Quote:
Originally Posted by amanda350  Since I am home all day, when should I put them in the crate? I let them sleep with me and there's no problem and then in the morning I take them out first thing..and then it's breakfast.. when should I put them in the crate for the first time, right after they eat or wait till they potty again.not sure where to start with it.. |
Well, after they eat they'll most likely have to go potty fairly quickly so I would take them out to go potty within about 15 minutes after they eat and if they go let them stay out for maybe another 20 to 30 minutes and then put them in the crate (make sure you stay with them when they go outside and watch them to be sure they went). Keep them in the crate for about 1 to 1.5 hours and then take them directly outside to go again. I've read that it's important to make them walk to the door with you and if you have a designated spot for them to "go" walk to that spot (if they don't want to follow you I would recommend using a leash). This way they learn that they need to go to the door when they have to go and where the potty area is. Now if you take them out after they eat and they don't go then put them back in the crate and try again in another 15 minutes or so. Basically anytime you take them out and they don't go they must go back in the crate. They only get to stay out and play if they do their thing. Just keep repeating the same thing throughout the day. It will take some time but it's always worked with all of our dogs. Make sure when they're out of the crate you watch them like a hawk. After a while you'll be able to tell when they have to go and it's so important to catch them if they go in the house. With Bella, if I saw her pee I would say "no" and go quickly to her and she would stop I'd pick her up and take her outside and if she finished outside I'd praise her and she'd get to stay out. I know you've got young children so you may even want to get up early enough to give them the time to be out of the crate supervised and time it to put them in the crate when getting the kids ready for school. Also, when they're in the x-pen that's still time out of the crate and should be treated the same as when playing with you in the house. I hope this helps. Remember it takes a lot of patience and consistancy but they'll get it. It's going to be harder for you because you have 2 furbabies to keep track of and small children that need your attention too but I know you can do it
! Good luck
!