Kratty

With all the new puppys in the forum, I thought this topic would be appropriate and also a trip down memory lane for most of us....

Topic – Crate Training & Housebreaking

• What type of crate do you use and what materials does your doberman lie on.
• How did you train your doberman to use the crate, how long did it take?
• What uses does the crate serve for you and how does your doberman see the crate? (bedroom, punishment, etc)
• When did you stop using the crate?

• What techniques did you use to Housebreak/potty train you doberman? (puppy pads, etc)
• How long did it take it become 100% reliable, no more mistakes.
• How does your Doberman alert you that they need to go out.
• Do they go on different surfaces and in new locations easily? (if traveling and no grass is available)

Gracie's_Mom

We got Gracie when she was a year old, she was crate trained already, as well as hosebroken.

She has a Great Dane size crate, she had a bed on the bottom of the crate so she wouldn't be on a hard surface.

Gracie viewed her crate as her bedroom, and just some place to get away from everything.

We stopped using it early this summer. At first she was a little scared that she was moving again I suspect but now she loves not having it. She can now sleep where ever she wants in the living room.

Gracie has only made 2 mistakes since we got her, none of them were her fault, she cries at night if she has to go out and we didn't hear her so she went potty in the house.

At night she cries, during the day she dances. Also if we don't get up when she starts dancing she rings the bell on the back door.

So far she only likes grass, dirt, and snow. She hasn't had to go on other surfaces except for those.

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2dobies

Never used a crate on any of my dogs. My wife wasnt working when we got Dar, so there was almost always someone home with her.
We have a huge dog bed/floor pillow that she lays on if she's not on the bed, on the couch, on the chair, etc. It's a sherpa-type top w/ cotton bottom, zippered and machine washable. Inner part is foam & cedar chips. She and Sasha both love it, and it's big enough for them both at the same time, if they feel like lying on the floor "like a dog"!
We used pads in the beginning for housebreaking, then switched to newspapers, because we were using up so many pads! Dobies pee a gallon at a time!! Also took her outside a lot--very often, in fact. As soon as she woke up, after she ate or drank, and numerous times during the day and evening 'just in case'. It took a while for me to recognise her teltale signs while she was a puppy.
I rewarded every pee or poo done outside, and when she had an accident in the house, I completely ignored her, and just cleaned it up without making a big deal of it. I didnt want her to start looking for attention, even negative attention, for peeing in the house.
By the time she was 6 months old, she was 100% reliable. I knew her 'schedule' and it worked out great. She knew that if she 'went' outside and not in the house, she would get rewarded for her actions.
Dar lets us know when she has to go outside now, by making a very distinctive "woof" that only means "gotta go!" If it's night time, or early morning and I am asleep, she wakes me up by actually saying "want out" (well, it sounds more like'waaaaaa owwwww', but I know that's what she's saying!
Dar hates to pee on pavement. Grass, dirt, snow, wood chips..ok. I've had to walk a pretty good distance for her while at a mall parking lot to find even a small square of grass! But if she has to go bad enough, she will go anywhere. She doesnt like people to watch her, either. If she can 'hide' behind a bush, a big rock, a tree, a sign...whatever, she's more at ease. That's my girl!!!

LapDog

Duchess does not sleep in a crate...she sleeps on our beds...and chills on the bed or the couch when we are gone.
When she was a puppy we kept her in a crate when we went somewhere or went to sleep...It was a real big crate...so in order to prevent her from getting up and going potty in a spot and then coming back and laying down to sleep..we made a divider...that only gave her enough room to lay down in it. She never had an accident...and would sleep from 12am-6am straight. During the day we would take her out to go potty after she 1. Ate 2. Played 3. Slept and never went any longer than 45 minutes without letting her out in the grass...Like I said we no longer use the crate we stopped using the crate when we go to bed at 5-6 months old..(she knows how to use the doggie door by then) but we still kept her in the crate when we were out of the house till she was probably 7-9 months...but she would view her crate as somewhere that prevents her from being with us...she would rather lay on the couch next to us or on our laps. Since we have the doggie door she never had an accident. First we had to train her to be okay with going on concrete...so that was difficult...b.c she learned to do it with grass the whole time. she thought it would be wrong if she went on the concrete...so i was just standing there saying "Duchess go potty" while I KNEW she REALLY had to go but she was shaking and holding it. We started to train her to be okay with going on concrete by taking her for a walk around the block whenever we thought she might want to go pee...and when she did "GOOD PUPPY!" so then one night we were sitting at the dinner table and we heard the doggy door open and close...next thing we know duchess is prancing in all proud!! lol however, the bad thing is since we have the doggy door she forgets that she has to hold it until we let her out outside at my friends house sometimes. So when were over there its like she is a puppy all over again...always letting the out in the yard. and she doesnt tell us when she needs to go b.c she is use to being independent and so she must be like "hmmm where is my doggy door???...well i guess here will have to do"
lol she is getting better with telling us though she will start pacing and walking around the house. Duchess goes pretty fast on different surfaces since we trained her in the grass and then for concrete...she will always pee atleast once around the block and is okay with making mommy work and have to pick up her poo every once and awhile. *additional comment* When Duchess was a puppy up till atleast a little over a year she would piddle a little when she was real excited to see people. Your not suppose to punish for puppy piddles...or else it will get worse i heard...so we just cleaned it up after. while we would try teaching "settle" a little.

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IloveMyDobie31

I had a big metal crate for Apollo (one of the ones that fold down and have the divider), but he never really liked it. Before I gave it to my sister it served the purpose of being a time-out place for him, which actually worked quite well. When he used it, it had a huge pillow in it that my mom made for him. I gave it to my sister when Dozer came because we weren't 100% sure he was potty trained, and that was when I stopped crating Apollo. For about the past two months, when I go to class or work I have been leaving him out and he's usually asleep on my bed when I get back. I just make sure that everything is picked up and there's nothing he can get into. I'm a neat freak so I don't like anything laying around anyway...everything has to be in its place off the floor and put away. I never crated him at night because I would crate him when I was gone at class and work, and I didn't want to over-crate. Now he doesn't get crated at all, although he's still kind of young. At night he sleeps in bed with me, and during the day he naps on the big doggie pillow my mom made him or on the couch. I have yet to come home to any accidents.

As for housebreaking, I skipped the newspaper/puppy pads and started taking him directly outside to the same spot. I would take him outside every couple hours, and at that time I would also use the crate when I was gone. I used treats and lots of praise and I also say the key phrases "Go potty" and "Hurry up". It took about a month before he started telling me he had to go outside, which for him means that he'll run up to me and bark and then head for the door. He'll also nose the doorknob, and I'll ask him if he has to "Go outside". At 6 1/2 months, I don't think he's 100% reliable, but his only accidents in a long time were when I also had Dozer and he would get really excited. Since Dozer has been gone he hasn't had any accidents. He does have a problem with not wanting to go in other places besides his potty spots though, which can be a little annoying because he is so stubborn. I could stand outside with him forever, but he will not go unless he's at the specific spot. When I started taking him to my sister's house I had to use treats to get him to potty in her back yard, and now he has a specific spot that he'll only go in her backyard as well. He also has trouble going if there is no grass, but I imagine that since this is his first snow, he'll get used to it. It just means that our potty breaks are a little longer, and mommy gets to stand outside in the cold waiting patiently...

frznbuns

Oh boy with 4 dogs this is going to be long.. with Raven we did not crate train and it was a mistake.. she was very hard to potty train.. did the whole wee wee pads..newspaper treats bit.. and still accidents up to a year.. then with Spirit we got a crate and he was potty trained in 2 weeks..he would go outside and see raven go and then he would go... Great.. Gypsy was also crate trained but she was a very sick puppy and potty train was a real problem.. she had to have 3 and 4 baths every day.. Iris was pretty easy to potty train.. only took a couple of days of watching the other dogs as she was all ready use to going outside to potty.. As for a sign.. Raven as a strange woof that she only does when she has to go outside.. Spirit.. will come up to you with something in his mouth.. does not matter what it is.. a shoe, a toy, pillow, a piece of lint but it has to be something before he will go outside.. Gypsy will just come and stare at you and wag her tail.. Iris goes and tells Spirit and he comes and tells me..
Iris still sleeps in her crate.. she loves it.. the other 3 sleep on large pillows in the kitchen togetherat night.. during the day when we are gone.. it is just where ever they happen to be..none of the dogs sleep with us as we have a waterbed and also the cats sleep with us..plus can you just see us in a bed with 4 dogs and 2 cats..lol..Gypsy is the only one who will only go potty at her own house.. she will not go when we are out for a walk... as for accidents.. they are dogs and dogs have accidents.. I figure it is my fault because I did not listen to them when they told me they had to go out or they are sick...

TracyJo

Topic – Crate Training & Housebreaking

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

Chi has an extra-large vari kennel with a really big blanket in it. When she was much younger, I had a box in it to make it smaller.

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

I started Chi in her kennel the day after she came home at 7 weeks. I would place her in the kennel for naps. She would normally fall asleep on Mark or me and we would then put her in the kennel, kind of like rocking a baby to sleep before you put her in her crib (tell me this pup isn't spoiled LOL). It didn't take her long to accpet her crate but it seemed like it took forever for her to be comfortable in it when we weren't in the room. It was originally in the living room. I would put her in at night and then try to sneak upstairs to bed, but she always woke up within minutes and started screaming. I spent close to a month sleeping on the couch and then got smart and moved her crate upstairs to the bedroom. At 6 months old, she is fine with her kennel and will readily run to it when I tell both the dogs to "kennel-up".
To teach that, I saved "cookies" for the kennel. Since she follows me everywhere, she would see me get the "cookies" from the treat cabinet. I would say "kennel-up" and then we'd race to my bedroom. At first I would toss the "cookie" into the kennel but after a few days I would wait until she went in and then would give her a treat before I shut the door. All in all, it took maybe a week to get her to go to her kennel on command.

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

I don't use the kennel for punishment but if she's done something wrong, like destroying a couch cushion or a folder full of important papers (both within the last few weeks) I will find the evidence and then her in her crate. She knows that it is her safe place.
Since we are military and travel a lot, the crate is a VERY important piece of furniture for us. It is essential that our animals are used to and comfortable in their crates, especially when we travel and fly. They are frequently boarded when we have to travel and I always have the boarding kennel keep their crates in their runs for that added bit of security.
I crate her when we are going to be out of the house for more than a few minutes, I tried to leave her out but that's when the important papers and couch cushion met their demise, so I think it's still a bit too early for that.
I will also use it as a time out for momma sometimes. There are times when she wants to play or is very excited and for what ever reason I'm busy with something else. On those times I will give her a favorite toy or treat in her kennel rather than getting frustrated at trying to calm her and get whatever I need to do done.

• When did you stop using the crate?

We will never completely stop using the crate since she needs to stay very used to it and comfortable in it when we travel. But for the most part I rarely close the door at night and we're working on giving her free reign on the rare occassion someone is not at home.


• What techniques did you use to Housebreak/potty train you doberman? (puppy pads, etc)

She was crated when we could not be with her but other than that we went outside A LOT! After she ate, drank or woke up, we went outside, as soon as she pottied, she got treated and came back in. Then I just watched her like a hawk. She made very few mistakes as a pup. I would say that by the time she was 12 weeks, she was pretty reliable. Now we have to be careful because she pees if she's really excited but hasn't had any accidents since she was very young.


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

Maybe 4-6 weeks. I found that the key was to not give them the opportunity for a mistake. She honestly didn't have the chance, if she even almost looked like she had to go, I took her outside.


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

This is one of Chi's endearing traits. She first jumps on the back door. If I ignore her or tell her to wait (she also does this when she wants to go out and play with the neighbors dogs through the fence) she will steal something, like a sock or dishtowel, and prance around. I am the only one that can take the stolen object safely and get her outside. If Mark or Jordan try to take it from her, she will start peeing on the spot. We do not punish her when she does this and I don't really consider it a mistake, she's just wicked excited and it may border or submissive urination.


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

Chi sticks mostly to the grass but if it's raining outside she has been known to pee on the croncrete right out the back door (she may melt, you know :-).

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~Tracy

Doberman Talk Store

TracyJo

I just about had a heart attack, Frzbuns, I wanted to quote this but accidently hit the edit button instead of quote and deleted almost your entire post! Thank God for the "cancel" button :-)

This is an excellent point and I'm glad you've made it. I would say that probably 99% of all "accidents" are the owners fault. Either they did not excercise proper training techniques in the beginning or they just didn't take the dog out when he needed to go out.

Some dogs take to the training much easier than others. You made that point with your own dogs. I know Petri was horrible with potty training but in retrospect, I can tell you every mistake that I made with him and why to this day, it is my fault that he isn't 100% potty trained.

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~Tracy

Doberman Talk Store

Lexus

Excellent Topic Kratty!!


•What type of crate do you use and what materials does your doberman lie on.
I use a regular wire cage (coated wire). I keep blankets and towels in it. (easier to wash than a pet bed... the pet bed is beside my bed)

•How did you train your doberman to use the crate, how long did it take?
I trained Lex to be in her cage by keeping the cage beside the bed at night time (she cried her everloving head off otherwise!!) and she just got used to being in it during the day, she was fine in her cage by herself from the get go as long as there was someone in the room, she took about a week or two to become accustomed to being by herself

•What uses does the crate serve for you and how does your doberman see the crate? (bedroom, punishment, etc)
The crate was never used as punishment. It was used only as a bedroom, or to keep her safe and out of harms way if I couldn't keep my eyes on her at any time

•When did you stop using the crate?
Although I do periodically still use it, it is few and far between, just if maybe there is another dog or person in the house and I want Lexus out of the way, when she was about 7 months old she started sleeping beside the bed, and was in the crate during the day while I was at work. At about 13-14 months she started getting the run of the house at all times, and has kept that privilege ever since

•What techniques did you use to Housebreak/potty train you doberman? (puppy pads, etc)
I don't personally believe in puppy pads, they are teaching a dog to eliminate on a particular surface, and I just think if you are going to do that, than just teach them to eliminate outside. I watched Lexus very closely, after she ate, played or slept - we went outside, and she was rewarded for eliminating outside. We had a few accidents, maybe half a dozen. But she just "got" it. (must be the dobie brain!!)

•How long did it take it become 100% reliable, no more mistakes.
At about four and half to five months old, there was no more mistakes. I do not kid myself in saying she was 100% at that age, but after that point she "had the picture" and I was fortunate to encourage that behavior by catching her and getting her where she needed to be before there could be an accident.

•How does your Doberman alert you that they need to go out.
She pretty much irritates the heck out of me She snaps at the air with no noise, stares intently and "wigglebutts" her way around wagging her butt like crazy!

•Do they go on different surfaces and in new locations easily? (if traveling and no grass is available)
Interesting Question For the longest time I had trouble getting Lexus to eliminate in different locations and on different surfaces, I got over it by walking outside with her when ever she eliminated told her to "go potty", now anywhere I take her I can tell her that she will start sniffing out a place to go

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Dobe_Paws

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

The crate I have for Ava is a giant vari-kennel. She seemed to feel more comfortable in those vs. the wire crates. In the crate, I kept a thick sheepskin blanket for her

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

It didn't take her very long to understand the concept of the crate. I started out by putting treats in there and letting her walk in and out of it freely. Then I started to feed her in there and would keep in her for short periods of time... Each time being a little longer than the last. I can't say she was very thrilled about it at first but once she got used to it, she was fine in there.

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

Ava doesn't use her crate anymore but when she did it was always for sleeping. I never used it as a form of punishment.

• When did you stop using the crate?

I think around 10 months or so. She might have been a few months older.

• What techniques did you use to Housebreak/potty train you doberman? (puppy pads, etc)

LOTS of praise and treats! I never corrected her if she had an accident because it was either Brian's or my own fault. I just made sure she knew how pleased I was when she did her buisness outside. I also used the words 'go potty' when we were out for a bathroom break and she learned that those words meant she had to do her buisness and it wasn't playtime

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

It's tough to say. I would say when she was about 3 and a half months old she had the idea down but if I wasn't paying attention(shame on me!) and she really had to go, she'd go. I think she was about 4 months when she had her last 'accident'.

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

She doesn't. We're on a schedule and she goes out at set times throughout the day so she never needs to tell me.

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

She'll readily go on dirt or grass but will reluctantly go on pavement if she must.

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~Jessica & Ava

Ava climbs Mt. Otis