Help with Crate Training. - YorkieTalk.com Forums

dewdrop67 · 02-07-2005, 05:14 PM

I've been reading numerous articles on crate training but Im still a little confused.

Im going to get my yorkie this Friday and she is 8 1/2 weeks old. I am going to be gone all day at work, so what is recommended? Should I leave her in her crate or leave the door open and confine her in a space with a wee wee pad? I know she is supposed to be in her crate at night but Im just not understanding what Im supposed to do during the day. Im switching jobs in a month so I will be able to go home during lunch to let her out but until then I cant do that. Also another thing Im not understanding is, once I get home and I let her out and put her on the wee wee pad and she goes, do I feed and play with her than put her back in?? When do I take her out again? Im sorry I probably sound like a numbnut but Im just not getting the concept so any advice would be appreciated!

luvdorkyyorkies · 02-07-2005, 05:58 PM

Hi Dewdrop,
This is just my opinion.........if you are gonna be gone all day I wouldnt crate her all day.........what I would do is leave her crate door open for her safe sleep nest and partition an area with a wee wee pad (i use newspaper) in it so she can have an area to play with a toy in there too.
After playing with her and feeding her put her in her area in about 10 minutes after she eats and she will prolly go! Then take her out.
If you have easy access to the outside and the weather isnt bad I would start outside training after work, but I dont know your homelife, whether she will be exclusively indoors or if you want to train her to outside.
For night time I would just leave the crate door open with the play area and all just like it is for consistancy. SHe will learn this is her own area and she will feel safe there........that is of course if she doesnt end up in your bed with you which is what will probably happen!.............LOL
Hope that helps give ya some ideas................potty training is all about consistant scheduling.........I think if you have the oppurtunity to train her outside in the evening she will be easy to outside train exclusively later if thats what you want .

Bentley'sMom · 02-07-2005, 06:54 PM

I agree with the previous post. I would not leave your puppy in a crate if you are going to be gone all day. It is too small of a space to be confined to for more than a couple of hours. Partitioning off an area of your home is a better idea.

Once your puppy goes potty you don't need to put it back into the crate (unless you need some time to get a few things done). If you know your puppy should have to go to the bathroom and he won't go on the pad or outside, put him in the crate for 5-10 minutes and then take him out and try it again. Keep doing this until he goes. Most puppies won't pee in their crate and so they will understand that they need to go on the pad... After they go, let them stay out of the crate for awhile and play as a reward.
The crate is also useful as a means of teaching them how to hold it. The longer they stay in the crate, they will understand how to hold their bladder for longer periods of time. Although I don't think I would ever keep a puppy (or full grown dog) in a crate for more than 4 hours as it is just too small of a space. Good Luck with the new puppy!

lickthestar · 02-07-2005, 07:29 PM

Here I go again with my anti-crating rantings...I don't believe dogs are meant to be caged...they are dogs, not hamsters or gerbils. My suggestion (this is what I did with Archie) is to keep the puppy in one room with the door closed. Put a wee wee pad on one side, and train him to go on the pad, and on the other side, keep his food and water. Also, keep a lot of toys closer to the food, as well as a little bed. Dogs won't "go" near their food or near where they sleep or play. Also, if you're going to be gone for a long period of time, you might want to leave a radio or tv on otherwise, outside noises might startle him.

I trained Archie to pee on the wee wee pad by watching how he acts when he has to go to the bathroom (he ran around trying to find a place to go), and I picked him up and put him on the pad. If he went there, I'd praise him. Otherwise, I just cleaned it up with Nature's Miracle (it erases the smell to the dogs, since they tend to go in the same spots over and over again). The best is if you catch them in the act of going in a place they are not supposed to, at which point, just pick him up and put him on the pad...he'll get the idea.

I usually take Archie out three times a day and he just waits until we take him out. Otherwise, if it's an emergency or the middle of the night, he will go on the one wee wee pad in the bathroom (and jump on the bed, wake me up and let me know that he went in the bathroom).

Once they're trained, you can start letting the dog out into other parts of your house.

If you're gone the whole day, it's too long to leave a dog in a crate. Crates are supposed to be for training, and should be used by someone who is there most of the time. They are not meant to be a cage for your dog to sit in all day.

luvdorkyyorkies · 02-07-2005, 07:30 PM

Great advice Bentleys mom!!!!!!

dewdrop67 · 02-08-2005, 09:38 AM

Again, thanks for all the great advice! I will leave her crate door opened during the day that way she can go in and out whenever she wants to. I also purchased the Mother Knows Best book that someone on here mentioned and so far it has helped me out alot! Im just a little nervous, Im getting her on Friday and I want to make sure Im doing things right.

bettyeanne · 02-08-2005, 02:03 PM

An alternative that we use for Toto is an X-pen. We never confine her to any of her crates unless absolutely necessary ... if we leave her in the car for a few minutes we zip the door of her portable crate where she can't be seen by people in parking areas. But when we are at home, we never ever crate her. If we have to leave her home [which is rare] we just close the gate to her X-pen which gives her lots of room and has all her comfy things ... wee wee pad, water/food, bed, toys, etc. Even though our home is "puppy proofed" we still can't stand the thought of her having all that freedom and noone there to supervise!

schatzie · 02-08-2005, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bettyeanne

An alternative that we use for Toto is an X-pen. We never confine her to any of her crates unless absolutely necessary ... if we leave her in the car for a few minutes we zip the door of her portable crate where she can't be seen by people in parking areas. But when we are at home, we never ever crate her. If we have to leave her home [which is rare] we just close the gate to her X-pen which gives her lots of room and has all her comfy things ... wee wee pad, water/food, bed, toys, etc. Even though our home is "puppy proofed" we still can't stand the thought of her having all that freedom and noone there to supervise!

Bettyeanne, What you do is exactly what we do for our Schatzie. Play area for dinner nights out with my husband, doggie soft carrier when I run into our dental accounts for my business, or her purse if I know Im going to be in an acct. for awhile and I hide her. (they must think it's just my purse) and I do have a hard sided crate in the house but she hardly ever goes into it. However, she does go into Annabelle's crate and will sleep next to Annabelle for a nap, or take her toys. LOL

Regarding puppy proffing, we even have safety covers on our wall outlets...I guess one can never be too careful right??

bettyeanne · 02-09-2005, 03:41 AM

Schatzie's Mama

We are also constantly being accused of being "over-protective" but we could care less!!

We can't go out to dinner or anything else without worrying about Toto ... when she is "secure" in her X-pen, we worry less but we still try to make short work of our "outting" where we can get back home to her! Patrick is like a time keeper ... he will look at his watch and say "we have been gone and hour" ... we both panic!!

The soft crate in the car is great! You can't imagine how we feel those few times we haven't zipped her up and are only out of the car for 5 minutes ... come back and some stranger have their face at your car window looking at her!! The soft crates are also great when I fly with Toto ... because it will fold ... just tag it and check it with the other luggage and when I get to my destination ... put it in the rental and Toto has her little comforts!

Before we got Toto we didn't know anything about crates so we stopped on the way home ... bought a big nice one that is "rattan" covered ... looks really nice with our wicker bedroom furniture and sits there with the door open and contains a wee wee pad [in case Miss Prissy Paws doesn't want to go alllll the way to her pen to pee pee!] and a water bowl which Patrick keeps filled ... after all, we always have a bottle of water on our nightstand .... why should she have to go all the way down the hall to get a sip of water during the night!?!

mybirdys2003 · 02-09-2005, 02:24 PM

I do have a crate for Snoodles, I crate her next to my bed at night. I have a big fluffy pillow in it that she just sinks into. If we go out to dinner, I put her in there, and she just takes a nap. The great thing about them, is you can take them anywhere, and they have their own bed that they are use to. I made a car seat, for the car, and just keep it buckled in all the time ready to go. It is window high, and she can see outside.
But, I do like the crate for sleeping!

02-07-2005, 05:14 PM	#1
dewdrop67 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 106	Help with Crate Training. I've been reading numerous articles on crate training but Im still a little confused. Im going to get my yorkie this Friday and she is 8 1/2 weeks old. I am going to be gone all day at work, so what is recommended? Should I leave her in her crate or leave the door open and confine her in a space with a wee wee pad? I know she is supposed to be in her crate at night but Im just not understanding what Im supposed to do during the day. Im switching jobs in a month so I will be able to go home during lunch to let her out but until then I cant do that. Also another thing Im not understanding is, once I get home and I let her out and put her on the wee wee pad and she goes, do I feed and play with her than put her back in?? When do I take her out again? Im sorry I probably sound like a numbnut but Im just not getting the concept so any advice would be appreciated!

02-07-2005, 05:58 PM	#2
luvdorkyyorkies BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,681	Hi Dewdrop, This is just my opinion.........if you are gonna be gone all day I wouldnt crate her all day.........what I would do is leave her crate door open for her safe sleep nest and partition an area with a wee wee pad (i use newspaper) in it so she can have an area to play with a toy in there too. After playing with her and feeding her put her in her area in about 10 minutes after she eats and she will prolly go! Then take her out. If you have easy access to the outside and the weather isnt bad I would start outside training after work, but I dont know your homelife, whether she will be exclusively indoors or if you want to train her to outside. For night time I would just leave the crate door open with the play area and all just like it is for consistancy. SHe will learn this is her own area and she will feel safe there........that is of course if she doesnt end up in your bed with you which is what will probably happen!.............LOL Hope that helps give ya some ideas................potty training is all about consistant scheduling.........I think if you have the oppurtunity to train her outside in the evening she will be easy to outside train exclusively later if thats what you want . Last edited by luvdorkyyorkies; 02-07-2005 at 06:05 PM.

02-08-2005, 09:38 AM	#6
dewdrop67 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 106	crate training Again, thanks for all the great advice! I will leave her crate door opened during the day that way she can go in and out whenever she wants to. I also purchased the Mother Knows Best book that someone on here mentioned and so far it has helped me out alot! Im just a little nervous, Im getting her on Friday and I want to make sure Im doing things right.

02-08-2005, 02:03 PM	#7
bettyeanne Donating YT 7000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama, etc. Posts: 9,031	An alternative that we use for Toto is an X-pen. We never confine her to any of her crates unless absolutely necessary ... if we leave her in the car for a few minutes we zip the door of her portable crate where she can't be seen by people in parking areas. But when we are at home, we never ever crate her. If we have to leave her home [which is rare] we just close the gate to her X-pen which gives her lots of room and has all her comfy things ... wee wee pad, water/food, bed, toys, etc. Even though our home is "puppy proofed" we still can't stand the thought of her having all that freedom and noone there to supervise! __________________ Toto's Mom - http://www.dogster.com/?206581 Yorkie Rescue Colorado - http://www.yorkierescuecolorado.com/ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." -- Albert Einstein

02-09-2005, 03:41 AM	#9
bettyeanne Donating YT 7000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama, etc. Posts: 9,031	Schatzie's Mama We are also constantly being accused of being "over-protective" but we could care less!! We can't go out to dinner or anything else without worrying about Toto ... when she is "secure" in her X-pen, we worry less but we still try to make short work of our "outting" where we can get back home to her! Patrick is like a time keeper ... he will look at his watch and say "we have been gone and hour" ... we both panic!! The soft crate in the car is great! You can't imagine how we feel those few times we haven't zipped her up and are only out of the car for 5 minutes ... come back and some stranger have their face at your car window looking at her!! The soft crates are also great when I fly with Toto ... because it will fold ... just tag it and check it with the other luggage and when I get to my destination ... put it in the rental and Toto has her little comforts! Before we got Toto we didn't know anything about crates so we stopped on the way home ... bought a big nice one that is "rattan" covered ... looks really nice with our wicker bedroom furniture and sits there with the door open and contains a wee wee pad [in case Miss Prissy Paws doesn't want to go alllll the way to her pen to pee pee!] and a water bowl which Patrick keeps filled ... after all, we always have a bottle of water on our nightstand .... why should she have to go all the way down the hall to get a sip of water during the night!?! __________________ Toto's Mom - http://www.dogster.com/?206581 Yorkie Rescue Colorado - http://www.yorkierescuecolorado.com/ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." -- Albert Einstein

02-07-2005, 06:54 PM	#3
Bentley'sMom YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Redmond, WA Posts: 299	I agree with the previous post. I would not leave your puppy in a crate if you are going to be gone all day. It is too small of a space to be confined to for more than a couple of hours. Partitioning off an area of your home is a better idea. Once your puppy goes potty you don't need to put it back into the crate (unless you need some time to get a few things done). If you know your puppy should have to go to the bathroom and he won't go on the pad or outside, put him in the crate for 5-10 minutes and then take him out and try it again. Keep doing this until he goes. Most puppies won't pee in their crate and so they will understand that they need to go on the pad... After they go, let them stay out of the crate for awhile and play as a reward. The crate is also useful as a means of teaching them how to hold it. The longer they stay in the crate, they will understand how to hold their bladder for longer periods of time. Although I don't think I would ever keep a puppy (or full grown dog) in a crate for more than 4 hours as it is just too small of a space. Good Luck with the new puppy!

02-07-2005, 07:29 PM	#4
lickthestar YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NY Posts: 360	Here I go again with my anti-crating rantings...I don't believe dogs are meant to be caged...they are dogs, not hamsters or gerbils. My suggestion (this is what I did with Archie) is to keep the puppy in one room with the door closed. Put a wee wee pad on one side, and train him to go on the pad, and on the other side, keep his food and water. Also, keep a lot of toys closer to the food, as well as a little bed. Dogs won't "go" near their food or near where they sleep or play. Also, if you're going to be gone for a long period of time, you might want to leave a radio or tv on otherwise, outside noises might startle him. I trained Archie to pee on the wee wee pad by watching how he acts when he has to go to the bathroom (he ran around trying to find a place to go), and I picked him up and put him on the pad. If he went there, I'd praise him. Otherwise, I just cleaned it up with Nature's Miracle (it erases the smell to the dogs, since they tend to go in the same spots over and over again). The best is if you catch them in the act of going in a place they are not supposed to, at which point, just pick him up and put him on the pad...he'll get the idea. I usually take Archie out three times a day and he just waits until we take him out. Otherwise, if it's an emergency or the middle of the night, he will go on the one wee wee pad in the bathroom (and jump on the bed, wake me up and let me know that he went in the bathroom). Once they're trained, you can start letting the dog out into other parts of your house. If you're gone the whole day, it's too long to leave a dog in a crate. Crates are supposed to be for training, and should be used by someone who is there most of the time. They are not meant to be a cage for your dog to sit in all day.

02-07-2005, 07:30 PM	#5
luvdorkyyorkies BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,681	Great advice Bentleys mom!!!!!!

02-09-2005, 02:24 PM	#10
mybirdys2003 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 980	I do have a crate for Snoodles, I crate her next to my bed at night. I have a big fluffy pillow in it that she just sinks into. If we go out to dinner, I put her in there, and she just takes a nap. The great thing about them, is you can take them anywhere, and they have their own bed that they are use to. I made a car seat, for the car, and just keep it buckled in all the time ready to go. It is window high, and she can see outside. But, I do like the crate for sleeping!