crate train?

[GracieLou]

Well ... i was just wandering why it is so important to crate train??? thanks in advance for all responses!

[Amber_lv]

well from what i've heard 1. it helps keep them safe and secure when you are not home (they will be used to going in the crate) 2. u will not wake up to accidents on the floor. 3. it helps them with potty training. hope this helps!

[GracieLou]

Thanks i Just wasnt sure if i should crate traing but she sleeps with me at night at doesnt potty in the bed or anything and when i leave her she doesnt stay in her crate she is usually in the bathroom since it has more room for longer amounts of time! soo idk any more advice??

[Gracie2006]

Dogs by nature like to have a Den where they can escape from the rest of the world. A covered crate serves that purpose. Even older dogs may retreat to their crate when family life gets too hectic and they need to get away from it all. Supposedly, dogs in the wild don't like to soil their den area. They eliminate at a place away from the den so preditors are not attracted to their safe place by the smell. This is why crate training is supposed to help with potty training, dogs not wanting to eliminate in their den.

[yorkieskater]

I am not crate training my yorkie. he has slept with me from day one. During the day he is in a pen. I gate the kitchen off so that he can't get hurt or into trouble. If you go on the pet show's website (it is a radio show..he has a book out "how to get your dog to do what you want" in the book and if you do a search on the website he has an article "The case against Crate Training".
I don't think it is a horrible thing and I think it is good for shorter durations, travel, or if you are at home...but I prefer not to leave my dog in one when I am gone or for hours and hours during the day.
suzie

[LuvMySissy]

I didn't crate train either. I use the bathroom when I'm gone. She has a covered bed, food/water and toys. The crate is in there with toys in it, so she will go in to get toys, but that is it. Sissy also sleeps with us now.

[ajgiangreco]

I decided not to crate train (couldn't handle him being sad). I found that just putting the gate up in the bathroom worked really well so far.

[SnowWa]

I have never been partial to crate training either. My pup has slept with me from the first night I got him.

He's confined to a kitchen and laundry room area when I'm gone - and runs freely around the house when I'm home. I just slap a belly band on him and let him go.

I take him outside every two or three hours, and he almost never pees when he is in the house (even with the belly band on - he wears it "just in case.")

A lot of people swear by crate training, and it works well for a lot of people.

I just don't have the heart to keep a puppy confined that much.

I am sure different people have success with a lot of different training methods.

Carol Jean

[ajgiangreco]

So my girlfriend and I decided not to crate train (we both use this same screen name by the way so sometimes your not responding to the same person) and we are trying to use the pee pad method. We've encountered some problems and wondering if anyone has suggestions.

1) Our Yorkie seems to pee the most when we are not home or we are sleeping, so it is extremely difficult for us to reinforce going on the pad and stop him when he goes on the carpet.

2) When the dog is at my house I keep him in my bathroom and he seems to go on the pad more ofter...not sure if it is because he is in a smaller space. But when he's at my girlfriends house she prefers to keep him in her room and apparently the pad doesn't even exist to him then.

How can we train our Yorkie to pee on the pads better? Is it too late to try and crate train after you stopped or should we stick to the bathroom containment. We are just a little lost and don't want our Yorkie to get into the habit of peeing all over the house.

[yorkieskater]

Mine understands that if there is a pee pad in the room, he can use it...however he will go if there isn't one there. I am trying to teach him that when we are home, he has to ask me to go. I also think that having something different...like a pad in a litter box, or litter box training, or what I got (pup head) is a sure indication that "this" is the place to go and it is different from everything else in the house. I got mine to go on pee pads (and am now trying this pup head dog toilet thing) by putting him in a small space (like the bathroom), saying "go pee", and waiting forever until he did it and praise praise praise. Now he does not have an accident if a pee pad is there but like I said, I need him to ask because I don't want pee pads all over my house and travel a lot with him.
If he was having accidents at night in my room...I would either put a belly band on him at night or crate him at night. I have no problem crating dogs at night because they are sleeping anyways. Even when I travel, I am teaching him to stay in his bag for longer BUT I am with him the whole time and he gets plenty of outside time...lots and lots actually.
I'm not for crating a dog while I am gone for hours and hours.
This article explains why I dont' like crate training for long periods of time BUT I think that crate training can be used in other ways which benefits people and doesn't hurt the dog.
http://warreneckstein.com/pettips_caging.html
suz

[Diego]

Mine are all crate trained and I was really glad they knew where to go when I said (Little House) when I was woke up by a fire alarm . I just had to close the door and out we went . Crate training can be very useful .

[SnowWa]

One day when the smoke alarm went off in my house -- I had two dogs on my lap before I knew what was going on ----so, I wouldn't have had any problem catching mine either.


Carol Jean

[Mya's_Mom]

My eldest dog loved his cage so much he would put himself in it and even close the door himself. My husband gave it away because he said it took up too much space. The dog sat and laid under the end table for a year...LOL When Mya was a puppy I put her in her gold cage to keep her safe. I put the cage where our older dog sleeps. The cage was big enough for her little bed and the other half for playing with toys. I don't like those plastic cargo type crates. Now that she is older I only use the cage when visiting people's homes overnight because you don't know if the home is dog proofed. For example at a cottage we visited they had mouse traps and rat poision down. Duhhhhhhhhhh. I was so pissed off. At another home the owner had dropped a bottle of pills and I found them under the sofa before Mya did. When I go out to dinner I don't want to leave Mya loose in someone's home with not knowing what could harm her as she explores when i am not there. The cage has also protected her from other dogs. She can get overwhelmed from playful or not so playful larger dogs like when we went camping one weekend. The cage also came in handy when we were renovating again, I did not want her to get hurt. Mya will sleep in her travel bag when it is stilling on the floor at home. Some people have made comments like I am mean to stuff my poor dog in a bag when I am out. I will take her out and show them how she will just jump right back in. If the dog is crying that much I would put a toy in crate or even try leaving the tv or radio on as suggested. I would also take the dog for a long walk then play with it a lot after dinner. I would put a dab of pee on the pad. Also Mya would not use a pee pad twice when she was a puppy so I would put down more than one pad. I would pick up the water after 9 pm then put it back down in the morning. Dogs will pee on the same spot if they can smell a hint of pee. I have found that cleaners don't take the total scent away or do carpet cleaners so I spray perfume on the spot and they don't go there again.

[jencar98]

It was recently pointed out to me a couple of good reasons to crate train your dog. I have relatives due in this wknd, worried about Ruby getting stepped on. It was suggested crating 9not the entire time) would be one way to alleviate those worries. Also, God Forbid, your dog should ever have to spend the night at the vet, but if so they would be crated there. Less stress on your dog if they have been crate trained before a vet's stay.

Also, the idea of in case of fire your dog would know just where to go, when told, is a great idea!

[Yorkie3]

I crate trained my babies from day one. I started with a very small crate and put a bed in it, that was it. I then put the crate in an x-pen with a pee pad down. I left the door open on the crate and they would always go on the pee pad, never in their crate. I even did this with my litter of puppies and I would say that at least while they were here, they were 98% pee pad trained. We could have all the puppies in the carpeted family room and they would always go on the pad. I was so proud of them. At night and while we are gone they are all in their own crate (for their safety and my piece of mind), but when we are home, have run of the house.