[Lilly521]

I am not at home for about 6 hours every weekday and my original plan was to crate train my puppy which i am still going to do for at night but when he is home during the day do you think it would be better to have him in his kennle with chewy toys or put the kennle in the bathroom and leave it open so he can play around with some interactive toys in there? thanks

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

I crate trained Lexi. So for the first 3 months she was in the crate while I was gone and also at night (she prefers to sleep in her crate). I decided when she was 5 1/2 months old to give her more freedom during the day. So I put her in the bathroom with her crate and a gate that blocked half the bathroom. So this gave her 2'X3' extra space. I was planning on gradually increasing the size of the space. WHile I was at work Lexi dug at a spot on my bathroom wall. It is down to the dry wall. She also dug at the door frame. In spots it is bare wood. I live in an apartment so I can not afford to have her demolish my apartment. So for now she is back in her crate. I may try again next month and see if she is better behaved. She had plenty of toys and water. :wacko: Crazy dog!

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[Maxismom]

I got maxi at 10 weeks for 2 month after that i brought him to my parents every day during the week while i was at work when my parents went out they put the gate up in the kitchen and he basically had the run of the kitchen
when he started staying home i gated the hallway and left my bedroom open and he had basically alot of room now at 11 months he has the whole house minus the bathroom i keep it closed too afraid he will get into some cleaning stuff or whatever ...i have 3 wee wee pads i put out and he does very well and i also have someone come in a few days a week to walk him ...I didnt follow the rules they told me to do because the very first night when i put maxi in his crate he cried and cried so i right away took him to sleep with me and he has ever since...Whether i did it right or not it works
and Maxi seems fine to me...........Im not big on the crate thing but its supposed to be the way too go.

 

[Elegant]

I have crate trained Chanel now for about 1.5 months, ever since I got her. I am a teacher and will be gone most of the day, and to protect her and keep my peace of mind, I keep her in her crate. I used to feel weird about "caging" dogs up, but I read this on the bhejei.com site:

"Long ago, when dogs were still wild animals, they often slept in dens - shallow holes they dug in the ground hidden away in places where they felt safe from predators. A "crate" is justa modern version of a den. Just as you enjoy having your own room where you can go for peace and privacy, your dog likes having his own room, too. As well as giving him a safe,cozy place to stay, crates can make training your dog a lot easier. Housebreaking goes much faster when you use a crate and destructive chewing becomes easier to control.

A crate need only be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably. The crate should be large A crate need only be big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably. The crate should be large enough for your Maltese to stretch out on his side to sleep. "

Hope this eases your mind. I am a big advocate of crate training. Especially during the puppy stages.

~Elegant

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

We put Caesar in a crate. My husband is a teacher and a coach, so he is usually gone from 7am-about 8pm. I am a student and my longest day (clinical day at the hospital) is 12 hours, luckily that is on a Monday though, so my husband can come home for a while before his games (they play on Mondays) and then I will be home by 7. The longest he is in there is 8 hours...one day a week, and 3 hours is the shortest time he is in there. We put down his favorite blue blanket and on the floor of it and in the very back I put a pee pad. He can't hold his pee the full 8 hours but he can his poop; he will go like crazy after we get him out. He also gets food, toys, and a special treat that he only gets when he is in there. He has a water bowl that connects to the crate (that way he can't dump it over

). We put the crate up on the bed and leave the television on for him so he has some noise. He used to cry at first when we started leaving him, but now he is used to it, I think its kind of a comfort/quiet time for him. He will go lay in it off and on even when we are home (we leave it on the floor with the door open).

 

[TikisMom]

When Tiki was younger we had the kitchen gated off and his crate was there for him to go into. If he had an accident it wasn't a problem on the tile and we never had a problem with chewing. I don't like leaving a dog in a crate all day, I like him to be able to move around. As he matured he was allowed a little more access and with no problems he now can roam the lower level of our home. He is not allowed up-stairs and it is gated off. He is usually left alone for only 4 hours durring the day, but on weekends or if I get super bussy he has been left for as much as 8 hours with no problem. If I know I am going to be gone all day I have a neighbor come by and let him out once or twice.

Judi

 

[Lilly521]

Ok so it seems like it is kinda 50/50 on this issue lol, the reason i want to crate train him is because it speeds up housebreaking so much and while i dont mind cleaning up a few puppy messes its something i would like to get done with as soon as possible,but on the other hand i am gone for a rather long time, and i am kinda worryed that if he just sleeps in his crate 6 hours a day 5 days a week (actully its like 2 hours less on some days and like an hour more on others but same thing) it might make him either unhealthy or super hyper at night, neither of which would be good for him or me. Right now i am thinking i am going to keep him in his crate for the first week or so until he seems to be getting along with housebreaking because i dont know how good he is at it yet but hopefully i should be able to give him some more room, i was thinking about one of the xpen things or whatever they are called but the bathroom seems easier oh well let me know if this sounds like it wont work lol

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[Lilly521]

Well i just got him home the other day so i have only had him in his kennle for sleeping at night and a nap but he seems to really like it, as soon as i put him in he curls up and goes to sleep i have never had a dog who wa slike this before i hope he stays with this attitude lol

 

[Jim Hoffman]

Hi all, we have a 10 month old we got at about 12 weeks old. Started with crate training. But we both work and we couldn't bear leaving Samantha cooped up all day. Went to a mesh-sided playpen with padded rubber mat. Few cleanups at first but found out if we put small bed and lots of toys in there she was more apt to hold it than if she had a lot of space. It gives her light, room to move, and seemingly a sense of security. She doesn't want to sleep anywhere else at night. Jim

 

[Elegant]

I also used a baby playpen...but...Chanel jumped out of it twice. But it did give her lots of room, and she was potty trained in about a week. She was 16 weeks old when I got her. She loved it. But make sure the playpen has a top, I have seen those (ofcourse after I purchased mine).

~Elegant

 

[Gigolo's Mom]

Originally posted by Lilly521@Aug 24 2004, 01:18 PM
I am not at home for about 6 hours every weekday and my original plan was to crate train my puppy which i am still going to do for at night but when he is home during the day do you think it would be better to have him in his kennle with chewy toys or put the kennle in the bathroom and leave it open so he can play around with some interactive toys in there? thanks
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Hi, I'm Gigolo's Mom and new to this site. Gigolo is a 6 mo old male maltese that I have had home since he was 12 weeks old. I had another maltese, Geronimo, for 12 1/2 yrs but unfortunately he died the day before Thanksgiving 2003. After a devastating winter, I decided it was time for a new little maltese for me and found a breeder and then Gigolo found me at 6 weeks! He's a little guy and I believe will remain so. At 6 mos old he is under 3 lbs but very healthy, friendly, socialized and feisty. He's fearless and will approach any large dog!

To the question of training. I originally wanted to crate train him and have someone look in on him, give him some exercise etc out of the crate while I was at work. Well, the best laid plans as they say.....Gigolo isn't an eater, so therefore taking him out of the crate wouldn't ensure his eating etc. So to plan #2. I remained home with him for the first week, working from home and bonding/training Gigolo. Noting the times/frequency that he would go to the bathroom. Formulating a routine. It has always been my plan to use wee wee pads and to take him out only for exercise (did the same thing with Geronimo). Gigolo was paper trained after 3 days, with constant praise and reinforcement when he used the pads. He got the idea right away. I am keeping him confined in the kitchen and den...everyday when I come home the only place that he "goes to the bathroom" is on the pads. I still praise him whenever he goes on the pads. Keeping your puppy in the crate for 6 hrs is much too long not just for for confinement but also for "holding it in". He needs to be on a schedule. Gigolo is crated overnight, taking him out only once around midnight, and taken out of the crate around 7:30 or 8AM. He has never had an accident in his crate. When I have let him explore the other rooms,he has had a few accidents but I believe that they were my fault as he couldn't find his way back to the wee wee pads.
If you can confine him to a room larger than the bathroom, I think that would give your puppy room to have his food, water and wee wee pads with room to play.
Good Luck!!
Gigolo's Mom (and always Geronimo's Mom)