Crate or No Crate????!!!!

[ilarancuente]

I just got a brother and sister that are roughy about 12 weeks old. The breeder kept them in crates overnight but were free during the day under supervision. I am not sure if I should continue the crate training to prevent accidents or just let them sleep in their beds. I had a yorkie for 7 years and I removed the crate when he was about 6 months or so. I dont like the idea of them locked in crates but I also dont like the idea of cleaning up after them every 30 minutes. Any suggestions, experiences, etc VERY HELPFUL.

[jeanm1963]

I have a new puppy she had a xpen at first I did not like the idea of a crate, she was pee pad trained right away.. If I go out I have a gate in the kithcen with her toys, bed, food and water.. its pretty big.. I am not a fan of leaving them in a crate all day.. JMO

xpen or gated area with toys water food bed and a crate if they are used to it with the door open if they like sleeping in there.

[capt_noonie]

I would suggest if you are gone for most of the day, and xpen with all her stuff and a crate which is to be her bed. So crate with no door on it, bed inside, it will be like their little room, and the xpen is their apartment! : )

[lil fu fu girl]

I am definitely with you about not using crates. Mine have never been crated.
Now, that does not mean that they do not each have their own kennel. If they want to use it, so be it.
I know that being put into a cubicle for hours at a time does not seem humane to me. That being said, I have an xpen that I did use when the pups were small.
Right now Bra'Tac, who is 6 months is offically allowed anywhere on his own.
When we use to leave for several hours at a time, we would use the xpen.
Any other time he is allowed to go wherever. We just watch over him if he decides to go into another room. I use potty pads in the house that are washable. They are the best things ever. Right now he is pretty much potty trained, however he is starting to lift his leg and has decided that it is much more fun to pee on the "leg" of something, so we are working with him on that.
Try the xpen, it really is a lifesaver. You can make it whatever size you need, so that way your pup can have any size room.
Let us know if you decide to get one.

[ilarancuente]

Thanks everyone. Lil fu fu girl, where can I find the washable potty pad and the xpen. There are two xpen or one for both is good. Any suggestions on getting more then one washable potty pad? Sorry but its been so long since I had a pup i have forgetten what the phase is like. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by lil fu fu girl

I am definitely with you about not using crates. Mine have never been crated.
Now, that does not mean that they do not each have their own kennel. If they want to use it, so be it.
I know that being put into a cubicle for hours at a time does not seem humane to me. That being said, I have an xpen that I did use when the pups were small.
Right now Bra'Tac, who is 6 months is offically allowed anywhere on his own.
When we use to leave for several hours at a time, we would use the xpen.
Any other time he is allowed to go wherever. We just watch over him if he decides to go into another room. I use potty pads in the house that are washable. They are the best things ever. Right now he is pretty much potty trained, however he is starting to lift his leg and has decided that it is much more fun to pee on the "leg" of something, so we are working with him on that.
Try the xpen, it really is a lifesaver. You can make it whatever size you need, so that way your pup can have any size room.
Let us know if you decide to get one.

[camile]

You can find xpens all over the internetand I believe large pet stores sell them. I ordered mine. There are several kinds. I like mine, the wire is coated with a plastic or rubber so it won't rust or get rough and has plastic slides on the top and bottom, also they make a top for it but I did't get that. The washable pee pads are made of cloth so you would need enough to get you through a day at least and wash and dry time. Also, you will probably want a diaper pail or something like that to keep them in until wash time. Just like diapers, they smell. Personally the idea of having pee soaked fabric laying on the floor and then having to laundry them turns me, but that said, many ppl here swear by them. They do have plastic backing and some YTers make them but I don't remember who.

[listentodylan]

I have been told by multiple people that crates are the way to go. It's hard at first because they get worked up and you feel bad, but you have to try your best to ignore it and always positively reinforce the crate.

My Owen stays in the crate whenever I can't watch him closely and at night. He does wonderfully and appreciates playtime. He is doing wonderful with potty training and hasn't made an accident in the house in about 2 weeks. He goes to the bathroom right away whenever I take him outside.

You may think that dogs need a ton of space, but they like the snuggly feeling of a small space. Make sure the crate is large enough so that your pup can stand up, turn and lay down inside! Good luck!

[mly]

you should check out petedge.com. I know they sell really cheap stuff and supposely alot of pet stores order from them. I know they sell xpens but I'm not quite sure about reusable pee pads.

[Niterider1784]

Crate is the way to go. They are especially effective if the breeder already had them in crate. Dogs see them as a safe a private area. I agree to Listentodaylan, you have to get over the guilt, the go does not see it as jail. They eventually come to enjoy and seek the crate on their own. You want your dog to be OK in a crate. They are also easier to house break, because they learn to use a small area for their business and/or to wait to be taken out.

If you are away, you will know that the dog won't get its self into any trouble. And later you can travel with them more easily.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by jeanm1963

I have a new puppy she had a xpen at first I did not like the idea of a crate, she was pee pad trained right away.. If I go out I have a gate in the kithcen with her toys, bed, food and water.. its pretty big.. I am not a fan of leaving them in a crate all day.. JMO

xpen or gated area with toys water food bed and a crate if they are used to it with the door open if they like sleeping in there.

I agree -- a crate is fine for at night but leaving them in one all day has always seemed too cruel and unusual to me. Others swear by them, though and make them work for their pups. I always feel like they need exercise just like we do. They don't need too large a space though as that can be frightening for them when no one is home. They are very protective and when they feel an area is too big for them to protect, they get overwhelmed. Puppies add a new demension in that they can find all sorts of trouble to get into!

I am retired so my puppies are out most of the time, but when I need to go out and at night, they are in a play yard, with bed, pee pads, toys, food and water. I leave their travel crate out in the house during the day and occasionally one will nap in there. But the door is always open and they are not confined in there. They prefer to nap on me!

[ldish949]

CRATE!!!! dogs in the wild live in dens, these dens are just big enough for them to turn around. Continue to crate train would be my suggestion. They will soon learn that their crates are a place where they can nap and feel safe. It is also a great potty training method. Your dogs should go into their crate immediately after they have an accident in the house, at night, and when you are not doing a structured activity with them. Its not cruel at all.

[ldish949]

I would get an pen big enough for a place to go to the bathroom, food, water, place to play and a place to put their kennels/crates.

[bjm2552]

Here is a story for you..We crated my yorkie at night when he first got home and he was very good in it and slept through the nite.Well he ended up getting a urinary track infection, from holding it and it was scarey taking a puppy to the ER at 12 midnight...He would not stop peeing..The doctor actually said Yorkies have too small of bladders to crate them. That is how they get infections. So we started to let him have the bathroom and hallway with the wee wee pad and had a gate up so he could see us...He is now 6 months old and we no longer have him confined to the bathroom at nite. He roams the bedroom with the wee weepad in the bathroom. During the day he has the kitchen, eating area and bathroom..He loves it!!!He takes time and patience..You will be fine!!

[tnurse]

My babies love their crates but they only use them at night. When it's time to go to bed, all I have to say is "let's go to bed" and they will all run and get in their crates. I have 3 that are less than 5 months old and they whine during the night when they need to go to the bathroom and I let them out and take them to potty. It's never been a problem. This way they don't mind it when I need to have them in a crate. When I take them to the vet I put them in their crate because I want to limit their exposure to sick dogs as much as possible and it also offers them protection. The last time I took one of my babies to the vet, there was a very large, "rough" looking pit bull at the desk checking out. He looked like he had been in a fight, he had scars and scratches all over and I felt better knowing that Cooper, my 1.2lb (at the time) Yorkie was safely in his crate.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by bjm2552

Here is a story for you..We crated my yorkie at night when he first got home and he was very good in it and slept through the nite.Well he ended up getting a urinary track infection, from holding it and it was scarey taking a puppy to the ER at 12 midnight...He would not stop peeing..The doctor actually said Yorkies have too small of bladders to crate them. That is how they get infections. So we started to let him have the bathroom and hallway with the wee wee pad and had a gate up so he could see us...He is now 6 months old and we no longer have him confined to the bathroom at nite. He roams the bedroom with the wee weepad in the bathroom. During the day he has the kitchen, eating area and bathroom..He loves it!!!He takes time and patience..You will be fine!!

Crates don't caught UTI's though... keeping them in there too long will. They said the rule of thumb is that they can hold their pee for as many months as they are. So, a 3 month old yorkie should be able to hold it for 3 hours.

I don't think that's a very good reason not to crate.

Personally, I think crate training is a great thing and the way to go, as long as it's not abused and they spend majority of their time in there... that's not fair. HOWEVER, I failed at crate training, lol. I did my training in other ways though and Jackson's always been very well behaved. I did put him in the crate in the beginning, for the first month I had him, he would stay in the crate when we would all leave the house. But the thing was when I got him, I was on winter break from college so I got to be home a lot with him. I preferred to just watch him very closely and watch for signs of pottying, etc. I just felt bad having him in a crate when I was home. He did sleep in his crate at night for the first month home. I wish I could have stuck with it because it's a good thing for them to be comfortable in their crate for either travel purposes or whatever.