New to ALL of this!!

[lcutson]

Hi, I recently got the most precious 2 month old YorkiPoo. I've only had him 4 days and already I am soooo in love! However, I have never had a puppy before so I am very new to this. I want to crate train him but I really dont know how. I am home all day\all night so I feel i should work around his schedule and baby him but everyone is telling me he will grow up to be a terror if i let HIM rule. So far, the schedule has been wake up- we got outside and he potties, then breakfast and some play time and back outside and he potties, then nap time for about 2-3 hrs (or whenever he wakes up) and then outside and he potties, then lunch, outside, nap, outside etc. Then at night i've been sleeping with him (which is reaking havoc on my asthma) and whenever he wakes up i feel him move and take him outside to potty. So, ive only had one accident on the floor in the house, and hes gone on his potty pads about 3 different times. However, it is getting out of control... he is taking up ALL of my time, literally. I couldnt take a shower for 2 days b\c I felt i couldnt leave him for a second. Ive always had really big outside dogs so there has never even been a thought of a crate, but now i am living in a big city with no backyard so i cant just let him roam out there. I have no idea how to crate him\how long he should be in\ when do i take him out\ what do i put in the crate with him etc. Please, ANY help would be soo appreciated! I just want to raise a GOOD DOG

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by lcutson

Hi, I recently got the most precious 2 month old YorkiPoo. I've only had him 4 days and already I am soooo in love! However, I have never had a puppy before so I am very new to this. I want to crate train him but I really dont know how. I am home all day\all night so I feel i should work around his schedule and baby him but everyone is telling me he will grow up to be a terror if i let HIM rule. So far, the schedule has been wake up- we got outside and he potties, then breakfast and some play time and back outside and he potties, then nap time for about 2-3 hrs (or whenever he wakes up) and then outside and he potties, then lunch, outside, nap, outside etc. Then at night i've been sleeping with him (which is reaking havoc on my asthma) and whenever he wakes up i feel him move and take him outside to potty. So, ive only had one accident on the floor in the house, and hes gone on his potty pads about 3 different times. However, it is getting out of control... he is taking up ALL of my time, literally. I couldnt take a shower for 2 days b\c I felt i couldnt leave him for a second. Ive always had really big outside dogs so there has never even been a thought of a crate, but now i am living in a big city with no backyard so i cant just let him roam out there. I have no idea how to crate him\how long he should be in\ when do i take him out\ what do i put in the crate with him etc. Please, ANY help would be soo appreciated! I just want to raise a GOOD DOG

WELCOME AND CONGRATS!! sounds like you are doing GREAT!! when you shower you can put him in his crate, i usually bring Layla in the bathroom with me so i can check on her! you want to get the smallest crate you can and even then it will be big so use towels to block off the back and just leave him enough room to lay down.. you want it to be very small in there for him.... and at ngiht, he should go in there if that is what you want, he will cry... it will be sad, however perservere and it will be ok.... so put him in at bed time, take him out to potty first, of course, if he does something great, put him in his crate and if he cries just let him.... he didn't potty when you brought him out.. let him cry for a bit and ONLY when he stops do you take him out to potty and try again ... if you take him out WHEN he is crying, he'll just think if he cries long enough he'll get let out... and then during the night make sure his crate is next to your bed so you can hear him and more importatnly he can see you... when he cries to go out, let him out , don't make a big fuss,,,, and put him back in... again, if he cries, just let him, always making sure he has had the chance to potty tho. During the day if you are home with him, you don't need to crate him unless you want to. A crate is a great place to get him to nap when you know he is tired, it gets him used to it.... again make sure he can see you. Sounds like you are doign ag reat job and only one potty mistake!!! that is great!!!! can we see a picture of him???

[lcutson]

thanks for the encoragement. I now have a picture of him up! I guess i just feel bad keeping him in a confined space. He seems to cry for a shorter period of time if the crate is somewhere where he can't see anyone, but in the long run that probably isnt best. I guess I will just have to be tough!

[lcutson]

one more question...do i put the blanket in the back and the potty pad in the front, or vice versa?

[Dunkaroo]

Originally Posted by lcutson

Hi, I recently got the most precious 2 month old YorkiPoo. I've only had him 4 days and already I am soooo in love! However, I have never had a puppy before so I am very new to this. I want to crate train him but I really dont know how. I am home all day\all night so I feel i should work around his schedule and baby him but everyone is telling me he will grow up to be a terror if i let HIM rule. So far, the schedule has been wake up- we got outside and he potties, then breakfast and some play time and back outside and he potties, then nap time for about 2-3 hrs (or whenever he wakes up) and then outside and he potties, then lunch, outside, nap, outside etc. Then at night i've been sleeping with him (which is reaking havoc on my asthma) and whenever he wakes up i feel him move and take him outside to potty. So, ive only had one accident on the floor in the house, and hes gone on his potty pads about 3 different times. However, it is getting out of control... he is taking up ALL of my time, literally. I couldnt take a shower for 2 days b\c I felt i couldnt leave him for a second. Ive always had really big outside dogs so there has never even been a thought of a crate, but now i am living in a big city with no backyard so i cant just let him roam out there. I have no idea how to crate him\how long he should be in\ when do i take him out\ what do i put in the crate with him etc. Please, ANY help would be soo appreciated! I just want to raise a GOOD DOG

hello! I did crate training for awhile with my Yorkie and it went well. I leave him the crate when I leave for work then come home for lunch to let him out and pee/poo. Then put him back in the crate when I go back to work. Then let him out when I get home and he stays out until we went to sleep. My boyfriend and I did this for about a month! I just felt so bad leaving him in that little crate, so I bought him a playpen. I tried training him to pee on the pee pee pads - NO LUCK! He just wouldn't do it.

from http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...S=0&C=0&A=1129

CRATE TRAINING:
Crate Training Puppies


Every puppy needs to learn the skill of resting calmly in a crate. This skill will be needed at the veterinary hospital, for traveling, and for restricted activity due to illness. It's also a lifesaver for many young dogs during the destructive chewing stage that starts at several months of age and can last until age 2 to 3 years in some breeds.
After a dog has become trained and reliable in the house, the crate will often be needed only for specific reasons rather than everyday use. One critical situation that can call for bringing out the crate again is separation anxiety. The ability to relax in a crate can save a dog's life during this crisis.
Usually it works best to crate the puppy in your bedroom when you're sleeping. If you want the dog to share your bed, wait until the adult temperament emerges. Then if it turns out the temperament is not suited to bed privileges, you will not have the difficult job of teaching the dog to stay off the bed. Teaching a puppy to stay off the bed from the beginning is much easier, both for you and for the pup.
People tend to make the mistake of giving the puppy attention for making noise in the crate. When you do this, you confirm the puppy's instinct that being alone is death (it would be, in the wild), and that calling for help will bring someone. Having the crate in your bedroom for sleeping tends to help because the puppy can hear, smell and possibly see you. Not being alone, the puppy usually finds it easier to get used to the crate. Your sleeping helps set the scene for the puppy to sleep, too.
Keep the puppy on a good schedule of food, water and outings so the puppy's body will have the best chance of making it through the night without a bathroom break. If the pup does need a break, make it very low-key with dim lights and soft voices and no playtime. If you completely avoid going to the puppy when the puppy is making noise, problems usually pass quickly. But make no mistake, lost sleep comes with the puppy-adoption territory! Don't miss the chance to start your puppy off right, or you will lose a lot more sleep over a longer period of time, because crate-training will take much longer.
The worst thing to do is let the puppy yell for a long time, and then go to the puppy. Doing that teaches the puppy to persistently make noise in the crate. It communicates to the pup that you want to be notified with lots and lots of noise! It also causes the puppy enormous stress that can become a lifelong response to being confined in a crate. Adult dogs in this stressed state can break out of crates and badly injure themselves. This is not the future you want for your puppy.
What you want the puppy to discover is that nothing bad happens from being alone in a crate. You also want the puppy to learn that it's okay to let you know of a need, but you will not come in response to loud racket. Check on the puppy after the puppy has become quiet again.
If your puppy isn't making it through the night without a potty break, schedule it so that the puppy doesn't have to wake you up and ask. Realize, too, that the puppy's body will awaken and need to potty whenever someone in the household gets up. That person or someone else will need to give the pup a potty break.
Don't trick a puppy about the crate. Give a treat when the pup goes in, but don't be sneaky about shutting the door. Don't put the puppy into the crate when the puppy is sound asleep, to wake up trapped in a crate. That can cause the puppy to distrust both you and the crate.
Be careful not to abuse the crate. When you are at home and awake, supervise the puppy in person rather than using the crate. Puppies need exercise, mental stimulation and guidance from you in order to grow up healthy and happy. Too much crate time is not humane. Puppies sleep 14 hours a day or so. If the crate time is scheduled so the pup can use it for sleeping, that's ideal.
Make the crate a pleasant place to rest. A few safe chew toys and a treat can help the puppy relax and drift off to dreamland. Everyone in the household can sleep better with a crate-trained puppy.

HOPE this helps!

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by lcutson

one more question...do i put the blanket in the back and the potty pad in the front, or vice versa?

i would suggest NOT putting any potty pad in there unless he will be staying in it for hours at a time... i would try and just potty train in him the house or outisde, whichever you choose, but the crate is somewhere he is JUST going to sleep... so you need to block off the extra area with towels so he can't get at the back and can only sleep in a small section in the front, otherwise he won't wake you up to tell you he has to potty... he won't want to pee where he sleeps so he will cry when he has to go out.