crate training concern

[aleethomas]

here's a little bit of background info on what we've been doing so far:

We've been crate training Padden since the day we got her and it's been 2 weeks now. She rarely has accidents in the house and if she does its totally our fault!

She spends 4 hours in her crate in the morning. I come home at lunch & take her out and then she comes to work with me for 5 hours (she sleeps majority of the time and eats). Then she goes out again. Then we play with her for another 4 hours, take her out again and then its time for bed.

We've been letting her sleep with us for the past three nights since she doesn't wake up at all and we aren't worried that she'll pee in the bed or jump down.

Now to get to my question...

She doesn't spend much time in her crate and the goal eventually is to be able to leave her out and not crate her during the day once she's completely trained. But we also want her to continue to like her crate because we'll be taking her with us cross country and she'll have to fly.

She's started to not going to her crate to sleep and instead wanting on the couch. (which is fine by us)

I'm just wondering if she's going to not like her crate anymore since she doesn't sleep in it at night and is only in it for 4 hours during the day or if she doesn't go potty when we know she has to.

If anyone has any advice & if we're creating a little monster who's going to end up hating her crate please let me know now so we can quickly make some changes!

Padden's 14 weeks now.

[Kodee]

ah what a good lil doggie! How about you use the crate to take her to work. I know a pain to drag about, but that way she is in it every day so when you go travelling it will be a familar thing. Or if you dont use it at home, what about just leaving it at the office and she can crawl in to sleep in it there? Either way the key is to really find times to use it on a regular basis so its not an oddity later.

[JeanKC]

I'd like to see an informal 'show of hands' of the folks out there whose dogs have tinkled on mommy and daddy's bed well after they were house trained?

Here's number 1...

KC

[Barbara Nixon]

Teddy and Izzy and Joly have done it (and cocked on the corners of the base), but Monty is a good boy

[Lisa_T]

Neither of mine have done it on a bed (I don't let them in the bedrooms) but both have 'tinkled' at various times on the sofa bed in the living room. Does that count?

You could try feeding her in the crate- put the food and something pasty-ish to create a gunky mixture in a kong. If it's cosy and comfy you may find that she will choose to stay in her 'den' to dig out the yummy stuff. That would help maintain good associations with the crate that don't necessarily involve you leaving her in it while you're gone.

[Kodee]

I'd like to see an informal 'show of hands' of the folks out there whose dogs have tinkled on mommy and daddy's bed well after they were house trained?

Here's number 1...

KC

Not a good moment for me to read this... after 2 no sleep nights and exhaustion I told my husband if this (crate in kitchen) doesnt work tonight, I give up she is coming to my bed I AM EXHAUSTED. Ok I'd try just the crate in the bedroom first, but I already know this lass (as she sleeps just fine in my lap as I type) its not about the crate in the kitchen or bedroom; its all about the lap babies!

[Joanne M]

Tucker peed on my/our bed once. I think he did it because he put himself to bed and was mad cauz I didn't follow. Fortunately I could tell right away that he was guilty about something because he has this rather snotty way of walking when he's in a snit. Sure enough, I went in to investigate and the bed was wet. There is a mattress pad on my bed, I changed the sheets, washed the mattress pad and fortunately it didn't reach my mattress. He peed in his own crate several times. After he stopped sleeping in it I still kept it in the corner of my bedroom. Every once in awhile, he'd go in there, mess up the blankets, pee and take off. It's a lovely soft sided crate, currently sitting on the back screen porch. I think the only advantage I have in continuing to use piddle pads, for late night, early, early mornings is that one is always out, and Tucker uses them, though he prefers to go out when I'm up, during the night if he has to go, he takes himself to the kitchen, and piddles on the pad same for poop.