I feel guilty crating my puppy...need suggestions - YorkieTalk.com Forums

viviansnickers · 01-05-2009, 09:29 AM

Hi Everyone..

I am having some issues with crating. I feel so guilty leaving my 6 month Snickers in there even for a short time. He is in there now for 3 hours, then my husband comes home and he is out for an hour, and then again in for 3 hours until I get home (I RACE HOME!) I know, dogs tend to learn to love their crate, but it just breaks my heart to think of him in there all alone with little room to move. I think caging any living thing is mean. I know it is for his own safety etc, but thats just how I feel. I guess I am on here asking for advice. I am thinking of leaving him in my laundry room from now on with a pee pad (in case he needs to go, he is trained to go outside) his bed, and his toys when we are gone. Is this a good idea? Will he regress from his outside potty training?? I want to slowly start here so eventually he can be alone in the house, is it too early?? I want to start with a small room and eventually give him access to another part of the house gradually when I see no accidents. Please let me know your input...

Thanks a million-
Vivian

Nancy1999 · 01-05-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viviansnickers

Hi Everyone..

I am having some issues with crating. I feel so guilty leaving my 6 month Snickers in there even for a short time. He is in there now for 3 hours, then my husband comes home and he is out for an hour, and then again in for 3 hours until I get home (I RACE HOME!) I know, dogs tend to learn to love their crate, but it just breaks my heart to think of him in there all alone with little room to move. I think caging any living thing is mean. I know it is for his own safety etc, but thats just how I feel. I guess I am on here asking for advice. I am thinking of leaving him in my laundry room from now on with a pee pad (in case he needs to go, he is trained to go outside) his bed, and his toys when we are gone. Is this a good idea? Will he regress from his outside potty training?? I want to slowly start here so eventually he can be alone in the house, is it too early?? I want to start with a small room and eventually give him access to another part of the house gradually when I see no accidents. Please let me know your input...

Thanks a million-
Vivian

Awe, you sound like a wonderful mother, and I don't like too much time in crates either. You don't say how old he is, but since your leaving him out every 3 hours, and he doing well with potty training, I'd say your doing a great job! Some people will place the crate in a laundry room or kitchen at this point, and allow him access to the room, but also the choice of the crate, many dogs love the safety of the crate, and since he's already use to it, I wouldn't take this away. Others use an x-pen and place the crate in that, an x-pen is like a little fenced-off area. Pee pads don't have to be used, unless he's is still young, and the hours will be long. I love pee pads, because they really give you a choice, and there may be some setbacks, but you could still take him outside when you get home, and praise him for doing his business. I think duel training gives you the best of both worlds.

chloesMama · 01-05-2009, 09:58 AM

I don't crate Chloe we use a playyard . She has her bed/blankets, food/ water / potty pads /toys in her area and she has room to move around. Xpens are a great idea to keep them both contained and safe .

As long as they are blocked off in an area where they cannot hurt themselves ( or anything else in the room ) then it is fine to just gate him off . You can leave the crate in the room so he can go in and out of the crate.

I don't know what a pee pad may do his outside training..I have only used pee pads for Chloe and strictly outside training for my bigger dog. Never both...so I don't know. Others here have dogs that use both so I'm sure they can answer that.

JoeyP · 01-05-2009, 09:58 AM

I don't like crateing ....
I have my two guys corralled in the kitchen

and they use a bottom cabinet I leave open for them as their bed
They love it and everytime I change the bed in the cabinet for them
They automatically go in there and check it out

viviansnickers · 01-05-2009, 10:12 AM

THANK YOU!!! I think I am going to try it and give him the laundry room for the afternoon with the pee pad in there. I hope it's not sending mixed signals that it is ok to go in the house, but I do want him to use it if he can't hold it (which he usually can normally in his crate.) ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT!!! PLEASE!!!!

AvyQuinn · 01-07-2009, 07:52 PM

I was leaving Hiro in the kitchen before I started to crate train him. He didn't quite get the pee pad thing... (not to mention that our house is like 100 years old and slanted so when he pees on the kitchen floor it runs ALL THE WAY DOWN the floor and under the cabinet! Such a pain in the a** to clean up! rofl)
Anyway, since he wasn't catching onto the pad thing, I decided (after much internal wrestling) to start crate training him. This has worked out better than I could have possibly imagined. He loves his crate. I feel bad about leaving him in the crate -- but he always has something to play with or chew on. Most of the time he just snoozes while he's in there. I take him out every 3 or so hours for a pee and or a snuggle or a play session. He has only messed in his crate once and that was at the very beginning before I made his crate smaller. He had too much room to roam around in it - mess in one corner and lay in the other. As a rule dogs don't like to mess where they sleep so this is what makes crate training so effective I think.

I look at it this way.
I want to be the best mommy I can to my little Hiro.
As his mommy I am charged with the responsibility of making sure he understands the rules of my house - and that I give him the tools to be able to follow those rules. If I have to crate train for a couple months to ensure that he understands and can follow the rules of the house then so be it. He has his entire little life to run around free as a bird in my house, so a couple of months of staunch training is a drop in the bucket and well worth the reward in the end. They say that it takes yorkies a while to get fully trained but my Hiro is well on the road to success and I attribute it to crate training!

Good luck either way!!!

lucyaboo · 01-07-2009, 08:07 PM

I don't like the idea of a small crate, I keep the girls in the kitchen with a child gate, it was the easiest room to puppy proof

Quote:

Originally Posted by viviansnickers

I am thinking of leaving him in my laundry room from now on with a pee pad (in case he needs to go, he is trained to go outside) his bed, and his toys when we are gone. Is this a good idea?

THANK YOU!!! I think I am going to try it and give him the laundry room for the afternoon with the pee pad in there. I hope it's not sending mixed signals that it is ok to go in the house, but I do want him to use it if he can't hold it (which he usually can normally in his crate.) ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT!!! PLEASE!!!!

****If you go this way, please be sure your water hoses to the washer are the metal braided kind & not rubber. I have seen the hot water hose break & flood a house. That would be terrible to a doggie stuck in the laundry room

lakota2000 · 01-09-2009, 03:58 AM

Here's a suggestion for you. I use a "belly band" for my boy. and attach a maxi pad to it at night and a thin feminine pad during the day. What it is is a 4" elastic band made out of really soft terry cloth that attaches around his belly covering his penis on the underside. I got it from a lady that makes them and it was only like $15 or so. It worked so good I got two so when I wash one I've got a spare dry one.

harley1 · 01-09-2009, 06:40 AM

I find that Harley really doesnt mind his crate and will often go in there on his own to rest when we are home it his own little space..when i am at work during the day i crate him for about 4 hrs,i then come home at lunch let him out and close all my doors he then has run of the house till i or the kids get home..during this tme he wears a belly band and it works great..

JenniferLeigh · 01-09-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvyQuinn

As a rule dogs don't like to mess where they sleep so this is what makes crate training so effective I think.

Crate training was really effective with Lexi too. I almost think that switching to pee pads now would be confusing? I have no experience with peepads though don't quote me on that

Lexi was crate trained. Our doberman was not. After seeing the differences and benefits it has had for my yorkie, I will always crate train my dogs. It was about at 7 or 8 months that Lexi got the training down pat and was fully potty trained. She's had full run of the house since.

lakota2000 · 01-09-2009, 08:32 AM

OK excuse my crate training ignorance but where do they go pee if they don't use a pee pad?

JenniferLeigh · 01-09-2009, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakota2000

OK excuse my crate training ignorance but where do they go pee if they don't use a pee pad?

Generally they don't, although accidents can happen. Dogs don't like to go to the bathroom where they sleep thus the effectiveness of crate training.

Nancy1999 · 01-09-2009, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakota2000

OK excuse my crate training ignorance but where do they go pee if they don't use a pee pad?

Yes, JenniferLeigh is correct, and you don't keep them in the crate for long periods you let them out ever couple of hours and place them on a pee pad. Over night they can hold it a little longer, but probably not longer than 4 hours. Crate training is meant to be used as in aid in housebreaking. If you are just keeping them confined for the day, then you need to use pads in the crate, but most people keep them confined in x-pens or something bigger than a crate, with room for bed, toys, pad, and crate.

kcook323 · 01-09-2009, 08:57 AM

I crate Maximus. I do feel guilty and I am at home with him. I'm just doing it until he is pee pad trained, plus I'm working on getting my house puppy proofed. We do let him out when he has our full attenion in the other parts of the house and in our bathroom (it is a huge bathroom) to run around. I'm thinking about getting a pen for him though, so I can set him up in the kitchen (linoleum floors) . Maximus is still in the puppy chewing stage and one Sunday I left him out of his crate when we went to church and he chewed wall paper off my walls.

lakota2000 · 01-09-2009, 08:59 AM

Oh OK I got ya you're training not to pee in the crate. I didn't think dogs would go where they sleep. I thought it was like just something they all knew without training. Duh.. see crate training ignorance LOL.

I gave up, with my boy! The belly band saves his butt and saves me from going crazy.

I sooo much more enjoy changing his kotex than bending over scrubbing my carpet. And as an added bonus he has run of the house to protect it against all evil. The Brave little guy!!!

01-05-2009, 09:29 AM	#1
viviansnickers Snick&Viv= BFF Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,755	I feel guilty crating my puppy...need suggestions Hi Everyone.. I am having some issues with crating. I feel so guilty leaving my 6 month Snickers in there even for a short time. He is in there now for 3 hours, then my husband comes home and he is out for an hour, and then again in for 3 hours until I get home (I RACE HOME!) I know, dogs tend to learn to love their crate, but it just breaks my heart to think of him in there all alone with little room to move. I think caging any living thing is mean. I know it is for his own safety etc, but thats just how I feel. I guess I am on here asking for advice. I am thinking of leaving him in my laundry room from now on with a pee pad (in case he needs to go, he is trained to go outside) his bed, and his toys when we are gone. Is this a good idea? Will he regress from his outside potty training?? I want to slowly start here so eventually he can be alone in the house, is it too early?? I want to start with a small room and eventually give him access to another part of the house gradually when I see no accidents. Please let me know your input... Thanks a million- Vivian

01-05-2009, 09:58 AM	#3
chloesMama YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: here :) Posts: 1,182	I don't crate Chloe we use a playyard . She has her bed/blankets, food/ water / potty pads /toys in her area and she has room to move around. Xpens are a great idea to keep them both contained and safe . As long as they are blocked off in an area where they cannot hurt themselves ( or anything else in the room ) then it is fine to just gate him off . You can leave the crate in the room so he can go in and out of the crate. I don't know what a pee pad may do his outside training..I have only used pee pads for Chloe and strictly outside training for my bigger dog. Never both...so I don't know. Others here have dogs that use both so I'm sure they can answer that. __________________ *Chloe & Sydney*

01-05-2009, 09:58 AM	#4
JoeyP YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA Posts: 1,005	I don't like crateing .... I have my two guys corralled in the kitchen and they use a bottom cabinet I leave open for them as their bed They love it and everytime I change the bed in the cabinet for them They automatically go in there and check it out __________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd

01-07-2009, 07:52 PM	#6
AvyQuinn YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kentucky - but I'm Canadian and proud of it! Posts: 327	I was leaving Hiro in the kitchen before I started to crate train him. He didn't quite get the pee pad thing... (not to mention that our house is like 100 years old and slanted so when he pees on the kitchen floor it runs ALL THE WAY DOWN the floor and under the cabinet! Such a pain in the a** to clean up! rofl) Anyway, since he wasn't catching onto the pad thing, I decided (after much internal wrestling) to start crate training him. This has worked out better than I could have possibly imagined. He loves his crate. I feel bad about leaving him in the crate -- but he always has something to play with or chew on. Most of the time he just snoozes while he's in there. I take him out every 3 or so hours for a pee and or a snuggle or a play session. He has only messed in his crate once and that was at the very beginning before I made his crate smaller. He had too much room to roam around in it - mess in one corner and lay in the other. As a rule dogs don't like to mess where they sleep so this is what makes crate training so effective I think. I look at it this way. I want to be the best mommy I can to my little Hiro. As his mommy I am charged with the responsibility of making sure he understands the rules of my house - and that I give him the tools to be able to follow those rules. If I have to crate train for a couple months to ensure that he understands and can follow the rules of the house then so be it. He has his entire little life to run around free as a bird in my house, so a couple of months of staunch training is a drop in the bucket and well worth the reward in the end. They say that it takes yorkies a while to get fully trained but my Hiro is well on the road to success and I attribute it to crate training! Good luck either way!!! __________________ May the peace of the faeries be forever in your heart. I have two boys in my house and I'm in love with them both!

01-09-2009, 06:40 AM	#9
harley1 Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Brantford Ont Canada Posts: 196	I find that Harley really doesnt mind his crate and will often go in there on his own to rest when we are home it his own little space..when i am at work during the day i crate him for about 4 hrs,i then come home at lunch let him out and close all my doors he then has run of the house till i or the kids get home..during this tme he wears a belly band and it works great.. __________________ Harley and baby Ava

01-05-2009, 10:12 AM	#5
viviansnickers Snick&Viv= BFF Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,755	THANK YOU!!! I think I am going to try it and give him the laundry room for the afternoon with the pee pad in there. I hope it's not sending mixed signals that it is ok to go in the house, but I do want him to use it if he can't hold it (which he usually can normally in his crate.) ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT!!! PLEASE!!!!

01-09-2009, 03:58 AM	#8
lakota2000 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Greenville NC Posts: 5	Here's a suggestion for you. I use a "belly band" for my boy. and attach a maxi pad to it at night and a thin feminine pad during the day. What it is is a 4" elastic band made out of really soft terry cloth that attaches around his belly covering his penis on the underside. I got it from a lady that makes them and it was only like $15 or so. It worked so good I got two so when I wash one I've got a spare dry one.

01-09-2009, 08:32 AM	#11
lakota2000 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Greenville NC Posts: 5	OK excuse my crate training ignorance but where do they go pee if they don't use a pee pad?

01-09-2009, 08:59 AM	#15
lakota2000 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Greenville NC Posts: 5	Oh OK I got ya you're training not to pee in the crate. I didn't think dogs would go where they sleep. I thought it was like just something they all knew without training. Duh.. see crate training ignorance LOL. I gave up, with my boy! The belly band saves his butt and saves me from going crazy. I sooo much more enjoy changing his kotex than bending over scrubbing my carpet. And as an added bonus he has run of the house to protect it against all evil. The Brave little guy!!!