Advice Please - Crate Training Question From Newbie

[Ded1216]

Bringing home Romeo on Wednesday//NEED ADVICE!

I am bringing home Romeo, a beautiful 6 week old flash fawn, on Wednesday. We lost our last baby, Mickey, in July of 2004. Mickey was 1 year, and already housetrained when we got him. I need help with the new baby! Will we need to get up every 2 hours throughout the night to take him out? Also, can he sleep in his crate in our bedroom.
All responses are appreciated!!!

 

[apollosdad]

i don't think that you'll have to wake up every two hours to let him out when he is sleeping. dogs tend to be able to hold it while they are sleeping better than when they are awake. however, you'll want to let him out right before bedtime and again first thing in the morning. you'll definitely want to make a schedule for letting him out during the day, but it sounds as if you are already preparing to do that.
as far as sleeping in his crate in your room, i think that is fine and would assist him with the transition of a new home. however, keep in mind that the moment you bring your puppy home you will be teaching him things whether you mean to or not. by that i mean, having him sleep in his crate in your room is okay and completely up to you. however, as he gets older you might decide to place his crate somewhere else in the house and have him sleep there instead. that is what you should consider now, because it might cause some seperation anxiety down the line. i'm not saying that it WILL happen, i'm just merely making suggestions to keep in mind.

 

[Smith&Wesson]

???

Hi everyone, I brought home 2 6-week old puppies last Thursday.The breeder had them pretty much crate trained. They are doing awesome, but I'm not sure if I should put a bowl of water in the crate when they are locked up in there when I am gone. Whenever I let them out, they go straight for the water, and it seems like they are dying of thirst. They are in the crate for about 4 hours at the most, since I live close enough to let them out during my lunch.

Please let me know what to do.

 

[apollosdad]

i wouldn't leave the water in the crate since you are able to come home so often. leaving the water in the crate will possibly cause them to have an accident, either by relieving themselves in it or tipping the bowl over. besides, they shouldn't really have that much room in their crate anyway.
1) i would give them water in the morning before you go to work and then give them an opportunity to relieve themselves before going to work.
2) upon returning home during your lunch break, i would let them out to relieve themselves first and then offer them more water and then give them another opportuntiy to relieve themselves before returning for work.
3) upon returning home at the end of your day, i would let them out and give them an opportunity to relieve themselves and then provide them with water for the course of the evening.
i would just be sure to limit the amount of water they consumed before going to bed at night. i would probably pick up the water bowl and prevent them from drinking any more water about an hour before they get put in their crate for the night. this will prevent them from having an unwanted accident.
the reason they act as if they are dying of thirst is because they are puppies and tend to act that way. as long as they are given the opportunity to drink all the water they want while they are out of their crate throughout the day, they should be fine.

 

[Smith&Wesson]

thanks for the info!