House Training & Crate Training

[new to the flock]

Having just done a search and finding I had written 2 pages of results concerning house and crate training I thought I might give an outline of both combined and pin it here.

 

House Training

 

I personally do not like to paper train puppys. The reason being that you train them to pee in your house then you train them not to pee in your house. What my wife and I do is; everytime the puppy wakes up take it out side...when she pees,(and she will) tell her good girl and give her lots of praise. We also put a command ,(go pee), to it so that the dog learns to empty when told, this saves frustration and time when the dog is older and you are in a hurry. Besides taking her out as soon as she wakes, she will need to go out right after eating or drinking, a play period (remember the harder she plays the shorter the time she will hold it) and every hour inbetween that she is awake. Which brings us to sleep time, (yours not hers), CRATE HER. Teach her to spend the night in a crate. If you are using a full size crate block it of so that she only has enough room to lay down comfortably, turn around in and sit in. Any more room than this and she will have an area that she will use for a washroom. As soon as you let her out of the crate in the morning take her outside.

 

Crate Training

 

A crate should be just big enough so that he can laydown comfortable, stand up and turn around in. Buy one that will fit him full grown and then block it down to puppy size with a box or board. In the crate place his bedding...blanket, an old jumper that you have worn, a stuffed toy for company and an old style wind up alarm clock.....this simulates a heart beat. If you buy a wire crate cover it in a blanket at night so that it becomes a cozy den, and he should settle down quick.

 

Introduce the pup to the crate by tossing in a cookie ...leave the door open.....when he is done let him walk out and repeat half a dozen times. I then give a cookie each time the dog is put in the crate. You will be amazed how fast they learn to run in to get a treat. You can also feed him in his crate this helps him to learn that this is a safe comfy place aswell.

 

The crate is his place. It is where he goes when he wants to be left alone, when he is tired, or to stay safe when you are out....it is not a place of punishment.

 

 

Remember pups have small bladders so at night lift his feed and his water 3 1/2 to 4 hours before bed. You can give him a slurp of water just before but no amount or he will wet the bed . Once you put him in he will bark, whine and carry on...ignore him....if you go to him he has won and will continue to carry on. You may only go to him to let him to see him or let him out when he is quiet. That being said listen to the tone of the bark whinning etc. There is a big difference between I am bored and hating this, and I really need to go out and make a mess. If you find he needs to go out through the night, take him outside tell him.... go pee, make a mess, or whatever command you wish to use,.... and as soon as he does praise him up put him in the crate and give a cookie. Do not have a play setion or once again he will start using it as an excuse in the middle of the night.

 

Crate training done correctly usually only takes 2 or 3 nights, although some stuborn pups can take longer.

 

All dogs should be crate trained. This way if they need to spend an extended time at the Vets, or are required to travel, they are ready for that type of enviroment and are under no stress.

 

NTTF

[WGD]

thanks NTTF, with new pup arriving in under two weeks and having not used a crate before this will be handy, and now very easy to find!!!

 

WGD

[hellokittyfreak]

I have had Inka (pure black lab) for 2 weeks now - shes 9 weeks old.

I put her straight in to a crate, she doesnt whine as much - I get about several minutes after I put her in.

Will this eventually stop?

Trying to toilet train her - still having a few accidents but getting there.

Need to get her a bigger crate as well as shes getting too big for the current one.

AND she snores like an old man!

Will take some photos and post soon

Thanks for the advice, my big bro printed it off and sent it me - it made good reading.

[lurcherboy]

Sweep is 4 years old and runs into his cage when I go to bed

 

 

 

LB

[Airborne9]

I had never used a crate until i had my latest dog (sounds like i gave birth to him) and found it to be great, the dog loves his little den now.

[fallarben]

can also be handy when your dressed up in best bib and tucker u can fassen the dog in the cage so as not to look like a new disign of dog hair clothing or even wirse if uv been out for the day with the dog and its still alittle wet and the mrs comes down from popping on that 300 quid dress u had to buy before telling her you were going away for 4 days shooting trip with the lads to be met by a wet dog rubbing round her

[Oly]

The crate is his place. It is where he goes when he wants to be left alone, when he is tired, or to stay safe when you are out....it is not a place of punishment.

 

Tricky one this given the above (which we have found to work great so far!) - What do you do when you come into the room and you see that the dog has just taken one of your wife's favourite slippers into his crate and is starting to gnaw on it?

[Spaniel]

You tell him he is a good boy, for not chewing one of your slippers

[al4x]

you take it away with a firm no, if he does it again then a light tap on the nose at the same time with a very firm no

[Oly]

you take it away with a firm no, if he does it again then a light tap on the nose at the same time with a very firm no

 

Even though his crate is not a place of punishment??

[new to the flock]

personally I would call him to me, praising him on his way and then swap him for one of his toys, such as a rawhide bone or nyla bone. This way he will always bring things to you instead of going off to hide with them.

 

NTTF

[Oly]

Interesting tack, will give it a go if it happens again. Cheers, Oly

[deadeye]

excellent post! my gundog and my wifes house dogs all sleep in their crates indoors in my house. the dogs actually like their crates. it is a safe and relaxing environment for them and it keeps them from being bothersome and destructive in the house and out of the way when it is neccessary. the dogs get alot of family time with my wife, daughter and myself and when they need to be contained the crate is the way to go. thanks for the post.

[nickb]

Thanks for some great advice

I`ve got 4 weeks until my pup arrives (Sprocker)

She`s my first ever working dog and I`m really looking forward to training her, seeing her develop and one day taking her into the field on a shoot

Pics when she`s here (thinking of calling her Bel).

ATB

Nick

[smkinsella1]

Thanks for some great advice

I`ve got 4 weeks until my pup arrives (Sprocker)

She`s my first ever working dog and I`m really looking forward to training her, seeing her develop and one day taking her into the field on a shoot

Pics when she`s here (thinking of calling her Bel).

ATB

Nick

 

Thanks for the advice, I have recently taken on two puppies!! Im begining to think, maybe we should have only taken on one, but we thought as we work part time, it would be company for each other. They are cross cockers and springers, and both males. Very boisterous with each other, and we are finding that one appears to bully the other one a little bit more, and actually does make him cry (well I think so). Would you say I would be correct in telling him off or is it just playful puppies who are brothers too and it will pass? Also, you mention about crate training, well I was given a rather large cage for them to sleep in, and also to go in whilst I am out. However, as we have not had a dog before and I was led to believe they were not allowed in the garden until all injections we initially started with puppy mats to train them. After a few days and many accidents and the constant play fighting we decided we had to let them out to burn off energy and get used to doing their toilet duties outside. We have been doing this for 3 days now, one appears to be getting the hang of it, the other it is hit and miss. I am doing what you say, as soon as they wake or first thing in the morning take them out. However, they seem to be needing to go all the time and therefore, can sometimes do it in the house if the back door is shut, even though I am there, do I need to leave the door open at all times? or will they eventually know to sit at the door so I know they need to go?

 

Also, with regards to the crate overnight, as my cage is very big I have been putting a puppy mat in as well thinking being only just 8 wks old they will not be able to hold it in all night (even though they do go out around 11pm before settling into their bed), I find that there is always something on the puppy mat, not sure obviously if both are using it or just one, but should I still be doing this or is it encouraging them to relieve themselves indoors?? I hear them around 5am in the morning but have been told to ignore them even though initially I was getting up and even then they had still used the mat? Im getting quite confused on what to do for the best, more so because I have two!! Also would you allow toys in their sleeping area or not?Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[smkinsella1]

Having just done a search and finding I had written 2 pages of results concerning house and crate training I thought I might give an outline of both combined and pin it here.

 

House Training

 

I personally do not like to paper train puppys. The reason being that you train them to pee in your house then you train them not to pee in your house. What my wife and I do is; everytime the puppy wakes up take it out side...when she pees,(and she will) tell her good girl and give her lots of praise. We also put a command ,(go pee), to it so that the dog learns to empty when told, this saves frustration and time when the dog is older and you are in a hurry. Besides taking her out as soon as she wakes, she will need to go out right after eating or drinking, a play period (remember the harder she plays the shorter the time she will hold it) and every hour inbetween that she is awake. Which brings us to sleep time, (yours not hers), CRATE HER. Teach her to spend the night in a crate. If you are using a full size crate block it of so that she only has enough room to lay down comfortably, turn around in and sit in. Any more room than this and she will have an area that she will use for a washroom. As soon as you let her out of the crate in the morning take her outside.

 

Crate Training

 

A crate should be just big enough so that he can laydown comfortable, stand up and turn around in. Buy one that will fit him full grown and then block it down to puppy size with a box or board. In the crate place his bedding...blanket, an old jumper that you have worn, a stuffed toy for company and an old style wind up alarm clock.....this simulates a heart beat. If you buy a wire crate cover it in a blanket at night so that it becomes a cozy den, and he should settle down quick.

 

Introduce the pup to the crate by tossing in a cookie ...leave the door open.....when he is done let him walk out and repeat half a dozen times. I then give a cookie each time the dog is put in the crate. You will be amazed how fast they learn to run in to get a treat. You can also feed him in his crate this helps him to learn that this is a safe comfy place aswell.

 

The crate is his place. It is where he goes when he wants to be left alone, when he is tired, or to stay safe when you are out....it is not a place of punishment.

 

 

Remember pups have small bladders so at night lift his feed and his water 3 1/2 to 4 hours before bed. You can give him a slurp of water just before but no amount or he will wet the bed . Once you put him in he will bark, whine and carry on...ignore him....if you go to him he has won and will continue to carry on. You may only go to him to let him to see him or let him out when he is quiet. That being said listen to the tone of the bark whinning etc. There is a big difference between I am bored and hating this, and I really need to go out and make a mess. If you find he needs to go out through the night, take him outside tell him.... go pee, make a mess, or whatever command you wish to use,.... and as soon as he does praise him up put him in the crate and give a cookie. Do not have a play setion or once again he will start using it as an excuse in the middle of the night.

 

Crate training done correctly usually only takes 2 or 3 nights, although some stuborn pups can take longer.

 

All dogs should be crate trained. This way if they need to spend an extended time at the Vets, or are required to travel, they are ready for that type of enviroment and are under no stress.

 

NTTF

Thanks for the advice, I have recently taken on two puppies!! Im begining to think, maybe we should have only taken on one, but we thought as we work part time, it would be company for each other. They are cross cockers and springers, and both males. Very boisterous with each other, and we are finding that one appears to bully the other one a little bit more, and actually does make him cry (well I think so). Would you say I would be correct in telling him off or is it just playful puppies who are brothers too and it will pass? Also, you mention about crate training, well I was given a rather large cage for them to sleep in, and also to go in whilst I am out. However, as we have not had a dog before and I was led to believe they were not allowed in the garden until all injections we initially started with puppy mats to train them. After a few days and many accidents and the constant play fighting we decided we had to let them out to burn off energy and get used to doing their toilet duties outside. We have been doing this for 3 days now, one appears to be getting the hang of it, the other it is hit and miss. I am doing what you say, as soon as they wake or first thing in the morning take them out. However, they seem to be needing to go all the time and therefore, can sometimes do it in the house if the back door is shut, even though I am there, do I need to leave the door open at all times? or will they eventually know to sit at the door so I know they need to go?

 

Also, with regards to the crate overnight, as my cage is very big I have been putting a puppy mat in as well thinking being only just 8 wks old they will not be able to hold it in all night (even though they do go out around 11pm before settling into their bed), I find that there is always something on the puppy mat, not sure obviously if both are using it or just one, but should I still be doing this or is it encouraging them to relieve themselves indoors?? I hear them around 5am in the morning but have been told to ignore them even though initially I was getting up and even then they had still used the mat? Im getting quite confused on what to do for the best, more so because I have two!! Also would you allow toys in their sleeping area or not?Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Lloyd90]

Right Smkinsella1, YES you can let them outside in YOUR garden aslong as there hasn't been any strange dogs out there, You shouldn't really take them places where other strange dogs have been though.

There 8 weeks old, its going to be a few weeks atleast before there able to hold it in all night. Dont expect too much too soon, there like babies.

Let them play but if it gets out of hand SEPERATE them, dont let it get too rough, and let the one bullying know thats bad, put him in the crate on his own whilst you play with the other one.

They will learn to sit at the back door eventually but again, there only babies, dont expect too much at this young age. Also you should be taking them outside to toilter every couple of hours, After they eat, After they wake up and just every few hours. Hope it goes well Post us up some pictures

[Mickthemiller]

Hi we always introduce our pups to a crate straight away, you may get a few moans but just remember they have just left all there mates, some folks I know start them off in the room with them, and then gradually move them farther away, it works for them.

 

We put the cage in the place where it will stay for the rest of their stay unless there are unforeseen circumstances. I have a utility room where we keep the cages for our dogs it stops visitors rushing in and making a fuss, because they soon learnt to go mad and get very excited when visitors arrive. We start off closing the door when they are in the cage but as time goes on we leave it open unless we have visitors. The cage becomes their Den. It is surprising how when they want to sleep off their meal want a bit of piece and quiet or even if they are feeling abit off colour they sneak off to their Den

 

House training is very hard work but if you are prepared to give up two weeks of waking every hour at night to put him outside, watch him during the day any sign of sniffing or turning round and round squatting, say NO pick him up and put him outside

And have a key word to encourage him to know that’s what he is there for, we always tell ours "be busy”. When he goes lots of fuss what a good boy/girl it is amazing how soon they catch on. NEVER tell your pup off, NO is enough keep the number of words you use on him to a minimum just remember the pup doesn't understand English but its amazing how quick they learn a few words such as, busy, here, sit, bed, stay and you add to them as time goes on. Even now if they have been in the house for some time I’ll say “do you want to be busy” if they do they rush to the door if not they just stay. For thr first two or three weks also keep an area in the lounge with a waterproof sheet down so that if we are not quick enough no damage is done it is about six foot square pen. But it means they can socialise with us. When they come in from being busy we leave them out to run around but if we have to leave the room for whatever they go in the pen

 

. Last year I took on a retired seven year old gundog from a friend she had never lived inside, I carried her into the house the first thing she did was dump on the carpet, so we had to start from scratch and after that first effort, we have never had any mess a couple of puddles but that’s all. But as I said at the start you have to be dedicated. And remember with pups they have tiny bladders, and don't know any difference, my wife and I always say if we have a mess it is our fault NOT the pups

 

 

And last of all this time with your pup is the most important, it is the time you spend bonding with him/her which will build a relationship for life, and hopefully it will learn to trust that everything you tell him is good. Hope this helps I am not a trainer but have had 7 Springer pups over about forty five years, and must say they were all clean within two or three weeks, sure they leave the odd puddle after playing and they leave it to late, but its very rare and after five or six weeks that stops as well.

The Best of luck

Mick

[db58]

thats a lovely right up ill take that in mined

[Bigweed]

How long before pup house trained - we've had ours for 3 weeks (she's now 12 weeks old now) and still having the odd pee and **** indoors. Am I expecting to much for her to be clean indoors already

[Beardo]

Mines happy to be in her crate all night, no fouling. She sometimes gets a little excited and wees a bit when she's running about. Shes 12 weeks now

[Stealth Stalker]

Thats good breeding mate I told you they come half trained

[Radar_uk]

Mines 11 weeks now and only has a little pee indoors when she gets excited if someone new comes in ! She sleeps through the night in her crate without mess and goes for her morning pee and dump about 7am when I get up

[Smog On Tyne]

I have an 11 week old springer dog. We started by getting up twice through the night at varying intervals to let him out for the first week.

The second week I cut it down to once through the night again different intervals so he was not used to a pattern. On the Friday night of the second week I slept through my alarm!! Woke at 6am thinking there was going to be mess but nothing.

 

Now little Sam runs outside to mess or if the patio door is shut he will sit crying at the door to be out.

 

Biggest problem I have is the 9 year old Lab bitch is not up for playing like Sam and is a right grumpy doggy!!!

[arwen3513]

hi i use a crate, my dogs love it, both now 19mths we just leave the door open now, but they still prefer to sleep in the crate. when they were little puppies they had a crate each as their play was rowdy, during the day if we went out we seperated them, but at night they slept better cuddled together.

We now have a new pup 14wks old, she is using the other crate, and has learnt house training really well. occaisionally she will cry to go out at night and i let her, but no play just out - business - back to bed.

a very young pup needs to go when it needs to go, so be vigilent and give it plenty of opportunity to go outdoors, this will be the quickest way to house train a young pup.

it is no use getting angry or upset it is your fault for not paying attention.

jan