Do I really have to "crate train" my new puppy?

Question

I have to leave my new puppy for 9 hours a day alone in the house. I do come home on my lunch break for an hour though... I have a crate, but I just don't feel comfortable putting him in there all day. I also have a cat, and they love to play with each other. SO, is there a way I can still potty train without putting him in a crate all day?

Answer 1

No you don't have to. I didn't "crate train" my puppy.

if your puppy is very active to loves to play then maybe you should. my puppy isn't the hyper he is kinda lazy.... lol

you could train him to go to the bathroom outside.. and get a doggy door to the backyard..

Answer 2

The main purpose of create training is to limit your puppy's space indoors. Some people may think or feel they have jail like atmosphere, but dogs usually take comfort in having small, secured space of their own...try this link to help you in training your pup...

http://dogtime.com/housetraining-crate-t...

Answer 3

How will you teach him to go only outside if he is constantly going in the house while you are not there without consequence?  Remember that a consequence has to be delivered immediately for a puppy to make the connection.

Answer 4

you probably dont feel comfotable with it becasue NO ONE DOES!

you can start by having a dog babysitter or getting rid of the puppy.

they dont just learn on their own and even if you have him in the crate all day it will NOT prevent the dog from going to the bathroom, ITS A PUPPPY!

Answer 5

I'm afraid that leaving a puppy, in or out of a crate for that length of time, is simply not right.  And it's going to take you forever to train him.  How old is this puppy?  Shouldn't he be having a lunch meal (okay, so you are going home on your lunch break, but .....)  He's probably on 4 meals a day still?  What goes in has to come out and if you are not there during 9 hours of the day, what do you expect to happen in terms of him staying clean!   Whatever you do in terms of setting up some sort of toilet area, you are going to have to clean up several messes after that length of time.  To get him house-trained, you have to be there to put him out after he wakes up, after he's played for a while, after each feed, and then start all over again .......

So he has a cat for company - that's better than being on his own, but this really is a far from ideal situation.

Sorry, you really needed to have thought this out way before you bought a puppy - and I have to ask what sort of breeder was happy to allow one of their puppies to go to such a home, assuming they knew!?

Answer 6

Some people use the crate at night, and do x-pen and litter box during the day.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in

Answer 7

You don't have to crate train it if you don't want to. If you have a baby gate you can confine him to the kitchen or another room. Wooden gates are ok, but they tend to chew them. I have a metal gate. I have a crate too, but I don't use it unless we're in the car.

If you keep him in the kitchen, put the trash up where he can't get into it.

Answer 8

Sure, you can potty train him without crate training.  It won't be as effective - but if you are willing to clean up a few messes it will all work out the same in the long run.  

Answer 9

Potty training a puppy will be hard, but worth the extra effort, because when they hit around 2-3, they will be able to wait for you to get home. I raised my Shih tzu from 4w, & he's 3 now. Crate training is not the way to go, because keping him locked up in that for 9 hours is neglect/abuse. You need to train him to go potty before you leave, on your lunch break, & when you get home. That's actually a perfect schedule. Trust me, he will learn, to go by this schedule. But for the time being, to reduce mess in carpet, if you have it, I reccomend putting a puppy pad down near the toilet you use. Don't train them strictly to use this puppy pad though, as they will make it habit after too long. Good luck, & it won't take more than a few months, & the pup will know to go when it is best for you! Like humans, dogs learn to hold it in when they can't go out, at least for a little bit!

Answer 10

I totally would have got a puppy if i were going to be gone for 9 hrs a day! No you don't have to crate train just give the poor thing away! Being couped up in a house all day is mean! Next thing we know you will be asking why can't I house break my 11 month old puppy!  

Answer 11

You can but its not a recommendation. If you go home on your lunch and let him out of the crate to go potty he will be fine. If you don't use the crate more than likely he will go back to using the floor as his bathroom. Until you can for sure trust him in the house all by himself do not let him have free rome. I am crate training my puppy which we have had him for 3 months now and he is 9 1-2 months old. We are now testing him. If we just need to run to the store we leave him out and yeah no accidents. We will continue to do this until we no for shore he won't have a accident. Before we started this ,1 week ago, he was in his crate when ever we couldn't watch him. When he didn't have an accident for 1 months time than we started having him out little by little.  

Answer 12

well if you want it to be a good dog you should for s**z do it now so you can get it over with :]

Answer 13

Do him a favor and crate train him.  For so many reasons. 1st many dogs are gotten rid of because they are not potty trained, your fault not the dogs.

2nd if you have to board the dog he will not be so traumatized.

3rd vets use crates when dogs are sick.

Answer 14

It may take longer to housebreak, but if you want to try it- some people use puppy pads and others even use litterboxes for young pups- and yes they make dog litter

Answer 15

How you train your dog is entirely your decision. I find crates cruel, if they p**p or pee they have to lay down and sit in their p**p. You can buy a baby gate and gate them in a room.  So I recommend you train her a puppy pad, or a "wi-wi mat'. It is basically a absorbent odorless mat on the floor, that when ever she poops/pees on the mat, you give her a treat and praise. Some puppies like to shread them up, so at stores they sell puppy pad holders. It is pretty much a metal surrounding on the pad so it cannot reach the corners. Also I have seen dog litter in pet stores. I don't recommend it because it can be to much work. It is like little rock things, so it makes the dog uncomfortable when it is going. There are some small parts that might be hazardous.  

Answer 16

If you have a small section of your house like a laundry room or bathroom that you can keep him in I'd try that.  If you don't have a problem with poo and pee all over the place then let him run free...otherwise crate training is the best method for letting puppies know when it's time to pee when it's time to play etc...  

If you leave him out you have to give him puppy pads or paper to piddle on....and be ready for a big mess, because from my experience the bigger the space the bigger the mess when you come home.

Answer 17

I would crate train him.  I have three dogs, an done is always crated when I am not home, one is never crated, and one is sometimes crated.  Right now, I am home but they are in their crates to keep them out of trouble.  Many dogs actually love their crates, it is their own little safe haven.  Both of mine are passed out after running in the yard!

I am also concerned about the puppy "playing" with your cat.  They are two very different animals and the puppy (depending on his size) can seriously injure the cat.  My friends dog, the sweetest most playful, would never hurt a flea dog out there, accidently killed a kitten because he wanted to play with it, ended up stepping on it and ruptering his bladder.  Kitten had to be put down.  So I would really be careful with that.  I'm not saying dogs and cats cant get along, I have 4 cats living with my 3 dogs and the cats bother each other more than the dogs bother the cats, but right when one of my dogs starts pouncing after one of the cats, they are verbally reprimanded, and they get sent to their crate to cool off if they continue.

Answer 18

IF you let him out to go potty at lunch, then itll be fine, just leave a crappy towel in the crate just in case!