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How many of you crate your puppy?

3K views 23 replies 20 participants last post by  Vegas1711 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey All. Wondering how many of you crate your new puppies at first. We have always done that. Do any of you let the puppy sleep with you right from the start?
 
#2 ·
Hoss is almost 4 years old so during the day he has free roam of the house.

The first year he was crated during the day while we were away from home...and when we were home he allowed to hang out in the same room with us. That first year he was close to us at all times and that provided great opportunities for basic training. Down stays while doing dishes or laundry, etc etc. But he was a velcro dog fromthe beginning so easy peezy. That first year he was closely monitored by us to be sure he did not develop any bad habits of chewing clothes or eating rocks.
Puppers can get into so much trouble because of their curosity.

The second year (one room at a time) he obtained free roam of the house.... with the crate nearby.... with door opened if he wanted to lay in the crate. But he never layed in the crate. I must say he never really liked being in a crate but dealt with it without to much fuss. But as time went by he preferred to lay in his bedroom towards the front of our house . Lots of windows for him to look out over the property.

Now he has the entire house except for our master bedroom.
My husband took care of that rule......Hoss will get up on the master bed.....but only if invited.
Hoss did not get that privlege until he was 3 years old................

Now he is almost 4........has run of the house ........his own favorite bedroom......and waits until invited in the master bed.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey All. Reading the post on the new puppy, Sugar. Congrats! So exciting. Wondering how many of you crate your new puppies at first. We have always done that. Do any of you let the puppy sleep with you right from the start?


I've been raising Dobe puppies since 1959--and except for the very first puppy (crates were really uncommon except for those owned by professional handlers and you mostly only saw them at dog shows) he did sleep on the bed (he, I and the bed were in my mothers unheated basement and he was born in October and I got him in December)--but I quickly learned that Dobermans of any size and age were bed hogs and had boney elbows and hocks and were capable by six months of pushing you out of the bed.) The following winter I asked for a big dog crate for Christmas and every puppy since then is crated at night, beside my bed. Usually that lasts about the first six months.

Here's a tip--don't let your puppy do anything that you aren't prepared to live with for the rest of his life. I don't want dogs on the furniture and I don't want to fight for bed space so although I have big dog beds in every room and a couple in the bedroom no puppy is allowed on furniture or on the bed--I spend a fair amount of time sitting with puppies on their beds but visitor are often amazed that my dogs don't get on the furniture.

The cats are allowed on the furniture (I'd like to tell you that they are trained to stay off counters and the dining room table but that would be a bold and outright lie.

After six months the puppies graduate to a small x-pen in the bedroom and he is in that at night until he reaches an age where he isn't trying to get one of the older dogs to play with him in the middle of the night.

Good luck with your own new puppy.

dobebug

During the day if I'm not there the puppy is crated--if I'm home he's with me--where I go he goes and over time he graduates from being crated to having one room, baby gated off, in which he stays--the number of rooms expands to the entire house (just like Lady Di's Hoss got trained) as he learns to leave things alone.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I never quite got used to using a crate (they're so BIG for a doberman)...but it is the best way to go like everyone else says.

But we always gated off an area, usually the kitchen, and puppy proofed it. In my various houses, the pup could still see what was going on in the den from the kitchen. But whenever I could (almost always), the puppy was out in whatever room I was in--watched CLOSELY.

If I couldn't watch him (concentrated eyeballs on puppy at first...catching them before they ever have any accidents in the house is the way to potty train), was doing something where I really didn't want his help or if I was out of the house, they were in that puppy-proofed place. They also went there if they were getting wild and bitey and not able to stop (overtired syndrome)--often that kind of behavior meant they just needed a nap and were too over-stimulated with me in the room to stop with the shark teething.

At some point, probably around 5-6 months, they were allowed out in one room alone (mostly dog-proofed, but, you know, still with SOME furniture in it :) ) if I was puttering around the house and could check to see if a "fun" major project was going on (like dissecting the sofa) from time to time, but not alone if I was out of the house. Of course, they usually wanted to be with me, and that was Okay if I was SURE I could watch them.

And somewhere between one year and two, after slowly increasing the space they were allowed in, they pretty much have the run of the house, at first only while I was in the house, and later, the whole place even when I was gone.

Your mileage will vary; some dogs are never safe out on their own; some can only be left in one dog-proofed room. And two dogs left alone together can get into more mischief than one. That one is tricky, because some dogs aren't really safe together anyway...they're likely to start arguing over something which can escalate if you aren't there to deal with it.

And your personal preferences too, come into play in terms of what you want to allow. But like Bug said above, don't let them do anything as a puppy that you don't want them to do when they're an adult. Jumping on you, barking at you to get you to play, getting up on certain furniture or your bed, begging for food....whatever you think will bother you with an adult dog, don't let them do when they're puppies, even if it IS really cute.

It's up to you what you choose to be bothered by (though jumping on people is never a good idea) but if you decide to lay down a rule, be firm--don't let them get away with it even once, or it will be forever. Dogs typically don't generalize very well when you're teaching them commands (sit in the house is different from sit in the backyard is different from sit in the park) so you have to train them in each place. But for things like getting on furniture, all they need is once, and they've got it down.


Oh, and mine were always allowed on the bed. I like to snuggle with warm bodies, even if they have sharp edges and sometime sleep on top of you. It's easier to manage the night-time potty training trip. They get restless and start to move around and you can get them outside. With a really young puppy in a crate at night, sometimes you don't know whether yelping in the night is boredom or desperation.

But that's just me.
 
#5 ·
I have always crate trained puppies. In the crate at night in the bedroom. Very young pups I would tether to me, mostly for house training. If that was inconvenient to doing housework, etc pup went in the crate. To avoid separation anxiety, I also started young with them in the crate while I went outside for 15 min. Later on, to the store for 1/2 hours.
My dogs have had free run if the house after about 6 months.

I love crates!
 
#7 ·
Oh boy, Mel brought up a really good point. I almost always have multiple dogs and in my case all of them are intact males (generally speaking. I NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES leave dogs together, ever. The senior male usually gets the living room--I rarely lock my doors and having an adult Doberman get up to stare at you keeps miscellaneous humans from opening that front door if they were thinking about it 'cause it didn't look like anyone was home.

The youngest dog is generally in a crate in the kitchen so that I can immediately let him out to potty when I get home.

And all others are distributed in bedrooms or the hallway when they are contained by baby gates (which they have been taught to respect from the very beginning.

While one dog alone will mostly just curl up and sleep with no people in the house to entertain them--two dogs left together can manage to think of stuff to do that wouldn't have crossed their tiny minds if you had been around.

And three dogs? Forget it!

The cats, they go where they please when they please--but no cat of mine has ever ripped up a chunk of carpeting or chewed a hole in the middle of a perfectly blank painted wall. The worst thing about the cats is where they sometimes choose to sleep.

My coldblooded Calfornia cat took to sleeping on my 18 month old Dobe when he graduated to the hall --he was large and warm and my house in winter was around 60 degrees or less if I wasn't there and at most 65 degrees if I was. He never seemed to mind but it was always a little surprising to walk down that hall and see the Dobe on a pink blanket with a cat comfortably arranged around his shoulders.

Or the cat who took up sleeping in what had been a small wicker fruit basket on top of the refrigerator--she was a very small cat but the basket was even smaller and she overflowed it in every direction--looked a little like a scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone.

Or Clark, who recently took up sleeping in a wooden bowl on the little stand that is by the front door--I through reusable grocery bags in it to take out to the car (mostly it has dog leashes and collar in it)--now it almost always if filled with Clark on top of the bags--he's a tuxedo and very big and the bags are mostly dark green so his white hair shows up very well--and I've taken to warning checkers at grocery stores that if they are allergic to cats not to touch them.

It all just sort of becomes a way of life...

dobebug
 
#8 ·
All of ours was crate trained at first - Al girl was our first winter time Dober - she was SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOO smart - lol It had got very cold here in Jan. and when I said - lets go out and potty - she would run to her crate and do her business nd then run out a hundred miles an hour ! Looked at me with the look --- Dad - I don't need to go out - true story :grin2:

Kasia would sleep at the foot of the bed with us - didn't know she was in there - Ali slept next to me for all her years - she was bitchy to sleep with - you barly touch her and she would growl at yeah - lol I sure do miss that .

Kadin ? well he would sleep on his bed - then when Ali left us - he moved in - He's like sleeping with a horse - snores and farts like a old bay mule . lol He's learning pretty quick where his space is .
 
#9 ·
So funny, Bug. You sorta described my house. Crates ( I am the 'Crate Queen'), baby gates in strategic places, puppy in xpen close to sliding door. Gates are death traps sometimes at my age.
Couple years ago I tried hopping over one while talking on the phone and broke my wrist in several places. I am a firm believer in getting my dogs used to crates from the beginning. I want
them to always consider it their safe place and their own private room. I make it comfy. I have a couple in my living room that are walnut and used as end tables.
Being invited to my bed is a privilege they have to earn. Jada knows the only time she is allowed up is when Rich goes to work and is out of the picture and then she settles in with that
Doberman groan when she feels she couldn't be more comfortable.
Getting a dog crate trained is invaluable through out their life. Traveling, motels, dog or performance events, company that pops in and seems wary of my dogs, or even children that make
ME wary for my dogs. Times like that my dogs know where their comfort zone is.
 
#10 ·
I was really hesitant and worried about crate training going by some of the horror stories I read here about the screaming and non-stop whining but I guess we got lucky; Mocha took to the crate right away. I slept on a futon right next to her crate the first few nights so that I could take her out if she needed to go...she was in the crate anytime we left the house or couldn't keep eyes on her until she was around 1 year old. She pretty much had run of the house from day one but, only if one of us could watch her wherever she went and she was such a velcro girl from the beginning that she really never tried to wander off.

As far as the bed/furniture, nope. She has 3 big beds of her own (one beside our bed, one in the living room, and one in my home office).
 
#11 ·
I've crated my last 5 dogs. Only one of them was a baby puppy, as I got the others as either older puppies or adults. Since we have a small-ish house, with a small-ish master bedroom, if we had three dog, only two could sleep in the room with us, and the third was crated in the living room. When I lost Lucky, Leo was allowed to move into the bedroom at night. When I lost Ilka, Lily was allowed into the bedroom.

Lily the first dog that has ever been allowed to sleep with us every night, and that was only because she flat-out refused to stay on the dog bed on the floor. Lucky was crated in our room overnight, because he was only six weeks old when we rescued him, so he needed multiple trips outside during the night, and unlike Leo who would scream her head off if she needed to go potty, he was very subtle in his "gotta go" indications.
 
#13 ·
I also can't do animals in the bedroom.

Whether you decide on letting your dog sleep with you or not, I'm a firm believer that all dogs NEED to have crate skills, even if they do sleep with you in the bed. Dogs may need to be crated at the vet, or crated when they get boarded somewhere. A dog might need to be crated in an emergency situation. A dog could need to be crated in so many situations that, to me, it's so very important that they feel comfortable and relaxed in a crate. Even my dogs, who start in crates but eventually get free roam of the house, still keep up their crate skills for life.
 
#14 ·
Whether you decide on letting your dog sleep with you or not, I'm a firm believer that all dogs NEED to have crate skills, even if they do sleep with you in the bed. Dogs may need to be crated at the vet, or crated when they get boarded somewhere. A dog might need to be crated in an emergency situation. A dog could need to be crated in so many situations that, to me, it's so very important that they feel comfortable and relaxed in a crate. Even my dogs, who start in crates but eventually get free roam of the house, still keep up their crate skills for life.
I'll add that I also like my dogs to be comfortable with being tied up, for pretty much the same reasons. You may be out walking, and encounter a situation where you need your dog safely out of the way while you do something, like assist an injured person. After Hurricane Rita took down my fence, Lucky had to be on a cable when he was outside until we got a new fence installed.

Leo had to be tied just today while we were doing parkour. With her tied up, I can set up my camera and inspect the obstacle without having to worry about keeping an eye on her, or having to try holding the leash while I'm fiddling with everything.
 
#15 ·
Yes, we always crate trained both of our dogs. They knew where there safe place was and they knew the crate command. I was just curious if anyone lets a new puppy stay on the bed with them while potty training. We always kept ours in crates at the beginning but then allowed them on the bed after that. There's nothing like a Dobe snuggle buddy. We expect to have a new one for the pack early next year. I forget after all these years who puppydom is like;))
 
#16 ·
Cressrb,

I thought I was the queen of crates--I have one 400 that lives in the truck along with a 300 (which the uber sized Toad likes to crawl into--looks like those how many clowns can fit in a VW routines.

In the garage I have a 500 plastic crate and an assortment of smaller crates--all plastic--something that is sort of a 4.25, 2--3.75, 1--2.75 and two cat crates (and I really should give big Clark the 2.75 as he fills top to bottom and end to end the cat crate.

And last a 500 wire crate that has lived in the corner of the kitchen adjacent to the back door slider--that's the crate where puppies who don't know about staying out of my way in the kitchen get confined when I'm cooking.

But if I'm in the kitchen, at any given time someone is in the crate. It's just as likely to be one of the cats (and this summer when it wasn't cooling off at night most of the time between midnight and 4 am it would be Clark sleeping in the crate.

So it's not only my dogs who are well trained when it comes to being crated it's evidently my cats too.

I no longer step over baby gate any more--I'm just not that nimble now.

The cats jump them (even the 4 footer. The dogs wait for me to move them.

Crates, x-pens and baby gates serve VERY useful purposes in my house/

dobebug
 
#18 ·
I have personally raised two puppies total, and if you include my immediate family we have had 4 puppies.
I also recently had a 9 month old foster dobe.
All of these have been crated at night usually at least for the 6 first months of their lives. The foster wasn't with us long and I think he would've been fine sleeping in bed with me, but the people who were lined up to adopt him (provisional to my final evaluation as a foster) didn't want him on furniture and while the main owner would be fine with it her other family members that might look after him weren't, so I figured it would be best to remain consistent with him.

I can't remember exactly when Nadia graduated to my bed, I think it was once she outgrew the wire crate I had set up for her so she would've been around 6 or 7 months old. My Irish Terrier was so long ago, I sincerely cannot remember at which point. The Miniature Pinscher was not a puppy when we found her (or she was but not a young pup - she was 14 months old) so did not need to be crated at night but she very much enjoys using her crates around the house as beds/nests. But I've always used the crate at first with pups for nighttime.
 
#19 ·
All puppies start out in a crate at night right next to my side of the bed. They will stay crated at night until they reliably sleep through the night and are housebroken..... so it can be different for each dog. They youngest they have slept outside of the crate on a dog bed in our bedroom is 6 months.
When I had kids living at home, they each slept with a dog on their bed once they were safe out of the crate at night. When each kid went off to college, "their" dog came back to sleep in our room on a dog bed. Once my husband gets up in the morning, the bed is fair game - haha!
 
#20 ·
I crate train all of my dogs, even my fosters, and here's why:

1. As puppy it is truly a HUGE help in house training. Most puppies won't potty where they sleep so if you have a crate area small enough it helps them build the muscles in the bladder so they can go longer without needing to potty.

2. It gives them a "safe" area from other dogs and people. This is especially nice for my fosters and older dogs, it gives them a chance to get away and it's a space that is ONLY theirs.

3. When dogs go to a vet for a surgery or emergency they are crated. If your dog has crate anxiety than this will be exasperated by being at a vet. This can make a dog's recovery from a surgery take longer as their immune system will be down from stress. It can also lower the chances of surviving a surgery due to undue stress.

The very first dog I purchased was a Yorkie puppy. He slept in bed with me allllllll night long. It was going great! Until I realized I was the only one sleeping through the night and he was peeing through the night lol. NEVER, EVER again. Plus none of my dogs suffer from separation anxiety because they learn being in a crate is a good thing, they get food there, bones there, their own safe place.... The crate is a good thing in my house.
 
#21 ·
I crate train puppies and my adult dogs use/need their crates, too.

My puppy gets crated during the day while I'm at work, in the car, and at training (she tags along for my Rattie's training).

My adult dog gets crated while I'm at work, in the car, at shows, and during my puppy's training class.

Fiona has been the only dog (so far) who I've allowed free roam of my house during the day for the vast majority of her life. For as busy a girl as she was, she never bothered a thing in the house and she never made any messes.

After Fi died, then Tali was given free roam during the day. Tali couldn't have handled being left out when she was younger because she would chew and eat things, and I never left Fi and Tali out together unsupervised anyway. So, it worked out that Tali was crated when I wasn't home and she was finally relaxed and trustworthy enough that, after we lost Fi, I could leave her out. She loved that privilege her final 7 months.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave Dempsey (Rat Terrier) out when I'm not home. He's a good boy but he's kind of a sneaky monkey...he can climb like he keeps a pair of opposable thumbs in his pocket and he carries things off with impressive stealth if he thinks you might not be paying attention. haha So, its better for all of us at this time if he's crated when we're not home.
 
#22 · (Edited)
..........
I grew up on a beef & pig farm, and Beau tends to train somewhat different.
- no treat training, no clicker training, no puppy proofing home, discipline handed out when needed (which is very rare)
- and no need for crate training, pups day bed is a leather sectional
- we also work on off-leash puppy training, very early on

So the Beaumont training methods, were not always well received...but always worked, O'h the irony.
- our dogs are always unleashed, with zero fear of touching the road way
- heck, they won't even stay outside alone...for more than 30 seconds
- I also train with an element of SA, and practice strong Bond building
- my pups are proofed to say "home-alone" at 4.5 months young...without even a shredded stuffie
- every toy has specific rules & boundaries...and carrying dads socks or moms undies from the warm dryer...is encouraged
- but human processions, & living area are respected here // because the early 24-7 supervision was done, in the first few months
.....................


We don't crate the new puppy ever when adult(s) home, but SUPERVISE 24/7 and setup Rules & Expectations...first few months, putting in the early work (for quicker success).
- and baby dobe sleeps in the master bed / never an accident
[essentially I'm still supervising young puppy, when I sleep at night...with one eye open LOL]
- while I don't often hear thunder storms or alarm clocks...a puppy standing up on the mattress, Dad wakes up quick and outside we go, in the middle of the night
- pup also learns, in bed...there is 5 minutes of play with dads hand, then its settle down time
 
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