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Originally Posted by FMRVMH  Hi. My wife (hairhome) and I are going back and forth on the best way to train Lulu. As she stated we are at work for most of the day and are unable to come home at lunch time, and so on, to let the dog out. We are reading the threads and wrestling with the best way to proceed with training. We have puppy pads, a crate and a kennel and have enclosed Lulu in the kitchen with gates and laminate flooring. But right now it's a crap shoot (excuse the pun) as the best way. From what I've read these dogs are hard to train and for her size, she will never be able to hold her urine all. She will pee on the pad and occasionally poop outside but for the most part she reverts to the pad for peeing and pooping. She never pees outside. We're considering a play pen as a long term solution which would be big enough to contain a pee pad. That way we won't have to block off the kitchen with gates. We discussed crate training but are not in agreement as to the appropriate size (please see attached photo). I hate the thought of leaving Lulu in a small confined space for 8 hrs and my wife says that approach would require a hired dog walker. I would like to get some more feedback on our situation and will continue reading the forums for training etc. |
If you feel it is best for her to be able to go as she pleases, and pad train her, then by all means -- go for it!
I think in the end, you know what's best for your situation and only you, so you can determine what will work out the best for you. With the crate training, I do believe that if you are potty training them to go outside and using the crate training method, that the crate should be small so they don't use it as their potty. But if you're planning on allowing her to use her pads during the day and train her that way... a big crate would be acceptable, with a pee pad in one corner, food bowl, water bowl, etc. I've known people that do that.
Can I suggest to you an ex-pen? I had one of those for Jackson as a puppy and it worked out great. I, however, strictly outdoor trained him so I never left down a pee pad. I also am gone for generally no longer than 4-6 hours at a time so this worked for us. I'm a believer in not allowing a dog to go inside at ALL (pad or not) but that's just my personal preference. I find dogs that are pad trained are more prone to have accidents the rest of their life, confuse pads w/ rugs, etc. On the other hand, I should mention that Jackson is 12.5lbs and has always been a larger Yorkie so his bladder is a bit bigger, so is his poop, LOL! I prefer not to be cleaning it up all day. Plus, as a pup, he was a poop eater so I wouldn't trust him not to eat his poop.