Crate Training and HOT weather

[Melissa & Porter]

I have had my puppy, Porter, since he was 3 1/2 months old. That is when the housebreaking/crate training began for him--nothing prior. His is five months old today. He can go from about 9 pm to 6/7 am in his crate at night--which is on the ground floor of our house. When out of the crate, he still has some accidents 1-2 a week maybe.

As it gets hotter, I do not want to run an AC on this floor at night, so I was considering moving him to my bedroom at night OUT OF THE CRATE. The reason for this would be so that I could put his crate in the basement for him to stay cool during the day. I am a stay-at-home mom so he is in and out of the crate all day long, but mostly out--we definitely still need it though. And the basement is sooooooo nice in the summer. In fact, he is down there right now.

Do you think that this is too soon, given his potty profile, to uncrate him at night? I would hate to have him start waking earlier to pee, though thankfully there are no rugs in my room. I could move the crate to my bedroom and down to the basement everyday. Or even buy a second one.

What would you do?

Thanks so much for your input.

[Chris & Boys]

Yea! You'll never know what he can do if you don't let him try. Glad to hear of your success!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned is a year now so housebreaking is long over = we have a doggie door at home and in the RV we have regular potty walks. We got him when he was 3 1/2 months and used the crate at night and in our RV when we left him to do an activity. We got him in June so he was crated during the hot months in Southern California. Our bedroom is upstairs and it gets HOT here at night and we have a fan blowing. Last summer it never occurred to me not to crate him at night - hot or not. We are weaning him from night time crating now but we will probably still use it in our RV until we are sure he won't chew wires or whatever is under the dash.

[Melissa & Porter]

Well, at puppy training class, I was told to put him back in the crate at night every once in a while so he doesn't lose the ability. And I am definitely still using the crate during the day, just in his new favorite part of the house: the basement.

[Melissa & Porter]

Yeah, I didn't even tether him last night. He moved around on the wood floor to the right of my bed every once in a while to get a new cold spot, but did not try to go anywhere or follow me when I got up to pee (I felt a little guilty about peeing "in front" of him while asking him to hold it...lol.)