Does Anyone Here Crate Train Their Puppies?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
We are crate training our new Havanese and my wife wants to know whether it is a good idea to leave water in the crate or feed and water them in the morning and wait until she gets home from work to water and feed them more? She needs to get it housebroken ASAP since we both work (off for Christmas vacation at present).
Related Havanese Training & Care posts:
We crate trained our new puppy in one week because like you all, we have to go back to work. He can stay in his crate for 8 hours at a time, despite everyone saying that puppies can only hold it for 3-4 hours. My vet was the one that he could hold it longer, and he can. We feed him in the morning, let him out to go to the bathroom and play for about an hour, put him in his crate, feed him when we get home, exercise and play, eats again, then in his crate for bedtime. Before we went back to work, he’d go in the crate while we were home to get him used to it. Every dog is different, so you might not have the same success.
We slowly worked him into it, also. One night we’d wake him up after 4 hours, the next night 5, and so on.
I would not suggest putting food and water in the crate. However, you need to offer the puppy water any time she’s out of it.
Good luck! It can be done!!
I crate train and do NOT put food or water in the crate.
But you should readjust your expectations regarding housebreaking during your Christmas vacation. It simply doesn’t happen that fast. You should try during the first few weeks for one of you to come home at lunch time, or have a dog sitter come in if you cannot.
During a workday, unless someone is coming home to let the dog out, a crate is not the best place to leave them. Standard rule of thumb is that a puppy shouldn’t be expected to hold it more than one hour for every month of their age. Ie. 2 months old, 2 hours, 3 months old, 3 hours, etc. Yes, they CAN hold it longer, but SHOULD they?
As previously mentioned, a gated off part of the house with potty papers down, a bed and water. Yes, it will delay housetraining, but crating a puppy all day can create a dirty dog who messes in it’s crate. And I’m sure you don’t want to be cleaning a dirty Hav coat every day
Oh, and for people who think a crate is cruel, mine go in them even when they don’t have to! They love their private ‘bedrooms’.
However, when I’m at work, mine are in XPens. When I’m home they are in the house with me. They are crated if they are travelling or sick.
I crate trained my puppy (now 4 yrs old) over a Xmas break. I would NOT leave food or water for her. She would poop and pee all over the crate regardless. It took about 6 months for her to be fully crate trained. Good luck.
put water in there. it might pee, so you’ll have to establish to the dog that its wrong. and be sure to take the dog out when you get home so that it gets used to that
I’ve used a crate to train my dogs when they were puppies and being house trained and to help when they couldn’t be supervised when teething. But either my Spouse or I were home so the crating was very minimal. Since you will both be gone all day, I don’t recommend leaving the pup in a crate all day. It will defeat the purpose of using it as a training aid and a pup left for hrs in a crate will potty in it and be a big ole mess when you come home. Add food and water and you have a bigger mess and a miserable pup. Don’t add food and water and you have a big mess and a very hungry miserable pup.
You might want to check with a pet sitting service that can come by your home a few times a day and help out with the potty training, and when the pup has it’s shots, you might look into a doggie day care.
Doggie day cares are a great idea for working people because when no one is home the dog is not lonely. Another possibility is to let a person you trust that owns a pup or a dog that is friendly to other dogs/pups, puppy-sit your pup in their home and you can pay them to keep working on the house training and for watching your pup while you are at work.
In either of those cases, make sure you know the pup won’t stay locked up in a cage, but will be out for play times, exercise, etc.
Puppies are a lot of work, and need a lot of attention and training and there’s nothing wrong with getting one when you are both working as long as the pup doesn’t stay in a kennel all day alone.
Ouch! My mom would put the puppy in the bathroom. She’d put the water between a nice bed and sheets of newspaper by the door. They would drink, go to the right and piddle and back to the left to bed! Good luck!
I’m crate training my weimaraner too and I only leave food and water in the crate when we’re gone longer than 4 hours so to answer your question yes its a good idea to leave food and water in it
If you are not going to be there I do not recommend leaving food or water in the kennel. She has a small bladder and if she is eating and drinking water, how fair is it for her when no one is there to let her out to go potty? Don’t set her up to fail. Can someone come at lunch time to let her out, or a neighbor? How old is your puppy? If we are 2 months old, the puppy should only spend 3 hours, before she has to come out to go outside. You could put in icecubes, so she can lick those, but don’t expect her to hold it til you get home. Feed her in the morning early enough so that she has ample time to relieve herself before you go. Excercise her before you go to tire her out. I would try to find someone to come in for awhile until she is able to hold it longer periods of time.
Preparing the Crate
Vari-Kennel type: Take the crate apart, removing the screws, the top and the door. Allow your pup to go in and out of the bottom half of the crate before attaching the top half. This stage can require anywhere from several hours to a few days. This step can be omitted in the case of a young puppy who accepts crating right away.
Wire Mesh type:Tie the crate door back so that it stays open without moving or shutting closed. If the crate comes with a floor pan, place a piece of cardboard or a towel between the floor (or crate bottom) and the floor pan in order to keep it from rattling.
Furnishing Your Puppy’s Crate
Toys and Treats: Place your puppy’s favorite toys and dog treats at the far end opposite the door opening. These toys may include the “Tuffy”, “Billy”, “Kong”, “Nylabone” or a ball. Toys and bails should always be inedible and large enough to prevent their being swallowed. Any fragmented toys should be removed to prevent choking and internal obstruction. You may also place a sterilized marrow bone filled with cheese or dog treats in the crate.
Water: A small hamster-type water dispenser with ice water should be attached to the crate if your puppy is to be confined for more than two hours in the crate.
Bedding: Place a towel or blanket inside the crate to create a soft, comfortable bed for the puppy. If the puppy chews the towel, remove it to prevent the pup from swallowing or choking on the pieces. Although most puppies prefer lying on soft bedding, some may prefer to rest on a hard, flat surface, and may push the towel to one end of the crate to avoid it. If the puppy urinates on the towel, remove bedding until the pup no longer eliminates in the crate.
Location of Crate
Whenever possible, place the crate near or next to you when you are home. This will encourage the pup to go inside it without his feeling lonely or isolated when you go out. A central room in the apartment (i.e.: living room or kitchen) or a large hallway near the entrance is a good place to crate your puppy.
Introducing the Crate to Your Puppy
In order that your puppy associate his/her kennel crate with comfort, security and enjoyment, please follow these guidelines:
1. Occasionally throughout the day, drop small pieces of kibble or dog biscuits in the crate. While investigating his new crate, the pup will discover edible treasures, thereby reinforcing his positive associations with the crate. You may also feed him in the crate to create the same effect. If the dog hesitates, it often works to feed him in front of the crate, then right inside the doorway and then, finally, in the back of the crate.
2.
3. In the beginning, praise and pet your pup when he enters. Do not try to push, pull or force the puppy into the crate. At this early stage of introduction only inducive methods are suggested. Overnight exception: You may need to place your pup in his crate and shut the door upon retiring. (In most cases, the crate should be placed next to your bed overnight. If this is not possible, the crate can be placed in the kitchen, bathroom or living room.)
4.
5. You may also play this enjoyable and educational game with your pup or dog: without alerting your puppy, drop a small dog biscuit into the crate. Then call your puppy and say to him, “Where’s the biscuit? It’s in your room.” Using only a friendly, encouraging voice, direct your pup toward his crate. When the puppy discovers the treat, give enthusiastic praise. The biscuit will automatically serve as a primary reward. Your pup should be free to leave its crate at all times during this game. Later on, your puppy’s toy or ball can be substituted for the treat.
.
7. It is advisable first to crate your pup for short periods of time while you are home with him. In fact, crate training is best accomplished while you are in the room with your dog. Getting him used to your absence from the room in which he is crated is a good first step. This prevents an association being made with the crate and your leaving him/her alone.
Puppies can’t hold their bladders as well as adult dogs because it isn’t developed yet. You CAN’T leave them in a crate for longer than 4 hours a day. You should only give him water if you have time to take him out soon after, so no it wouldn’t be a good idea to give it to him right before going to work. I wouldn’t leave water in the crate either, because there shouldn’t be enough room in the crate for a bowl, ONLY the puppy. The point of crate trainig is that the puppy should be allowed enough room only to turn and lie down so that if they do go in the crate, they’ll learn that it’s really uncomfortable and choose to hold their bladders instead. Feed him water with a meal and take him out within half an hour to an hour. Good luck.
I will say that I work at Petland and our supplies we make sure we send home with everyone is a crate, and other supplies, it is a wonderful idea, but you still have to make sure if you are going to leave the dog for a long period of time at least over 6 hours then you may want to block off an area in your house toware the animal may run around a little but and then you may want to invest in to a bag of pee-pads. Do NOT leave food and water in the crate, just think, what if you ate and drank all day, but you wern’t allowed out of of your bed…same concept. Feed and water in the morning before leaving for work, let them out to do there business, and then put them in maybe with a toy. After coming home, let them out immediatly to the yard and give food accordingly. I hope my words assisted you in your decision you will make.
Yes i have
No, no,no! The worst thing you can do is leave food and water in the crate. That’s rule number one in crate-training. You should crate train him when you are mostly there because keeping him in the crate while your at work can be too long. Instead put him in the kitchen (where the food and water belong) and put a gate so he can’t go to the rest of the house or put him in a play pen. Crate him on the weekends and if you really want to crate him on weekdays come at lunch or something then you can keep him in the crate all day.
Well good luck!
We crate train our dog. We dont put the water in there or food just a toy. we let it out when we get home. works fine
She should have water in her crate.
I do, because it can come in handy when your dog gives birth, and when you don’t want them running around pottying in the house at night or when you don’t want them in the bed with you. It also makes traveling with your pets a breeze.
How long is the pup in the crate? And, how old is it?
I crate trained my dog, but she wasn’t in the crate the whole time I was at work. She was in the backyard (I know, people are against that), and then came in when I was home. She was in the crate for short periods when I went on errands, and then overnight. I got up to give a potty break. Slowly, she stayed in the house unattended for short periods of time, then longer, until she could be trusted.
You can take away the water before it goes to bed, but I can’t imagine not allowing water all day. You don’t say how long the wife’s work day is…
There are water bottles that you can buy for dogs that attach to the side of the crate. You don’t want to leave the dog all day without water.
I am crate training and I can honestly tell you it works wonders with potty training, and training not to chew. It takes persistance, and you are going to need to have someone to take the dog out every 4 or five hours if you are not home.
Check out the link in the sources for more on crate training.
dont leave them in the crate for more than 4 hours and depending on how old the puppy is yes because you dont want it to get sick or malnurished puppies need to eat 5-6 small meals a day so food needs to always be there…good luck on the xmas vacation thing. DONT LOOSE YOUR PATIENCE IF IT DOESNT HAPPEN THAT QUICKLY IT TAKES TIME. also try a puppy pen and keep it in a bathroom or something but make sure you dont close the door so they can see.
that is good
I assume you are American and hope this disgusting habit does not spread to England. We don’t declaw cats here either to protect our furniture. Barbaric. Why do you bother to have animals if you are just going to lock them up?
I add – probably to all the thumbs down – if you are out at work all day you should not have a dog in the first place if there is no-one at home. How mean can you be to animals?