We all run on a tight schedule around my house, so crate training was essential for keeping things on an even keel. When I say "crate training", I am referring to those wire "cages" that are 26 x 38 inches....plenty of room for their little bed, some water and food, and the pee pad for potty. Mine are up in the morning at 9am, we do outside several times before 1pm, dictated by how hot it is outside. Everyone goes back to their crate at around 1pm, where they stay until 4pm.....this is when I do my housework!....at 4pm, they come back out, and everyone stays up, with several outside playtimes, depending on how hot it is outside......everyone remains up with family, interacting and playing and watching TV in evening until 11pm at night, when everyone goes back into crates overnight. I keep my dogs crated so in the event of an emergency or fire, I know where everyone is and dogs can be collected and evacuated rapidly. All my babies are on this schedule and they know exactly when they go down and when they get back up and this works great for us! We have done this time schedule their entire life, it is routine for all of them, and they look forward to each scheduled "event"! |