Crate training question for 10 week old puppy

**JimmyND** · 11-23-2011, 04:58 PM

Hi everyone. My wife and I just adopted a 10 week old chocolate lab puppy and have welcomed him into our home. Although he sleeps in his crate at night next to our bed with zero issues, I'm trying to figure out which is the best houstraining method during the day: crate training or confining him to a "puppy room" (tile floor, no furniture, lots of toys, his crate with the crate door open, and his water dish). Usually he wakes up at 6 am to go to the bathroom, then back to sleep for about another hour. Then it's time breakfast, a bathroom break and a little play before I leave for work around 7:30 or 7:45 am. My wife lets him out for another bathroom break before she leaves for work at 9 am. I come back for lunch at 12 pm and let him out for a bathroom break and some playtime. Around 12:50 pm it's time for another bathroom break and then I leave again for work. I'm usually back by 5 pm for the day. He's out of the crate (supervised) and plays the entire evening before bed (with supper and numerous bathroom breaks of course).

For the past two days I've left him in the puppy room. I noticed that if I put a puppy pad down he'll usually pee on that in the late afternoon. I'm wondering if this might be confusing our housetraining methods and if it's best to leave him in the crate instead of the puppy room? Or is 1 pm to 5pm that too long of a stretch and he should be left to roam the puppy room and pee on the pad if he needs to? And, is crate training going to restrict his access to water?

I have noticed that with either the crate or room he cries and whines when left alone. Typical of a puppy, I imagine. We are working on getting him used to being left alone - i.e., frozen Kong treats in the room or crate, kibbles or treats hidden in the crate, waiting until he isn't whining before opening the door, etc. I do know that he doesn't cry the whole time, because I have gone around the outside of the house when I get home and quietly entered and he wasn't making a sound...I appreciate any advice or wisdom from learned lab owners!

Thanks!

**BigBrownDog** · 11-23-2011, 05:41 PM

Personally, I would vote for strictly crate confinment when he cannot be supervised. While leaving him in the room now may seem workable, he will continue to pee on the pee-pads (which I think delays housetraining) and he will eventually be large enough to start being destructive of walls, doors, mouldings. Better to get him used to the crate as the place he stays when you are out now. Dogs do well with established routines.

And - I would not be leaving any toy in this room or the crate that he could potentially chew up. You can wind up with a puppy with a life threatening blockage. Only really hard items (nylabones or kongs) should be his while unsupervised.

**dek** · 11-23-2011, 05:54 PM

I'm sure most on here will advise using the crate, but I did as you're doing with a small puppy room and pee pads. When I got my pup he was 10-11 wks and there were times he just could not hold it for too long. He also had already been paper trained at the rescue he came from.
His room has the door to the back yard, so I put the pee pads close to the door. I didn't really have any problem with potty training mine, though he would occasionally use the pee pads right after I got home (excitement pee), before I could get through to let him out. I also haven't had any problems with him chewing walls, but that is definitely a valid concern with labs. Now, he's still confined to the room with a bed, water, and Nylabone. Be careful about the beds as well, if you're leaving one in the room with him. Koivu has destroyed 2 beds - neither were left with him, both were while he was under the "careful" eye of my boyfriend

**Tanya** · 11-23-2011, 06:05 PM

I vote crate. using pee pads will greatly increase house training time as the puppy learns it is ok to pee in the house. You will have to retrain again later, when instead you can just train once (you are not gone to long to crate him). he should be able to hold it from 1pm-5pm. (and 9am to 12) at this point.

while i agree with the above about no toys left with the dog a strong kong I believe is ok (it is the only thing I leave with dogs).

**JimmyND** · 11-30-2011, 04:00 PM

Thanks everyone for your advice and sorry for the late relply - had some issues logging in after the Holiday!!! Puppy is doing great!!!

**kromulok** · 01-05-2012, 05:38 PM

sorry for the bump on this but instead of starting a new thread I thought it best to use this one.

I plan on using crate training but my biggest question that I dont see any posts about is this:

my wife and I are unable to come home at lunch which means from 730am until 430pm when the kids come home, the puppy will be in the crate. There are certainly going to be accidents in the crate, right? Any tips on this?

**tammyhuffman** · 01-05-2012, 05:43 PM

Is there any way you can hire a neighbor to take the puppy out at lunch time? One of the techs from my vets office comes over on the days Maxx doesn't go to work with me and Jon is working out of the area.

**Tanya** · 01-05-2012, 05:54 PM

if you absolutely cannot come home (nor your wife) nor can you hire someone (or ask someone) to stop in and let puppy out, then yes, you WILL have accidents. You need to get a crate big enough for her to pee in one spot and lay in another and you may have to give her baths often if she has rolled in her pee or her poop. This will delay house training as she learns going in her crate is "ok" some of the time.

Alternatively, set up the crate within an x-pen so she has abit more room to pee and poop and lay down.

Scrub the crate properly to clean and neutralize the odour (use a product meant to neutralize urine like nature's miracle or vinegar) and clean any bedding if you use any (again, with a product that will properly remove the odour)

**Mark_J** · 01-05-2012, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by kromulok

sorry for the bump on this but instead of starting a new thread I thought it best to use this one.

I plan on using crate training but my biggest question that I dont see any posts about is this:

my wife and I are unable to come home at lunch which means from 730am until 430pm when the kids come home, the puppy will be in the crate. There are certainly going to be accidents in the crate, right? Any tips on this?

I don't advocate the use of crates although some folks like them. The dog being alone from 7:30 to 4:30 is quite a bit of time, do you have a yard that could be set up for him to be in safely for that time?