Crate training didn't work me for at all. 1) I didn't have the heart for it - If I'm home I want Howie with me and 2) Howie is not the kind of dog who likes to be confined if he knows someone is home.
I work 8:30 - 5 and Howie is home by himself in the morning and I leave him in his crate to go back to sleep. At lunch I come home, give him lunch, let him potty (I use potty pads) and put him in his xpen for the afternoon. I leave a potty pad in there but he never needs to go. When I get home at night I take him into the kitchen and feed him, right afterwards we go for about a 20-30 minute walk and he's recently started going #1 and #2 on our walks. For the rest of the night we usually hang out in the living room. I have what I like to call "Puppy Pad Country" which is an entire corner of my living room carpeted with pads. Howie goes right over to them and potties. The second he's done he gets his favorite type of treat and he ONLY gets it when he potties correctly. Howie sleeps in bed with me and if he has to go in the middle of the night he'll jump off the bed and head for a potty pad I have down in the bedroom.
Do what works best for your lifestyle and what your gut tells you is right for you and your puppy. All of the other "by the book" methods I tried didn't work for us. And be sure to stress routine and praise! |