When crate trainig my Yorkies, they ALWAYS had newspaper or potty pads in the crate, together with all of the other needs of a dog - bed, food, water, toys, a handkershief of mine! I think that is a given. You cannot rely on any dog let alone a weeks old puppy to hold it until we get around to taking them out. In a small enclosure that they don't spend a lot of time in, they soon begin to dislike toileting in their little area so they start to try to hold it longer. If they are very young, they simply can't hold it and that's why you take them out to potty in your place of choise often. IF they stay too long is a small space, they may start to eat their poop or not mind it being there so the idea to get them out often is highly desirable and as I said in an earlier post, I don't think crate training involves the dog being in the crate except when you have something non-dog related to do or just need to take some brief "me" time. Otherwise, they are out with you lving their life. I think some people think crate training involves sticking your dog off in another room in a cold, sterile jail and leaving it there with no pee pads, bed, food, water or toys. Proper crate training as I learned it from many sources is nothing like that. |