Kratty

• What type of crate do you use and what materials does your doberman lie on.

We use the wire crate from Life Stages, it’s the large size that came with a divider that was very useful while my girl was growing up. She has a 2 inch crate pad that is very plush and comfy. She also has a full size fleece blanket covering the pad. We have a blanket that the top to make it more of a den for her.

• How did you train your doberman to use the crate, how long did it take?

I took me 4 nights to get her to stay in the crate and not cry during the night. We had the crate set up in the living room, where we spend most of the time. Since I work at home, I worked from the living where at least she could see me during the day. The first four nights were hell. I had to sleep next to the crate with the door opened, and my little, little girl would snuggle next to me. Once she fell asleep, I would gently move her in the crate. She would stay there the rest of the night. Soon, she learned this was her room.
And finally, I was able to get back upstairs and sleep in a real bed. After that, she would sleep the whole night in the crate.

During the day, I would put her in the crate for short periods and then started making them longer. Eventually, she started to go in it on her own when she was tired.

• What uses does the crate serve for you and how does your doberman see the crate? (Bedroom, punishment, etc)

Nikita sees her crate as her room. A place to go when she’s got bored, tired or wants to feel safe. If we are not paying ant attention to her, we always find her in her crate. It was our baby sitter while growing up. When ever we could not keep an eye on her, she was crated. This help with not letting her get into things she was not supposed to get in. We also used use it for time outs, when she was not being good. A 30 second time out did wonders. It was like, “Go to your room.” It broke the distraction and got her to settle down. Once she did that, she got her privilege back.

• When did you stop using the crate?

She is still using it today, at 15 months. She still sleeps in at night, but now with the door opened. She will soon be getter her own big, comfy doggy bed. Right now, she is maturing and sometimes barks in the night at what ever is outside. Closing her in the crates still helps when this occurs.

• What techniques did you use to Housebreak/potty train you doberman? (puppy pads, etc)
As a puppy she peed after anything she did. Waking up in the morning, after she eat, after and during play time, after naps, after everything. So at first, she was out every hour, then we increased the times as she got older. I wished I would have taken a few weeks of Pupturnity leave from work when we got her, but being a stay at home doberdad with a understanding boss helped a lot. We set her scheduled for potty, because as a puppy, it was really hard to see the signs and also they went pretty quick when they had too. While we were out with her getting her to go, we did the “hurry up” phrase in a very melodic style which taught her that it was time to go potty. Once she went, it was like getting selected for the Price is Right. Goodies galore, bells, whistles and streamers and praise.

• How long did it take it become 100% reliable, no more mistakes.

At one year she became totally reliable. She matured enough to control her bladder, she was giving us signs that she wanted to go out. She would hold it in many different situations. I think maturity has a lot to do with being reliable.

• How does your Doberman alert you that they need to go out.

She does the whole head in the lap, and she pulls her head back when you go and pet her. She also has a whinny whin when she can’t touch us. The other day out visiting my aunt, she scratched the rug a few times and sure enough, she had to go out. Seeing the signs is the most difficult thing to recognize.

• Do they go on different surfaces and in new locations easily? (if traveling and no grass is available)

We took her to so many different places as a pup that this helped her go on different surfaces. The hurry up song helps in getting her to go on different surfaces. She can go about any where now.