Yeah! It IS a lot of time in there. I chose to go the route that shows him where he may potty and where he may not. If he's in his carrier he's not going to soil it. When he's outside and goes potty, it's a PARTY! (Treats and all) Back in his crate where he will hold it until he's outside again (where's it's appropriate for him to potty). Inside potty = bad. Outside potty = good. =D He seemed to pick it up quickly and only had one accident in his crate ever, and that was at the very beginning.
I was fortunate though, cause he LOVED his crate. From the day we brought him home and I was cleaning it out I couldn't even keep him out of it. To make a sweet deal sweeter, I'd give him tasty things to go in on his own. He got so used to the schedule that all I had to do was point or tap on the carrier, in he'd go, treat and close door. I always had him with us when he was in the crate. If we were watching TV in the living room, he was there, if I was showering he was in the bathroom, if I was cleaning, I took him (in the crate) where ever I went so he could at least see me.
I never used the crate as a punishment (although it would probably have been like Br'er Rabbit's briar patch lol) |