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Originally Posted by chandracz  he FREAKS out when he's gated away from me and starts peeing all over the place OUT OF SPITE! I don't know if he can hold his pee because i've never tried to crate him at night... Maybe I need to try one of these two things tho. Maybe it's my own selfish reasons that I don't want him crated, but I also don't want my carpet smelling like pee either! We don't have a big house... where could I get a small ex pen? I've never even looked into them. |
petsmart or petco have them...i believe target or walmart have small pen type things for kids that work too, it's basically just a way to block them off from the rest of the house at night or during the day if you are gone.
the crate training method works amazing wonders for us so far.
i've taught her that her crate is her den, her bed and her comfort zone, it's not punishment and it's not used to keep her penned up so i can relax...it's only used for good/positive things...she's got a blanket in there, she's got a toy usually and she gets a treat for going in there on her own.
i started the day she came home to introduce her to it, i'd put in a treat or toy and let her go in and out when she wanted...good way to start him...i'd sit right beside her when she was in there and praise her the whole time...then i'd try to shut the door and stay right there with her, if she was not whining she got to come out, if she cried i'd say shhh and wait until she stopped to let her out.
at night, i put her into the crate saying kennel up. i shut the door and i say lay down night night, she lays down now (didn't at first) and she'll go to sleep, sometimes she fights it a little and will whine or scratch the door. i say shhhh lay down night night and she finally has gotten it...praise her like crazy if she lays down...i always keep the lighting low when she's going to bed and turn the lights out when she lays down for awhile and let her sleep.
she's really great about whining when she needs to pee and not whining after sleeping otherwise...and i can usually get her back to sleep after her pee break using the same lay down methods
i always lay beside her crate door until she lays down to rest
i sometimes use a blanket over the coffee table/night stand her crate lays under if she's having a hard time resting, the darkness especially during the day makes her sleepy and she relaxes more...
always keep a cuddly toy in with her until she's used to it...
i also her first night in the crate put the shirt i wore all day in there with her to keep her feeling safe and comfy.
hope you can use some of these tips to help if you try to crate train the pup...they can't hold it all night at first when they are young, but the only way i know to get them to learn to sleep and not pee all over is to get them to LOVE their crate and sleep there at night...
good luck and ask anymore questions if i missed something here.
i might also mention when Sadie has had enough of my neices and nephews she always goes into her crate which sits in the living room at all times when she's not sleeping at night by my bed...she uses it as her safe zone to get away from us or the rowdy kids when she's had enough...
make it positive and good for your dog he'll appreciate having his own space...
the x-pen is great for a larger space, but put a crate or bed in there for sleeping in a "den like" area as well.
thanks