forums: Training

Transition

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Participants in this thread:	Luna Izzy's Mom onthewater.3 Kelly Dunbar samwhitaker1985
Luna 112 posts	When do you transition from crate to no crate at night? I have read this site’s information in http://dogtime.com/housetraining-for-puppies.html but there is not really much about when you can start not using the crate. Our puppy hasn’t had an accident for 3 weeks but she is not able to relax enough outside her crate to sleep, no matter how tired she is.
Izzy's Mom Ontario, Canada 9 posts	My Lab used the crate until she was about a year old. She loved sleeping in it until she became “to large” for her large crate. :) My current dog loves to sleep in her crate with the door open if we’re in the same room. but also likes to crash on the couch, or in the sun by the patio door. At bedtime she happily will snuggle in by herself with door closed, but this did take a few weeks to accomplish. I only close the crate door when I’m leaving the house or have some chores—-she doesn’t like this much, but I know she’s safe.
onthewater.3 22 posts	After we crate trained we taught our dog how to ring a bell to go potty. This has proven to be a great method for both him and us. Here’s how to teach your dog to ring a bell to go outside: Buy a bell (we use what is actually a bell that is normally hung in a bird’s cage) Install the bell next to your door at your dog’s nose height. Use one of your dogs favorite treats and gently take his nose and brush the bell…..then praise him lots and give him the treat. Let him outside immediately after he has rung the bell. Continue as many times as needed for him to ring the bell by himself.
Kelly Dunbar Berkeley, CA 70 posts	How old is your pup? It is generally best to continue to use the crate when you are not home and overnight until she is about one year old, give or take. Most pups do pretty well overnight, while sleeping, but the danger is first thing in the morning right when she wakes up. Her little bladder will be full and she may just sleepily pee somewhere in the house without supervision or access to the outdoors quickly enough. Also, if she is really young, under 6 months of age, she may not have gone through her major chewing phase yet and needs to be safely confined when not supervised so she is (and your house and belongings!) are safe and so she doesn’t get into any bad habits. It does sound like you’ve really started her off on the right paw, but I would hate to see your hard work and diligence go down the drain. Better safe than sorry. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Try to hold out until she is a year or so. In the meantime, do lengthen the amount of time she is out of her crate when you ARE around to supervise and be sure to focus equally on chill out time and play so she learns to simply hang out in the house and that not all time out of the crate is playtime. After playtime and a quick potty break give her a food-stuffed chewtoy on a dog bed at your feel while you work, do dishes, or watch TV to teach her to settle. It is s a good way to start but don’t worry, as she earns more free time and matures she’ll become more calm in the house.
Luna 112 posts	I would like to send this post back to the beginning, hoping it would help tonilean understanding the process of crate training takes some time. I hope it works!
Sep 1, 2008 12:21am samwhitaker1985 125 posts	hi, Some people worry that crate confinement is cruel, but if you do it right, your dog won’t see it that way at all. His crate can be a cozy den where he retreats from household chaos or just relaxes. And once he’s housetrained, your dog will have the run of the house as well as a nice little den of his own—just leave the door open for him. here are some guidelines: http://dogtime.com/housetraining-crate-training…
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