Follow on from weeing in crate

[SnuggleBum]

What should I do when I go to work? Leave my pup in his crate and risk him soiling it if I dont get back in time (I'm at work for 2 and a half hours ata time) or leave him in kitchen with paper on floor for toilet but then have to put up with him chewing wallpaper?
Snuggle

[blue eyes ;)]

puppies need to wee every half hour or after play or excitment or eating,i know mine did and its hard work!! good luck xx

[maggie01]

I hate crates full stop. I also work part time and when my two were pups, I would take them for a short walk to do their wees etc and then leave paper down, radio on and plenty of things to play with. I started off leaving mine in the kitchen but they soon had the run of the house. Best of Luck!

[kita1]

If you leave him in the kitchen please make sure he cannot get into any cupboards and get at bleach etc. I had a bitch who even managed to open the fridge door one day! Also make sure he cannot get at any wires as these also seem attractive to chew and you don't want him electrocuting himself! They get into everything at that age (the waste bin is another favourite) my bitch retrieved a beer can from the waste basket and shredded it on my bed!!! and I mean shredded it - not a piece bigger than an coin! Don't know to this day how she managed not to swallow any!!

If all you get is chewed wallpaper you will get off lightly!! I recall fond memories of each dog by seeing the chewed places round the house that each one did!

Lots of luck., enjoy your pup while he is young!

[maviscoull]

i`d leave him in the kitchen with lots of newspaper. thats what we did, gradually only having a small area with paper and we worked it towards the back door. our pup was 15 wks when we went back to work ( he was 12wk when we got him ) and i was out for 4 and 1/2 hours. its all part of bladder control !! leave him with lots of toys and he`ll be fine.

ps.......i still to this day leave a radio on for him !! lol

[lankeela]

Definitely leave him in the cage. Two and a half hours is not long especially if you make sure he has had plenty of chance to go befoe you leave him. Give him a bone or a pigs ear to chew and plenty of toys. He will most probably sleep all the time you are away.

If necessary, get a bigger cage and put a pupy wee pad at one end, but I doubt verymuch if this will be necessary.

[lankeela]

Just read previous thread, and now realise puppy is only a real baby. You are expecting way too much of him, you will just have to put wee pads or paper in his crate and change them frequently. If you leave him loose inthe kitchen, he will not know where he is supposed to go, and it will take longer to teach him. It can take several weeks to get him totally house trained, and the best way is to stay outside with him until he has done something, and do this frequently.

[maviscoull]

our dog has never once been in a cage !!

[lankeela]

Your point is?

[SnuggleBum]

I have tried putting a puppy pad in crate with him but he wee's on his bed instead. There is nothing he can chew in kitchen (except wallpaper) as everything is very high up and he cant get into cupboards as the doors are very heavy and he is only tiny. I dont want to take crate away from him as he loves it! It is quite big and he has his bed and toys in there, its his own space, his little den. He doesnt tend to wee in house when we are home so I guess its just a case of him building up his bladder control over time. Thanks for all your replies.

[Carakeel]

I don't really like the idea of your puppy in a cage every day. It is good to get them used to a car cage if that is going to be used regularly on outings. But in the house, I myself prefer my dogs to have more freedom of movement. The short time you are at work is probably OK, just a matter of preference. If, as you say, your kitchen would be a safe place for him, then put him in there. To get him to wee on the paper or the wee pad, touch wee he has done previously with the pad or paper, so that the smell is transferred to the fresh paper or pad. Then put the paper or pad down where you want him to do his next pee. It may take a while, but this usually works. Puppies do tend to go where they can smell previous pees. Also, if he is just a baby, you could put a hot water bottle - securely wrapped in a towel or the like - in the area where you want him to sleep. He will soon cuddle up to it and fall asleep. Might even sleep 'till you get home. Just please, never scold him if he gets it wrong. If you train your puppy with a clicker, you will get a wonderful, happy and obedient dog. Clickers are available at most pet shops. Training them in this way is great fun for the dog as well as for the owner. So, congratulations on your lovely puppy. Hope you two have a great time together.

[lankeela]

Although clickers are available at most pet shops, sadly the instructions for using them are not. I often get asked for them, as people seem to think they make the dog do as its told, they don't realise you have to actually teach them!

[drgnrdr]

Please go to
http://orangedog.forumup.com/index.php?mforum= orangedog
go to Behavior and read potty training is possible. You have some very iffy advice on here, IMHO. He has learned to live in his filth either by going in his crate and laying in it repeatedly, in his time with you, or with the breeder. Dogs who are comfortable living in their filth are hard to potty train, they don't "get" the ideal about moving away from the sleep or living area. lankeela is correct about clickers they must be taught to associate the click with a treat or it's just a loud pop with no significance to them.