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TishaMoon · 04-15-2009, 08:48 AM

Yup they sleep a lot. I remember being concerned about it when I first brought Bailey home, but I quickly realized she just needed lots of sleep.

I crate Bailey at night since the first night. Her crate is bigger. It's a medium size petmate crate. It's lined with a cozy blanket (it was sent from the breeder so it has her mom's scent). It's also got plush toys, a small pillow, and a food & water dish to take up all the room. There shouldn't be enough room of empty floor for them to make a potty, which is why I put so much stuff in hers to take up the room. (It has a metal partition, but I couldn't bring myself to use it.)

The first night was the hardest. She whined for a while when I put her in. The important thing is to ignore the whining. If she's in there and quiet I might say "good girl". But talking to her when she's whining will only make it worse. The worst thing you can do it let them out when they whine. However sometimes whining might mean potty time, so it can be confusing!

Bailey's been here almost 3 weeks and is now great with the crate. She rarely ever whines to get out anymore. Usually when she does wake me with whining I know she has to go. What I do when she whines in the night is take her straight to her potty pad. If she goes, great, I praise her and put her back. Sometimes she just wanders away and I can pretty much tell she just wanted out, so I take her straight back and don't talk to her.

Bailey is 12 1/2 weeks and can stay in the crate with no potty break for about 8 hours. I don't even set my alarm for the middle of the night anymore because she wakes me when she has to go (whining). Oh, also one thing that really helped me was getting a night light to put next to her crate. That way if she whines at night I can look at her and tell if she's showing signs of having to go, or just wanting out.

Oh and it's good to use a signal word like "bedtime" every time you put them in the crate. Bailey caught on quick (I think it also helped that her night time crate is different than her day one) that when I put her in there it's time to curl up and sleep.

04-15-2009, 08:48 AM	#4
TishaMoon YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: So. Cal Posts: 367	Yup they sleep a lot. I remember being concerned about it when I first brought Bailey home, but I quickly realized she just needed lots of sleep. I crate Bailey at night since the first night. Her crate is bigger. It's a medium size petmate crate. It's lined with a cozy blanket (it was sent from the breeder so it has her mom's scent). It's also got plush toys, a small pillow, and a food & water dish to take up all the room. There shouldn't be enough room of empty floor for them to make a potty, which is why I put so much stuff in hers to take up the room. (It has a metal partition, but I couldn't bring myself to use it.) The first night was the hardest. She whined for a while when I put her in. The important thing is to ignore the whining. If she's in there and quiet I might say "good girl". But talking to her when she's whining will only make it worse. The worst thing you can do it let them out when they whine. However sometimes whining might mean potty time, so it can be confusing! Bailey's been here almost 3 weeks and is now great with the crate. She rarely ever whines to get out anymore. Usually when she does wake me with whining I know she has to go. What I do when she whines in the night is take her straight to her potty pad. If she goes, great, I praise her and put her back. Sometimes she just wanders away and I can pretty much tell she just wanted out, so I take her straight back and don't talk to her. Bailey is 12 1/2 weeks and can stay in the crate with no potty break for about 8 hours. I don't even set my alarm for the middle of the night anymore because she wakes me when she has to go (whining). Oh, also one thing that really helped me was getting a night light to put next to her crate. That way if she whines at night I can look at her and tell if she's showing signs of having to go, or just wanting out. Oh and it's good to use a signal word like "bedtime" every time you put them in the crate. Bailey caught on quick (I think it also helped that her night time crate is different than her day one) that when I put her in there it's time to curl up and sleep. __________________ ~ Bailey's Mommy~ Last edited by TishaMoon; 04-15-2009 at 08:51 AM.