppy.  Actually, the older dog may help.   My older dogs always have been great teachers for my puppies.  I don't like crates in my house so I always use baby playpens.  That is their bed and home until they are completely house trained.  I use a crate in the car as it is safer to have them in crates, but in the house they are in the playpen until they are free to roam the house.  Then they decide where they would like to sleep.  My best playpen had a vibrator and a music box in it.  I would start those and the dog was out immediately.