Leaving food and water in crate while gone
 

Who does this when you're gone? I hate depriving my pup of food and water. At the same time though, he's potty training and I don't want him making accidents in his crate. What do or did you all do?

Thanks!:animal-pa

Well Ben is 15 weeks now, and he is crate trained while alone at the house and goes outside when we are home. I do not leave food and water in his crate because he always eats everything in the bowl in about 2 min so it wouldnt really matter if I put food in there while I was gone anyways and he only drinks his water when he eats...so to answer your question No I dont leave food or water in his crate while I am gone...and I think some people do the same thing as well.

Frankly, I shocked at your reply. Who told you this was the best way? I think puppies need access to food and water at all times. Small dogs under 4 pounds can develop hypoglycemia, if they go too long a period without eating. Joey's breeder recommended free feeding until the age of 7 months. If you are leaving for long periods of time, where are they going to the bathroom? Do you expect a small puppy to hold it all day? Most puppies even have to get up during the night at least once, and at night bladder output is reduced making urination less frequent. Most people put their dogs in an x-pen with a crate or bed in it, water and food, and a pee pad. If you have no x-pen you can do the same thing in a bathroom. Water should be available all the time.

Well I have had Ben since he was 12 weeks and he has never peed in the bed. If I get up in the middle of the night then I will take him outside to go but If I dont get up, he dosent pee in the bed. I guess all puppies are different. I chose not to free feed because Ben eats everything in his bowl as soon as I put it in there so free feeding really wouldnt work for me. I leave Ben in his crate while I am at work and he dosent poop in the crate, and once in awhile does pee, but I he wears in belly band while in his crate. I just think it is harder to potty training when you have water available at all times, but that is JMO. I can assure you that my puppy is healthy, and the way I do things isnt the way that everybody does things. But I know that I have read other posts about this topic and everybody does it their own way

I should probably mention that this is for when I'm gone for shorter periods of time. Like today, I was gone for 4 hours and he peed, although my roommate let him out of his crate after 2 hours of being in there (and he went potty before I left). I would always leave him in his ex pen when I'm gone for a long time.

You have had your puppy only three weeks. Just because nothing bad has happened yet, don't assume it won't. Check out this website on potty training, it gives a schedule Indoor Potty Training - Method #2, and for 15 week old puppy every two hours in the day time, and every 4 hours at night. This schedule was written with all breeds in mind, and since the Yorkies are smaller than most, most people think these times should even be more frequent. Puppies grow at different speeds and have growth spurts, their appetites reflect this and some days they will eat twice as much as other days. The food amount given on the bag is a guideline; it should be adjusted if necessary. You do not have to worry about a puppy getting too fat; they will stop eating when full. Older dogs sometimes have a problem with being free feed, but their calorie needs are not near the puppy's needs. Puppies have tiny stomachs, and a twice a day feeding is not near enough. I assume your dog is a Yorkie? Please don't just take my word for this, but ask others if you don't believe me, you need to do more research on this.

Again look at the schedule in my above link. Or there are other posts at YorkieTalk with potty schedules. Four hours is too long for a puppy during the day to hold his urine. Most people take out of the crate every couple of hours at least depending on the age of the dog.

Even in a puppy mill they must be given access to water at all times.

Nancy, Thank you for the the input. If you would read my above statement, he was taken out every 2 hours.

Thank you for telling me how they take care of dogs in puppy mills as well. My pup is in much better conditions however lol. ;)

Sophie had kidney failure right after we got her, as a very young puppy, and we had to be sure she was hydrated. When she finally turned the corner and seemed to be better (no more treatment), I just felt it was still very important to keep water nearby at all times. We rarely use the crate anymore, but when we do, I always put water in there. She is 7 y/o now.

After I wrote that, I hoped you wouldn't take it the wrong way, I'm just was trying to emphasize that the government has felt this is important enough to make it a law.

My Rudy & Lucky are crated while were @ work. The longest the've been in their crates @ one time is like 5 hours. Then my husband stops home during his delivery work and lets them outside to do their business and get a drink inside. We do give them a treat before they go back in their crates. Then their back in their crates till I get home. We don't leave any food or water in their crates for them. Rudy is 2 years old and Lucky is 4.

Lovemyalfie, I know other's might not agree with this. But we've done this since Rudy was like maybe 12 weeks old. We never had any problems, health wise or peeing or pooping in his crate. Good Luck. :goodluck:

And I'm not the only one :)

Notice their ages, I don't want to argue with you and make you defensive, but there is a huge difference between a 15 week old puppy and a 2 year old dog. Just because you have never seen any problems doesn't mean this is a good way to do it. If peeing and pooping in the crate are your major concerns and not the health of your dog, fine do it, but my dog never poop or peed in the crate, and he had food and water available 24/7.

I have say I am with Nancy on this one 15 weeks is to long to leave longer then three hours at a time if that.
Food and water should be accessable at all times that young.

Water sorry unless they are transport all the time by law.

I can leave my 6 year old from 7:30 until 7:30 No problem and in an emergency I have but long term I have cover at least once if not twice in the day.

Now I had to up end my life to do that but I choice a dog in my life and one with amazing special needs dog that blow many a mind and as her Mother my choice was to make sure her life was high quality. ( not saying your are not trying but well my brats a toe nail curler of issuse it take a ton of effort to deal with this beasty)

Now that said puppies need a boat load of soical skills and they need to see no less then 100 people places and things and sounds by the time they are 16 weeks old and for soical skills and learning that is way to long of a day for a puppy to not be soicalizing.
Sochoices are.... puppy day care, dog walker. take her to grandmas, or a freinds or come home if you can until she at a year in and expen and able to pee on pee pads.
Food and water always if tiny.

JL

I leave food and water in Oscar's crate. He has a 48 inch crate and is litter boxed trained, so I also leave a box at the back end when I'm going to be gone more than an hour or two.