when is crate training "over"?
 

the thing is, bunjee doesn't mind the crate. left to his own devices when i leave him alone in the kitchen area, he'll play around with his toys a little bit and then find his way into his crate and stays there either just to lay down, nap or chew on a toy. the problem is when i have him in the crate and shut the gate. he'll whine and cry to no end, growl, rattle and bite at the fencing, scratch and dig at the base of the crate, generally making a mess of his area until i either let him out, or squirt him multiple times with water. i've tried putting food and water and lots of toys in his crate to keep him busy but as soon as the gate closes, his only concern is to get out, and ignores the food, water, and toys.

in general, 80% of the time he pees on his potty pad. the other 20% of the time, he's so close but still misses by about 1 inch of the potty pad (sounds like most men i know with toilets, but i digress...), whether i'm present or not. i monitor all his poo sessions and have not had to move him to the potty pad for the past 5 days.

so my question is, is it okay for me to leave the gate open for him so that he can use his bathroom area as he pleases? will i be setting back his training somehow? or do i just have to stay vigilent and close the gate when i'm not there to watch him and he'll just have to get used to having the gate closed? when is crate training considered a success?

You've just got to be hardpressed with it and continue with the training. Otherwise he'll figure,"oh, if I bug mommy enough, I get what I want and my way!!" and he'll continue to push and prod at your buttons to see just exactly what he can get away with from you. it bites, and it's tiring and stresssful, but just continue with it. Good luck!

thanks liz, i'm still continuing to crate train. he still whines when i close the gate, but oh well. at least he's learned that when he whines in the middle of the night and i let him out of the crate, at least "pretend" to sniff around the potty pad or else it's back into the crate young man!!!!

so speaking of crate training, i know it's one method of housebreaking a new puppy or dog and the idea is to keep the dog in the crate during times he cannot be monitored so that we don't have accidents off the potty pad... but i was wondering, what is it suppose to teach the pup? ie, what's the PURPOSE of crate training, if we talk about specifics, specific behavior or actions?

is it suppose to:
- teach him that he must hold it until someone lets him out?
- teach the schedule you follow for pottying?
- disallow him to roam about unchecked and unmonitored by someone?
- others?

i'm looking for specific objectives that can help me determine if the training is successfully completed.