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Re: ....Questions.....
Even with a
dog walker, we're talking 4-5 hours in a crate. This seems a bit
long except at night. Am I realistic or is this guilt speaking??
Guilt! Pure unadulterated GUILT! What is the difference if a
puppy sleeps under your bed for 4 to 5 hours or in her crate?
[Karin, see I said her] :-)))
Okay a
question for night time crating. While the pup is young should I
set an alarm to wake up in the night to take her out? I keep
reading that you shouldn't take the pup out when she's crying - it
teaches her cry = out. But how do you know if it's an I gotta pee
cry or an I want out cry?
Let her cry it out, if she messes, the mess will still be there when you
are ready to deal with it after you are rested... I know that
sounds awful and not to say I have not gotten up in the night to potty a
dog I have, but not anything like the reports I hear so often from other
people with new puppies, even people on this list, you know who you are
no names needed:-) . Really think about it, if you get up to a mess
what difference does it make if you are cleaning up that mess at
3:00AM or 6:00 AM? When a puppy has an accident in it's crate they
usually will smear it all over requiring a bath, and the crate to be
cleaned up, requiring you to be fully awake... Get my point?
Also once happened it's very rare for it to happen a second time if they
do have to sit in it. They don't like it... By setting an
alarm you are teaching your dog to do what?
With urination, every time you take a puppy out of it's crate it's going
to need to urinate. For that matter any time you wake a puppy it's
going to urinate regardless of where it's sleeping. So don't
disturb the puppy... No eye contact, just say, quiet and roll over
and forget about her. She is safe in her crate and you need your
rest. If you look at them you are a goner... :-))
One thing to remember about dogs is that they learn by repetition and
goldens are very quick to learn, both good and bad habits. I have
had very few crate accidents in my life and my puppies often sleep a good
8 to 10 hours at night or at least they are quiet for at least that long
and dry and clean...
Here is what I do: Water comes up at 7:00 PM we all potty just
before 10:00 PM and retire to our respective crates, puppies and dogs
each get a cookie and the lights go out, end of subject. I sleep my
pup's next to my side of the bed as George can sleep through ANYTHING and
I can not. If it's 1:00 AM and pup is whining I just gently rock
the crate and say quiet. 9 out of 10 times this works. The
first week I absolutely am as diligent as one can be with the routine, no
exceptions. After that the pup usually has learned, and in all honesty
very rarely very rarely have we had an accident in the crate. AmEx
for example has never had one, Lucy had 1, DiTTo who doesn't sleep in a
crate any longer at 7 months old never had one and has been out of her
crate for months and holds it all night. TRiX has never had an
accident but slept in her crate for the first year as she would potty in
the night in the house if allowed to be free. Each dog is an
individual yes but approaching this form the point of view that you are
training and with training come corrections is the best way to go about
this in my opinion...
G :-)