Crate Training & Poop

[Stephanie]

Hi! I brought home our pup yesterday afternoon. He's been doing great with going outside and he's only had one accident in the kitchen. I've been taking him about every hour and right after his meals and water.

Last night I took him out right before bed at about 9:00 PM. I woke up at 12:00AM and took him out again. I hear him around 3:00AM whimpering so I go downstairs and I find poop in his crate! I had to give him a bath and I haven't been able to sleep.

My question is: When crate training, do you took your pup out more than once during night time? Or do you take him out a few more times? I can't decide if I should keep crate training him or keep him in the kitchen in the evening. I just don't know what to expect. Maybe his crate space is too big? I'm using the wire crate and I used the divider, but the width seems to be too wide.

[Stephanie]

That's great that you work at home! I do too, but I'm actually stopping my home business because we are moving :D More time with pup!

[Michele, Biscuit & Mo]

P.S. If the crate seems a little too big, you might put some old towels or a blanket in there. I found that old towels worked well because they could be bunched up easier and were much easier to wash if the pup had an accident! It also makes it more "den" like, which the pups love.

[Stephanie]

I took out the pad I had in there because he seemed to like the kitchen floor better. I put a towel through the day and he seemed to like it. I decided to take the whole thing out and put a pee pad instead and he is doing great. It's weird though ... I woke up at 12:00AM and just now at 2:00AM and he has been up both times. I wonder if he slept too much today or if he just hears me and is prepared by the time I come down :D

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

Aren't you glad you didn't bother with that whole crate pad and bumper set up now? =)

[Stephanie]

WOw. You're good :D I have a hard time remembering who posted what! But yes, I am GLAD :D But, does that mean I have to return his bigger pad? Maybe I should I keep it just in case! It's like a bed for the crate.

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

His taste my change when he is bigger, he may grow to appreciate soft furry things as a grown up.....so I would keep it. Shiloh prefers the floor or tray of the crate....but Fenway loves his crate pad....I have the soft ones that look like lambskin.

[Mommy2Max]

It all depends on the age. I took Max out three times overnight in the beginning. Then as the months went on I decreased it until one day I decided it was time to try the entire evening. It went fine and I've slept soundly since. We got him at 7.5 weeks old and by 4 months he was promoted to spending most of the day (supervised) in the house vs. time in the crate and a little time out of the crate on a blanket or tethered. I introduced him to one room at a time as he gained freedom. He had a few accidents transitioning from crate to roam of the home but, within two weeks of his "promotion" he used the poochie bells to signal that he wanted potty. He has never had an accident since the bells. Luckily, he hasn't had many accidents overall. Let me note that I am home with him during the day so, he was closely supervised those first months.

I've said this before but it's worth repeating. As soon as you think your about to lose your mind over one behavior/issue, it resolves and the next issue arrives. - LOL I found things took a big jump in the right direction months 4-6. Things just seem to get way easier. I equate it to preschool years for us. I find infancy- toddlerhood very tiring. Preschool years and beyond aren't easy but at least you can have a conversation of sorts. :)

[Kyoko]

Toka is very cute!!
I did take Charlie out to use the bathroom everytime she woke up and whimpered when she was a very little puppy. It was tough beause she was born on 12/16, and it was really cold and snowy outside then. But it did not take long before she slept through the night. Also I have her crate in my bedroom, so if she need to go or whatever, I can hear her right away and access her quicker. When she was little, her section for the crate looked really strange, becasue it was wide and narrow with divider. ( We have XL crate.) But I made it as narrow as possible... I'm not sure about keeping Toka in the kitchen for the safety reasons. I know a lot of people do it, and it works out for them. I'm just not a fan of it because he can get into things, or chew things that can be dangelous for him. I think crate it good to keep them safe when we can't keep an eye on them.

[Janie]

I think the crate would be safer but I would have issues about crating them to long at a time to me it seems cruel.