Best crate to potty train??
 

Hey guys, I'm having trouble with 9 month old who has relapsed in potty training so I'm gonna start from square 1 with the crate training. I was just wondering which crate is the absolute best to train him with?? He's only 3 pounds so he's very small and I don't want him to have accidents but I want him to be comfortable and to love his crate. Any suggestions?? Pleeeease help I'm desperate! Thanks!!! :D

I attached a picture of one, is that a good one or no?

I think you need an ex-pen. I think that crate is too small, even though your pup is small.

Not true. If she is actually CRATE training by definition the dog is only supposed to have room to stand up, turn around, and lay down. The point of crate training is to limit the space so they have no where to eliminate without having to lie in it. The premise is that a dog will not eliminate where they sleep. You have to make sure they have no extra space or they will eliminate in the extra space and then move away from it.

I recommend a crate however instead of a kennel. One with an adjustable divider so:

1. It can grow with the pup. If the pup gets bigger and needs more room to stand up, turn around, and lie down the crate can adjust.

2. You can limit the space to have JUST enough room to the 3 aforementioned actions.

4. Once trained, you can remove the divider if desired and have a space for your pup to go for comfort.

I got mine from Petco and it wasn't expensive at all. It is the one for dogs less than 10lbs. and has an adjustable divider. It is really easy to set up and move the divider around. I think it is a really nice crate, especially for the price. Rylie does well with it and it is a crate so she can see me through the sides really easy (which is good at night so she doesn't feel lonely).

PETCO Classic 1-Door Dog Crates - Wire Dog Crates and Collapsible Dog Crates from PETCO.com

Note: We have used this since Rylie came home and was only 3lbs. It worked great for her and I was able to adjust the crate to be small enough to leave only enough room for her to do the 3 required actions. She has never had an accident in her crate. (Not saying that you will have the same results, but this is my experience). Always make sure you take them out often enough to go potty so they do NOT soil their crate. Rylie can go the whole night now (she couldn't when we first got her), but if your pup isn't doing well training wise maybe they cannot do the same.

Hope this helps!

I found the wire crate too big for Joey, and put him in a small zippered car seat, and he was trained the first night. I still had to put him on the pad in the middle of the night, but it was easy to hear him because he was next to my bed. He never once had an accident in the small bed. As soon as he could go all night, he came to bed with me. :p

To be fair we did have to cram some bedding and toys in there too, so maybe that limited the space more.

Note to the OP: If you buy the same crate we did, you will HAVE to stuff a blanket or something underneath the divider. Else your little one will try to crawl under it and get their poor little head/body stuck. Yeah... found that one out the hard way the first night :rolleyes: Learn from my headache.

Thank you so much for your help and advice! I did buy an ex-pen in the beginning for him since I thought the crate was too cruel to leave him in during the day (I was clearly new to puppy training haha) but he refused to go on the pee pads and once I got him trained on a schedule, he has since relapsed and decided to start the crate training. I had originally purchased a wire crate for him but, just as Nancy said, it was just too big for him and he wound up having accidents in it. The kennel I got for him seems perfect! I have comfortable bedding in it and a new toy for him and we've been giving him treats everytime he even just goes inside real quick while we're home. So far I've been doing the crate training for 4 days and no accidents in his cage! Oliver even goes outside more frequently now. I'm very optimistic about the crate training and wish I had started MUCH sooner! Thanks for your help! :D

Glad to hear your baby is doing better!!! Keep up the good work! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I am so happy the training is working for you