Birdwalk Farm Owner
Help - Crate and House Training
Start with the crate by your bed
so you can 1) reassure you puppy that you are
there and he is not alone, 2) take your puppy out for a "potty" break
as
needed, and 3) let your puppy know that it is unacceptable to whine for
attention and he will not get to sleep in the big bed until he is much
older, if ever. When the puppy does need out (and you will learn
the
differences in his vocalizations) you have the option of going clear
outside to the normal place in the yard (pick one area and use it
only),
or using papers by the door you normally go out (again pick one and use
it all the time, as pups need consistency in training). For pups
weighing in over 3 lbs you can remove all food and water overnight,
starting 2 hours before bedtime so you have an "empty pup" to help
him physically make it overnight without having to go out. This is NOT
advisable for puppies under three pounds - we worry about
hypoglycemia, so we recommend you wait until they are closer to 10
weeks
old for withholding food and water overnight. Most pups
will need one or two "potty" breaks at 8 weeks old,
and should be able to make a full night by about 10 weeks old (here
that is 10 pm to 6 am). During the day the crate should be in the area
most used by the family,
so pup feels a part of everything. Keep using the same door to go out.
You need to establish a schedule
for the benefit of both you and your puppy. Get up – take puppy
out. Don’t wait for him to wake up, as he needs to
get on your schedule, not the
other way around. When your puppy has taken
care of business outside and been praised, go in for supervised house
time. If
it has only been 15 minutes since pup was out and you can’t watch him
then put him in his crate. If is has been 45 minutes, be fair and
go back outside for a chance to be empty before you put him up in his
crate. Whenever
you take the puppy back out of crate, whether it has been 15 minutes or
a
couple hours – first thing is to offer a potty break, be that outside
or
papers.
One thing that can be useful for
pups and a nice backup for those puppies that stay on the small side is
dual outside- and paper- training. (I like a pee pad on
the papers for two reasons – absorbency, since liquid can run off
newspapers quickly, and the pee pads are scented to help the pup
understand what they are for (much as when a small scent remains where
a
pup has gone before, they think that may be the proper place to go). It
is quicker to grab a pup and get to the papers when he is making a faux
paux than to get outside. Praise the pup for going on the papers as a
"good boy (or girl)" – on
the floor is of course a "bad boy" while outside is a "great
boy/girl!", with
extra praise and encouragement. In a few weeks when you know that
he knows that papers are acceptable, then they become a no comment –
floor is
bad – outside great but papers are more of an "okay you are not in
trouble, but if you want praise, we go outside". Papers should be
by the door you always go out. Remember to use the
same door every time, and the same spot in the yard.
Day time activity levels will be
higher, as will normal bodily functions (ie, gotta go)
be more frequent, for a puppy. You will be the expert on your pup
while I can give you basic guidelines. 8 week old pups may need
to go out every 45 minutes to a couple hours, depending on sleep time
and food intake. This time will lengthen rapidly as your puppy grows,
with a
rule of thumb being the puppy can control his bladder about the same
number of hours as he is old, up to a natural limit.
We prefer free feeding,
meaning food and water are available on demand all
day. This may not be feasible if there is another pet that would
"steal" the pup’s food. Alternatively, 3 feedings a day until 6 months
switching to 2 times a day from then on. Some folks feel that meals in
on a schedule can help regulate pups need to go out and thus help with
house breaking. That will be up to you to decide if that works best for
your situation.
Folks work – this is a fact of
life and that is no reason to not have a puppy.
However, young pups can not be left in the crate all day, so for those
that are gone all day get a baby gate and confine pup to a safe area
with papers down – food – water – toys and crate propped open for his
"den". When you are home, go back to crate training which basically
means when you can not be supervising a pup they should be in the crate
where they are safe and not getting away with something.
You may want to consider bell
training. Hang a bell such as a Christmas
bell chain on or next to the door pup goes out. Ring the bell
with the pups paw or mouth every time you take him out. Many puppies
will learn within
a couple weeks to ring the bell to ask to go out. This can be valuable
if you are in another room and your puppy can use that to get your
attention.
There will be some wise guys that use this to get to go out to play
-
your pup will train you well.
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Last updated 1/06 Copyright 2000, Birdwalk Farms