I Feel Like a Warden
 

I bought the book, too. From what I've gathered from it, they don't need to be in a crate, just confined to a small area (like a kitchen or bathroom). The author makes a good point in the beginning of the book- we confine infants to playpens during the time we aren't sitting right beside them. It's no different for dogs.

Of course, ask me in a day or two and I may feel differently.

I know many people make use of crates to house-train but I could never do that to my babies. I did, however, confine them to two rooms, my kitchen and adjoining den, the two rooms we use the most. I could watch them and direct them to the pad quickly but they were still able to be with me and follow me around like they want to. To each his own, but I couldn't and didn't want to walk around a small crate all day and know my puppy was in there not understanding why. Even when I worked, I kept them in the kitchen, confined but loose. JMO.

i don't know what the book says that your reading but i was very strict with Morgan when she was a baby. She had a crate and an ex-pen. The crate was for when i was at work or when we were sleeping. the expen was for when i was home but couldn't watch her for whatever reason. She was on a strict food/potty/play schedule. First thing in the morning when i woke up i took her outside. When we came back in it was breakfast time. I fed her in her ex-pen and then left her in there for 15-20 minutes. After that time period we went outside again to potty. I always took her out on a leash so she knew we were on a mission instead of a play date. I took her to one area, said go potty, and then waited for her to do her stuff. I'd stand there for as long as it took, sometimes 30 minutes in the pouring rain, but we did it (with the aid of an umbrella). After she did her business she was allowed 30-60 minutes free roam play time. After a rigorous play she'd need to go back outside to pee usually. Then i'd put her in her pen for a nap. when she woke up it was back outside, then play or eat, depending on the time. that how the day went until bed time. i'd take her out right before i went to sleep and she'd sleep a good amount of time. Usually she'd wake me up at 4-5am to potty. I'd take her out for a quick potty without really talking to her (besides go potty and good girl) or getting her excited. After she pottied it was back in her crate to sleep some more. Then when i woke up we'd start the whole process all over again.

after a while i eliminated the crate and she'd sleep in her ex-pen. I only eliminated the crate when she was able to hold it all night long and not mess in her crate when i was at work. I used the ex-pen for at least a year and a half when i was out and at night time. Eventually i took the ex-pen down and put her crate back out. Now she has her crate/den available to her whenever she wants and she has free reign when i'm not home. she's 100% potty trained and only very rarely has an accident when she's sick.

I don't think a crate is totally necessary all the time but it depends on everyone's situations. They can be GREAT and I wish Jackson was crate trained but it didn't work for us. I was really lucky that I got Jackson in winter of '08 when I was off on winter break from college, so I had a whole 4 weeks to be with him solely. We had a really great schedule for a long time and we did use the crate in the beginning... I would place the crate on my bed and he would sleep in it, he woke me up around 3-4am to potty, then we'd wake up again at 7:30am to go potty again, then he'd get 30 minutes of play-time but only in the 1 room where I could watch him 24/7, then we'd go back to bed until 9:30ish, and when I left the house, I'd put him in his crate while I left. Then after a few weeks, we moved up to the expen, then locked in my bedroom.

But anyways my point is I had a really consistent schedule with him in those first few weeks where we did the same thing every single day. He's had free roam of the house since about 4 1/2 months old and never once has he had an accident while we're not home or chewed anything (he had accidents when we WERE home of course) and I call him 99.9% potty trained. He will occasionally poop in the house still maybe like once every 2 months and it's usually when it's raining outside or something!

But you can get thru it. :) Potty training days are tough!

I absolutely cannot imagine keeping my dogs confined to a crate for any length of time. They are confined to 2 rooms when I am not home, but otherwise have the run of the house. Yes, I've had to clean up messes and one of mine sees all throw rugs as pee pads. But gosh, keeping them confined that long seems punishment; how can and why would they want to learn? Seems like they'd be so excited to be released, they'd pee for joy! Sorry, crates are just not for me. With my first yorkie, I was going to go it right, bought her a crate and instructed husband and son that whoever left the house last, to put her in there. Well, that worked until I was the one that had to put her in there and then let her out again 8 1/2 hours later. She was never put in there again.

8 1/2 hours straight is an excessive amount of time to spend in the crate. however if done properly crate training is an excellent way to housebreak and train them. Mine was never in the crate for longer then 4 hours while i was at work. I came home to feed her and let her out for an hour on my lunch break. She slept while i was at work most of the time according to family who would check on her and the videos i took every now and then while i was gone. Morgan loves her crate and still goes in there on her own to sleep. I also keep her food and water in there so it doesn't get all over my floor.

That's not the right way to crate train. I'm not a real advocate of leaving them in a crate for 8+ hours either. You put them in the crate and take them out at intervals (play, eat, potty) throughout the day! I do know that people leave them in the crates all day while they're at work, but IMO a better solution is to get an x-pen and create a little area (bed on one side, potty side on other, possibly a small food and/or play area also) for them.

You only have 5 days left and then you can tell us if it really works!:D Hang in there. On a more serious note, I really do feel sorry for you. But, hey, if it works, it's worth it.:)

I feel your pain..we were using an ex pen that was working perfectly until she learned how to jump out of at at only 12 weeks old.:eek:..So now we are using the crate..and yes it sucks..lol but I have no choice, I tried confining her to just one room. but she is a big time chewer, and I have a lot of electronic and she loves cords, she already destroyed one lap top cord. so needless to say, if I cant watch her every move when she is out, then she has to go in to the crate until im done being busy. and she most defiantly has to sleep in it, or lord knows what she would find to get into.,,but I just keep reminding myself that it is for her own safety..so I know exactly what you are going through...hang in there.

Did today go any better for you?

Yes, today was better. mainly because I was gone most of the morning. I did put them in the laundry room with a baby gate, so they had a little more room. This afternoon I had my grandchildren and we were outside a long time this afternoon. Of course I had the puppies outside with us. I hope I didn't mess anything up by not having them confined as much as I am supposed too.

I doubt you messed anything up. You're not superwoman and they aren't prisoners. Good luck tomorrow.:)

:(:( that's an awfully long time to be crated - do you have other options ? I didn't read all the responses but I personally couldn;t do it - hope you got some better suggestions !! And good luck.......

my youngest cried loud in her playpen and I caved - I couldn't bear the crying but things worked out - she eventually learned and while it took a long time - she was happier not being in a playpen and so was I

I hope today is better for you.

I could never do it, I have never had a problem house breaking any of my pups and i've had Labs,Husky,Great Dane,Papillon,and now the Yorkies. They sleep in the bed with us from the night they come home. I lay them next to me(just as some people do with babies) and every time they move they go out to potty.

We do that for about a week and then i'll let them "move" but watch them and if there just getting comfy then i'll move my leg/arm to touch them.

We have had the Yorkies(well 2 of them) a week today. There both doing pretty good Raider(my pup 7weeks) woke me up at 5am to go potty he pooped as soon as he got out there. The 11 week old that I just got on Monday is pretty much house broken already.


I understand if you have to work mine come to work with me.I like the confining to a small area over a crate if you have one.

I do have a crate it's open to them to go in and out here at the office to use for a bed. I have a carrier(for the 2 smaller ones) and that is what they perfer to sleep in its under my desk. Pheobe(the 11w old) has a bed under DH's desk.

It took 5 months to train her??

So how do you handle the day time?

I have changed from the pack n play to the laundry room which has a baby gate. They seemed much happier. But when I took them outside after being confined 3 hours, they did their business pretty quickly except Gabby waited until she was inside to poop.

We are doing a strict schedule like that and I was wondering how long it took to get Morgan house trained? We are about 4 days into the really really strict schedule where she is in her crate even when we are home at night.

It will take time and it sounds like they may be on their way to figuring it out. Do you praise and/or treat when they do potty in the correct place? Also, you should choose 1 phrase for potty so when you use it, they will know what it means. while training, do no say the phrase until they are in the actual act then repeat it several times. Keep doing this so they will learn the phrase.

Our phrase is "do your stuff". Also, in addition to what the others have said, you should look for the signs that your little ones have for needing to potty. You need to be diligent and quick. If you wait for them to show you by squatting, it will be too late as by that time,they are pretty much finished,lol. Look for signs of circling or sniffing or anything like this behaviour and immediate take them out/put on puppy pad and use the phrase--once they have learned it.

If they do not go after 20 minutes, bring them back in and still watch for the signs and take them back out again, so on and so on.

Maggie is 2 years old and will still sometimes come back from our walks and potty on the pad. I don't get upset as she runs over to it so she has the pottying thing down after all. :) Best of luck.

We do praise her a TON! We started with treats but realized that made her potty unpredictable! I sat let's go potty every time we go out and while she is sniffing around. After she goes I tell her good girl and love on her. Right now she only has trouble at night..like I mentioned before I think it is out of spite for being in her crate while her dad is home! I am off for the summer (I teach) and when her dad is home she goes NUTSSSS!!! I hope it gets better! Thanks for the support!

I've been potty training my 5 month old with the food/play/potty routine and I still have to watch him like a hawk. I haven't gotten an expen because with all my 10 month old sons toys there is no room. I found if I put a loud windup clock next to his crate with a t-shirt or towel with my sent on it inside the crate he doesn't bark or whine. I wasn't able to get him house broken in the 7 days like the book, but he is doing alot better now. Good Luck
:aimeeyorkSambo & Jenny

I never really understood using a crate or confining a dog to a small space to house train. I never did that with Boo. What I did was take him out at very regular intervals, starting with every hour. Then when he would go I would make a big fuss and give him a treat. Then over time I increased the amount of time before going out. Eventually he would come get me when he needed to go. It only took about a week and a half and he has not gone in the house since then. Of course there were accidents in the beginning, but I just took that as part of having a puppy, it's small and cleans up pretty easily. You also have to keep a close eye on him, and if you can catch him trying to go inside you can tell him no and take him out immediately. Also, when he did have accidents i would carry him over to where he went, make him sniff it, so that he knew what it was, and then take him right out. Eventually they learn that you have to do that outside.

Good luck and hang in there. Like someone else mentioned, crate training is not the choice for everyone. It is the BEST THING I have ever done in my house, though. The first 2 nights we had Raley he was in our lap or playing...and slept with us. On the 3rd night I began placing him in his kennel. I had it beside our bed. When he would whine I would get up and place him on his pee pad (which is still in its designated place). I would say "go potty". I would praise him and love on him and then back to his kennel he went. After about 3 nights of doing this he began holding it for about 6 hours. He now holds it for 8. I do not regret training him this way. For us it has been the best decision! We live on a fairly busy street so I do not take him outside to go potty. He always uses a pee pad. He has not had any accidents in a few months. When we are traveling he rides in his kennel. He does not like being in a car without it. We always stop and allow him potty breaks and he does great!

Keep your chin up. Persistence is the key!:)

I am trying a modified version of this and it seems to be working, but instead of a crate it is a small area then a small room and I keep enlarging it as we go, 1 week no accident and we have enlarged her area to the whole main floor except for one section of the living room which up to this week was her favorite pee area. Good Luck