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Originally Posted by ppastry  I am going to try it. What have you used to help with the potty training. It was also recommended to attach a pen to the crate so the puppy can go in to sleep and come out to potty. I used to get up for at least two months in the middle of the night to let my new puppies out to potty. I wanted to do it a little differently this time. Not sure if I should let him cry the first night if I have the puppy apartment set up or if I have the pen attached to the crate. I don't want to over stress him. |
The exercise pen (expen) comes in different sizes. The crate should be small. You can just place the crate inside the pen. You should make sure you have enough room for puppy to sleep in the pen, get out & piddle & have a small area where you can put a water bowl & a toy or 2.
I covered the bottom of the pen with disposable pads Many people like the washable kind for re-use. I wasn't training Lucy to piddle inside at all, so I used disposable. Lucy's 1 yr/5 mos & we recently stopped using all piddle pads in the house. So I'm done. (I keep a few around just in case I'm going out for a few hours - but she hasn't used them.)
Try to monitor puppy's food intake & water intake as much as possible at first. That way, you can sort of guess when he has to go out. It takes a little bit of time to figure out puppy's "timing." But you'll get it.
No graze feeding if you want puppy to go only outside. We feed Lucy in the morning and at dinner time. Now, we're comfortable enough to give her an occasional treat and know she won't go inside. You have to be careful about what you feed him (and when) while you're training though.
If you stick to it, expect accidents, be willing go back to the crate training regimine if puppy's not "ready" then you'll be fine. Also, once puppy is able to get out of the expen, be sure you keep him restricted to a smaller area of your home (like your kitchen.) You're going to be surprised at all the places your baby can quickly pee/poo without you noticing.
BUY NATURE'S MIRACLE for accident spots. Enzymes knock out the scent.
Good luck.
Tracey