Crating YOUNG Puppies

618 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Abbylynn, Jun 12, 2012

CandJHarris

Discussion Starter · Jun 12, 2012

I've always crate trained my dogs, but I've never had pups as young as the two girls I'm currently fostering as of this evening (they are 4 weeks old). Right now I have them both in a medium sized crate, but I know they are way too little to start real crate training. I'm planning on getting up with them every couple of hours and taking them out through the night tonight, but I'm thinking about taking a different approach for now, at least until they are 8 weeks old.

I have a X-Large crate (Great Dane sized) and was thinking of setting it up as an exercise pen for the both of them lined with pee pads. As they get a little older I would remove pee pads until there is only one in a corner. Then at 8 weeks they would graduate to an appropriately sized crate to start actual crate training. Does this sound reasonable?

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Nev Allen

· #2 · Jun 12, 2012

You have not mentioned breed type, but, whatever breed, I think that they should have more space than just one crate. Do you have an Xpen, or some pickets and garden fencing.

Our litters, from when their eyes open and they start climbing out of the whelping box, sleep in the crate, with the door open, and they play, poop and pee in a pen.

You can still reduce the size / number of pads going down until they learn to toilet in one area.

I think if you let them toilet in the crate you will be teaching them it is ok to mess in their sleeping quarters.

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