Hi All:
I'm getting my girl Roxy next Friday. We are trying to prepare for her. I have a Shih Tzu at home that has the run of the house, and is not in a crate. We plan on crate training Roxy until she can be trusted.
I think I will be OK for during the day- taking her out to the bathroom every two hours, and putting her in the crate when we can't watch her.
My question is night. The crate will be downstairs, and we will be upstairs.
How often should I be taking her out of the crate at night?
How long do you think it will be until she is sleeping through the night?
I am usually in bed at 9:30 and up at 5am.
Well your hours are similar to ours, lol. I can only tell you what we did. Crate is in kitchen, I wanted the puppy to get used to lots of movement while being crated and learn that its ok for him to be in there while we are moving around. The first week and thank goodness for my daughter (he is hers and she is an adult) got up every hour and carried the pup out to his spot leashed to potty that was done 24/7 for the first week. Week 2 we went longer but if pup whined out he would go to his spot, if at night he went directly back to his crate, during the day we had playtime and cuddle times but they like to sleep a lot in the beginning. Week 3, I think we were u p to about 2 hours. He began to sleep thru the night, thankfully. We were very vigilant in watching him, he is going to be 1 year old in 3 days, can't believe that but in all the time he had only 3 pee accidents and one poo. He has been trustworthy not to potty in the house for a long time but not trustworthy enough to be not crated when we are not home. Mostly he gets into things and puts them on the floor. I really think that first few weeks are crucial in getting the pup potty trained. You will find what works for you. Oh and we never used any of those potty pads, I think that just delays the training. I had a shih tau also for 17 years. WE did use potty pads with her, but they have such small bladders and can't wait as long, ever. LOL
Agree with previous, how old will Roxy be when you get her? We got our girl at 10 weeks and it was every two hours for the first week or so...
If your Roxy is younger then yes set your alarm or what ever you need to get up every hour or so to take Roxy outside to her designated pee place, pee, poop as required and praise and back in crate...
Luckily this stage does not last long and done right will set you up for easy crate training overall..
Our dogs love their crates because of the steps early on to train them....because Roxy wont be in your room with you - which IMO is preferred for the first couple weeks (they get lonely when you first bring them home)
you wont hear her whining so you must use a clock or timer for a schedule...
Good luck and congratulations on your new puppy...
BG
We were told to let the puppy get used to us and the house for a couple of days before crate training, unless they like it and take to it well.
We slept downstairs with the puppy for the first few nights and "swam" out the next day! then about day 4 we put her in the crate all night and just left her. We were told that they make a lot of noise, crying and whimpering at night at first but to stay firm. From 9 weeks our puppy never went to the toilet in her crate and went all night (about 8 hours). It was a job getting her in the crate, she did not like it at all and it was a stressful time for us but we persevered and now she loves it.
Kai cried the 1st time in his crate, we just covered it with a blanket when it was sleep time. He also never pottied in it, his few accidents were while we were playing with him. But he learned really fast. I am a believer in starting off right away. We brought him home into the crate he went. LOL
Roxy will be a few days shy of 8 weeks when we get her. The breeder said she will be well on her way to being potty trained as she goes out now many times during the day. I am getting her Friday and plan on sleeping on the couch next weekend. I also plan on working from home a few days the following week. When I have to go to the office it is only right down the street so it will only be a few hours that she will be alone. The hardest part will probably be my other dog that is my shadow not screwing this up for me lol. The pictures below are Roxy at about 5 weeks and dusty the shih tzu which will probably have jaw problems when he is older because he always has to have a ball in his mouth.
They are both sooo cute! We got Jake at 9 weeks and he slept through the night from the beginning..from 10:30 pm til about 6 am..but his last meal was at 4 pm and we cut his water off at 7 pm. Good luck with your little one..they are so much fun.
I never did the "crate" thing myself, I never had the need but pretty much all the "Pro's" do it from day one! I would tend to think that a good way to go would be to feed the dog in the crate from day one!
If the crate is "associated" with "good things" I would think odds are your are much more likely to have "few" issues??
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