# New puppy - crate/toilet training question...



## maisie (10 November 2008)

We got our whippet puppy on Saturday aged 8 weeks - first night she slept like a log 11pm - 6am. Last night she woke and cried every 2 hours. We went down to her once and let her out to wee and she went back to bed and cried a little but went back to sleep. OH said not to go down to her again as it would make her think we'll run every time she squeaks. However this morning she was desperate for a wee and a poo and hadn't done either in the crate. She already asks to go out quite well and I want to encourage this obviously, but I do need her to stay in the crate at night and when we go out (she's in a room with three other dogs) So my question is,  do I go to her when she cries in the night and let her out or ignore her and let her cry? 







This is Peggy - cute or what!


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## BigRed (10 November 2008)

This depends on what time you go to bed.  A young puppy will find it hard to keep their legs crossed if you go to bed at 9pm and don't get up until 8.30 in the morning.  

Also, to anyone who uses a crate for dogs (and I am not having a go at you) the crate is not supposed to be a punishment zone, it should be a place the puppy goes to for some peace and quiet.


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## daphnebs (10 November 2008)

I agree with tracey01, it really depends on how long the night is for her. My 2 ladies were put into the cage aswel during the night. We'd put them in at 11 and I'd let them out at around 7 am. Both were toilet trained in no time as they don't like soiling their own bed. They do cry if they really have to go during the night, even now there a year old. But generally they only cry if they have to poo and seem to be able to hold there wee. Also its generally a case of diarrhea if they have to go during the night so 9 out of 10 times we get a normal nights sleep. my little springer did cry at the start but this was just looking for attention, and as we ignored her she soon gave up. I would let her cry for a little while, then let her out and let her do her business if she had to. Sometimes she did no business and start crying after putting her back in the cage. I would tell her of once then by telling to be quiet and then just ignore her, she soon got the message.

Goodluck with yours, he's gorgeous!!


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## CAYLA (10 November 2008)

You will obs need to make a few trips down to let her out at this age, and gradually decrease this as she gets older and can hold her bladder for longer, I actually let any rescue puppies I have in, when they are not making a sound, so they do not assosiate their cry with me giving them attention, I tend not to stick to same times either, just when I wake or go to toilet myself I go  down to let puppy out, I place them straight out, no fuss then straight back in crate.
The crate is for security and an aid to introducing routine, so it's need to be fair and workable to dog and owner, obs if she is crying every hour on the hour, she is just waking and getting a little anxious at being alone, hence crying for attention, u just need to find a balance between, not pandering to her every cry and also allowing her access to toilet without being so desperate, she has to go in crate.


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## Stinkbomb (10 November 2008)

We are crate training our puppy Alfie. When we got him for the first two weeks we would wake our selves up in the night to let him out. We didnt wait for him to cry. They just cant hold their wee that long at that age. Over the first two weeks we did this starting from twice in the night and gradually increasing the time between waking him up. After about two weeks he would go through the night and has done ever since. In fact we have to wake him in the morning!!!

We do however have the crate in our bedroom. No cries or anything.


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## MarleyandDarcy (11 November 2008)

With mine I have always taken them  out when  they cry, but never speak to them or cuddle or fuss, or let them run through the house to the garden. They get picked up out of their cage and placed on the grass, then picked up and put back in their bed. I always try to make it so it is not fun otherwise you might end up with a puppy that enjoys getting up at 2am to hare around the house and have a good game!!! hehe!
Has always worked for me as when they become old enough to go through the night they all have done 
	
	
		
		
	


	




I have always waited til they signal they want to go out as assumed this would help with toilet training through the day - that they'd learn if they moaned, they got put outside if that makes sense


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## yipster (11 November 2008)

Puppy's have no real control over their bladders until about 6 months. So generally when they need to go, they need to go immediately!

With my labrador we never went to him when he cried, but as soon as he'd stopped (even just for a minute) i'd go to him and take him to the toilet. That only went on for about 2 weeks until he started going through the night.
Good luck with your lovely puppy!


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## Louby (11 November 2008)

Im quite new to doggyhood but when we got our Lurcher pup we decided to get a crate really to save the house from possibly being chewed up.  I got the largest crate as he is going to be big and I put paper over a puppy pad in the back half and his bed in the front half.  I did this up until he was about 16 weeks old as he was just too big to have half of his crate took up with paper.  It worked great and he hasnt touch wood had an accident since.  He woke us up one night crying and we went down and let him out.  He had a wee and went back to bed.

My vet said a puppy cant be expected to hold his bladder until hes about 18 weeks old and personnally I feel its a bit mean to leave a puppy in a crate with now where to pee when he just isnt capable of holding it although I know people who have done and say they are trained really quickly.  Im a softy and  used to feel that its me whos locking him in the crate and if he wasnt in it then he wouldnt choose to pee in his basket, he'd do it on the paper near the door.

Im not knocking crates, my pup chooses to go in of his own choice to sleep or when he wants some piece and quiet, we now call it his house


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## creusa (12 November 2008)

Ideally you should folow on from what your pup learned in the nest. This the NO. 1 cardinal rule that is hard-wired and enforced by Mum...do NOT foul the nest. Of course this comes from basic survival that became hygienically necessary for the species to thrive. If you watch very young pups they almost always go to an area outside the nest or cluster,  to relieve themselves...and usually to roughly the same spot as the others do. 
I sugggest a plastic mat resembling the texture of grass as closely as possible,  a little away from the "nest "his crate, that he can access at will and preferably near the door. he may already be looking for a place that he can recognise as The Place that he should use. Encourage him to wee on that. Leave the door of the crate open so that he understands it as his sleeping place but allow him access to the mat during the night. He should figure out where he should relieve himself. Later, at about 18 months, take the mat outside to the place you want him to use later and make sure it is there first thing and last thing of the day. Eventually take the mat away. He will know to use something like the mat outside...the grass. 
Any time from now on that he uses somewhere outside, watch where he goes and praise him lots for using that place (even if it isn't teh Original Place you chose!)He will come to see it as HIS place and should prefer it. 
The whimpering is probably that he is missing the smells of his littermates. Pups tend to crowd up against their favourite brother or sister and make relationships very early on. He is missing his family!


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