Crate Trained to Kitchen Trained

[BleachedRukia]

Our male puppy SQL has been crate trained. His crate has his bed and a pee pad, so he's learned not to go in there and he won't, unless he has the runs or something crazy. When we're home, we take him out of the crate and he gets to run around. When he wants to go to the potty, he goes to the door and we take him outside.

We want to leave him gated in the kitchen when we're away and not crate him (so he'll have more room to run around etc). Everytime we leave him in the kitchen for long periods of time he relieves himself (both poop and pee) on the floor. He also won't use the pads we lay down. However, he will not go to the bathroom in the crate.

Any tips on crate to kitchen training? We gate off the kitchen as well.

I'm kind of at a loss Is this even possible? He's 9 months, just in case you need to know..

[Knockz]

I don't have any advice as this is exactly what I'm going through right now. I don't know what to do. He's pretty good at running to the door but if I'm not there he won't go on the pad. Lets see what the others say.

[lopresm]

We never waited, and still don't, for our Remi to ask to go out to relieve himself. Many times he will do a little yip or pretend sneeze to get our attention to tell us he has to go out.

We now his schedule very well and have watched it carefully since he was a young pup. His feet never touch the floor in the morning because we carry him out. As soon as we come home he goes out. By the way, he is always crated when we are not home. When we are home and cannot supervise him properly he stays in his indoor Xpen.
We have found that this routine is the best for our household. There are virtually no accidents so we have a calm environment for everyone.
We never used wee wee pads and trained him with a retractable leash and harness from the very first day he came home. This took many many many trips outside in all weather but it was well worth it!

Good luck to you with your baby. I am sure everything will work out for you.

[BleachedRukia]

Originally Posted by Knockz

I don't have any advice as this is exactly what I'm going through right now. I don't know what to do. He's pretty good at running to the door but if I'm not there he won't go on the pad. Lets see what the others say.

I'm hoping too

[BleachedRukia]

Originally Posted by lopresm

We never waited, and still don't, for our Remi to ask to go out to relieve himself. Many times he will do a little yip or pretend sneeze to get our attention to tell us he has to go out.

We now his schedule very well and have watched it carefully since he was a young pup. His feet never touch the floor in the morning because we carry him out. As soon as we come home he goes out. By the way, he is always crated when we are not home. When we are home and cannot supervise him properly he stays in his indoor Xpen.
We have found that this routine is the best for our household. There are virtually no accidents so we have a calm environment for everyone.
We never used wee wee pads and trained him with a retractable leash and harness from the very first day he came home. This took many many many trips outside in all weather but it was well worth it!

Good luck to you with your baby. I am sure everything will work out for you.

Yeah SQL is potty trained and we're on a schedule.. Ideally we'd like to switch from the crate training to kitchen training for times we're not home...

[y0rkiesR0ck]

i had this problem with Kash in the beginning. when i left for work, i would keep him in the kitchen with a baby gate... his crate would be in there, as well as toys, food/water, and pee pad... however, he would never go on the pad... everytime i came home there would be at least 3 puddles of pee on the floor (never poop though). anyway, i needed a solution, and i read on YT that the space i was giving him was just too much, and he was too young to understand just going on the pad... so i bought an x-pen, set it up in the kitchen, and now he always uses the pad! it's not as much room as a whole kitchen, but at least he's not locked in his crate all day. here are some pix of my set up. you can see the pee pad the best in the fourth pic. good luck!

[Knockz]

Well this weekend I had to go out and left him home alone for about 7 hours.

I made sure I fed him and let him out many times before I left.

I then confined him to the front passage way of my house. I think thats his most comfortable part of the house. Everywhere else I tried he went crazy to get out.

When I came home, he didn't go to the bathroom at all. I let him out and he went and did his thing.

It was sort of a break through however I still want him to use his pad if he has too.

This was however a pleasant surprise.

[yoyo27]

The x pen works great with the pee pads till they learn to hold it till you get home. Sometimes that is just that they need to learn your routine. As much as we have to learn their's. Make sure you leave him his bedding and his favorite toys to make him feel like this is just another space for him. Keep trying he will get use to it.

[maritoma]

Having same issue, Kramer never went on pee pads alway outside the pads, so i started training him to go outside. I bought a tell bell, but sometimes i don't wait for him to tell me either, as someone else said, when i come home i take him straight out. However i still leave him in his crate when i go out and i'm never gone for more thant 2 or 3 hours, but i would like to leave him in the kitchen. I have started leaving him for little sessions at a time and so far so good, so let's see. Good luck.

[Knockz]

Just an update as to something I am trying...

Since the weather warmed up I moved his inside pee pad (that he wasn't using) to outside. The first time I put him on it to go he was confused as he wanted to go on the grass. I didn't let him go and brought him back inside.

A few minutes later he wanted to go out again and I did the same thing. With the influence of a treat that he loves he imediatly went on it when I used his "Go" command. The rest of the day whenever I let him out he went straight to the pad and and I gave him a treat afterwards.

This pad outside seems to be successful so far. I have it on a pad holder so it doesn't fly away.

My next task (maybe tommorow) is to move the same pad inside and try to get him to go in it inside since I know he is comfortable using it. Hopefully he will pick it up so I can leave him at home an dlet him go on it.

I'm a little excited right now that he picked it up so quickly outside.

A few things I noticed,

1. After he went on the pad the first time he was faster to go back to it again as he was smelling the previous and it seemed to trigger something in him to go again. I changed it after a few uses.

2. The type of pad seems to make a difference. I had a cheap pad for petsmart and it worked. I had a more expensive one that my mother was using and he was a little reluctant to go on it for some reason but eventually did. I had a pad that was used in hospitals that I got for free and he was also comfortable going on it. I'm going to try and keep it consistant for him.

[yougetthesmiles]

I would suggest you gradually do this switch. He has went from a small confined area to a huge kitchen area. Try blocking off a small part of the kitchen and working your way up.
Good luck!

[mkawczak]

I sypathize. Aiden will pee outside everytime,but #2 is not going well at all. I thought the kids were being inpatient, and not leaving him out long enough..little tootsie rolls everywhere!!! and always on the carpeet? When we're at work,he's crated, and that was going well,but now he pee's on the bed,not the pee pad. I read that these little guys are tough,but we were sooo good. My 12 year old dashund was easy. But now that he see's Aiden releaving himself on the rug,don't I get a call from my daughter yesterday Pongo pooped on the rug tooHELP..any suggestions?