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Crate training a puppy


Roadrunner
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4 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

What a puppy ❤️. The crate is home. I just put his blanket and favorite toys in there and he crawled in and went to sleep. He has had a long day today. No bribing was necessary, not with kibble and not with prosciutto. 😂

I hope he stays that way, but since you're new to puppies and dogs I feel an obligation to warn you not to expect him to stay so easy going. Once he starts feeling secure and comfortable in his new home more than likely you'll start seeing more rowdiness. And puppies are just like human kids in that they go through a teenage/adolescent period. That's often a shock to owners who have been suckered in by an easygoing pup. :wink: But also like human adolescence . . . it passes. Eventually. :laugh:

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5 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

What a puppy ❤️. The crate is home. I just put his blanket and favorite toys in there and he crawled in and went to sleep. He has had a long day today. No bribing was necessary, not with kibble and not with prosciutto. 😂

Awesome! My one and only dog ( a boxer we got when he was brand new) was also easy easy puppy. I don’t think we ever even had a crate ❤️

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9 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Circular reasoning. If the treats are nutritious high-value rewards the dogs is working for food. Good food. Working for kibble is also working for "food" just less nutritious food and a lower-value reward (which can undermine good training).

Bill

We will just have to disagree. If it isn't something she plans to feed the dog as part of his daily allotment of nutrition, it's a treat in my vernacular. And if it makes up a large portion of the dog's calories she can end up with unbalanced nutrition (as I know you know...muscle meat without bone/calcuim is not balanced). When I train a puppy i'm doing it a LOT, all day long. It would be a significant portion of their intake. 

And if the dog likes it and works for it, it won't undermine training. 

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Your puppy is adorable! Check out Susan Garrett’s Crate Games DVD. We have a now 4 month old lab and he loves his crate. You can find some clips on YouTube but I found the entire video is worth it. 

Our puppy needed a couple potty breaks per night for a month or so.  The first week or so it felt like every couple hours but that was sort of us getting use to him. Now he does pretty well overnight but does wake up early. We let him out at 10 when we go to bed and then he is usually awake and ready to go out again about 5, when my husband gets up. 

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2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I hope he stays that way, but since you're new to puppies and dogs I feel an obligation to warn you not to expect him to stay so easy going. Once he starts feeling secure and comfortable in his new home more than likely you'll start seeing more rowdiness. And puppies are just like human kids in that they go through a teenage/adolescent period. That's often a shock to owners who have been suckered in by an easygoing pup. :wink: But also like human adolescence . . . it passes. Eventually. :laugh:

This is so true! The first week or two of having our puppy were spent with us holding our puppy and laying in the floor with him. He was so sweet and sleepy! Now that only happens when he is good and worn out. 

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7 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

What a puppy ❤️. The crate is home. I just put his blanket and favorite toys in there and he crawled in and went to sleep. He has had a long day today. No bribing was necessary, not with kibble and not with prosciutto. 😂

Not surprised. You made a nice cozy den. That's what pups like. He felt safe.

You will be a great dog owner.

You got this!

Bill

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So twice he made a little crying sound at night, and we let him out to pee. He happily returned to his crate to sleep. OMG. No pee or poop all over my living room. And he loved his crate!

 

please, whatever adolescence is going to bring, let it happen after the potty training phase is over. I already have enough human teenagers at home. 😉

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I have a question about the crate. If she let's the dog out when he whimpers to go potty, is that teaching him he can get out if he whimpers? We have only been letting our dog out of her crate if she's chill and relaxed. If she whines at us or outs her paws up on the side we just ignore her until she settles down.  She has no issues going in when told and will occasionally chose to go in in her own. (she is older and fully potty trained)

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34 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

I have a question about the crate. If she let's the dog out when he whimpers to go potty, is that teaching him he can get out if he whimpers? We have only been letting our dog out of her crate if she's chill and relaxed. If she whines at us or outs her paws up on the side we just ignore her until she settles down.  She has no issues going in when told and will occasionally chose to go in in her own. (she is older and fully potty trained)

If you know the dog is due to go out, and probably has to potty, better to let it out. If you know the dog just went potty and is being a pain, then no, don't let it out. 

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1 hour ago, Ktgrok said:

If you know the dog is due to go out, and probably has to potty, better to let it out. If you know the dog just went potty and is being a pain, then no, don't let it out. 

Ktgrok is the Queen of Housebreaking!  Our puppy was sick with intestinal parasites, and she helped me get housebreaking under control in even that chaotic situation.

Your puppy is adorable!!  You sound like you are doing amazing as a first time dog owner.

I want to add that, at night, we took her out right away.  During the day, at first, we waited for any break in sound from the puppy, in order to open the crate door.  After weeks passed, then months, that time lengthened, and we let her out only upon silent time.  In no time, she learned to be silent when we entered the room if she wanted out.  

Our situation is a little different, in that we do not yet have a safe place outside for the puppy to be free, she is not trustworthy free-roaming in the house (still finds trouble/things to chew just like a toddler!), and time out of the crate is our completely dedicated walk/play/train/love-on-dog time.  I digress, but seriously, in our house, it is just like having a baby.  She, at 10 months old, is pretty much on a set schedule.  When she is awake, she is loved to bits & constantly supervised, but she spends at least 5-7 hours a day in her crate, peacefully sleeping/relaxing.  It is covered and tucked in a nook off of our kitchen - we even turned it into a desktop!

Some of my favorite resources are mentioned above.  And, they have chimed in on this thread.  I have been helped particularly by @Ktgrok, @Spy Car, and @Pawz4me.  You can read their sage words of wisdom by googling “ site:forums.welltrainedmind.com ______________ “  Where the blank is ‘puppy’, ‘dog’, ‘collar’, really....many, many dog topics on these boards that are great...even ‘dog food’ LOL

I loved “Crate Games” DVD ... amazing!!  If you are into dog training, clicker style, I find ‘Sue Ailsby’s Training Levels’ to be TWTM of the clicker training world.  Great if you are into the details and want exactly step-by-step help.  Enjoyed Kikopup on YouTube.

In the content of this thread will be a description of the important bite-inhibition training that Bill/Spycar recommended - excellent IMO 

 

 

 

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@Familia,

I'm so glad that the bite inhibition training I outlined helped you. I sincerely believe such training is the most important part of a puppy's education and that this is the best method for achieving one's goals.

I sometime blather and wonder if anyone cares? This knowledge is too valuable not to spread. I'm flattered by the nice things you've written here.

 

Thanks!

 

Bill

 

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