Crate Set up

[wfd38383]

We are going to be crate training our puppy and I had a few questions on how you guys set up your crates. The dog at first, until he is house trained, will be sleeping in his crate and also be in there during the day while we are at work. What do you guys suggest I put in his crate? How do you guys set up your crates? We will have a wire crate which i will have to buy a sectioner to block off some of it as it is a big crate. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bacon]

When we got Bacon we put a small towel in there with him for some padding and comfort. We then decided to not have it in there during the day when we werent here to let him out, because for whatever reason bacon would poop in his cage and lay in it, and make a huge mess so it was just easier to not have it in there so we could hose out the cage when we got home. After he started being better about going potty in his crate we continued to put a towel in there and moved the divider further back giving him a little more room. We only moved it once before we just gave him the whole crate. We still keep just a towel and a few little toys in there, cause he will pee on anything that is to fluffy, like his brand new dog bed .

 

[lexterwayne]

we had the crate in the bedroom with us so we could hear him whine when he needed to potty... we never put a divider in the crate we put a piddle pad in the back half so he would go there if he had to go and that way he wouldnt poop on his bed or toys ets...

 

[sheshistory]

Bentley and Linus were a breeze but Truman was more challenging when it came to crate set up. He wasn't a big fan of his crate so he was in my bedroom, then in the kitchen, then in the spare bedroom (my feeble attempt to muffle his barking) but he finally ended up in the kitchen. Like most puppies, no matter how big or small we made his crate, he had his share of accidents in there but one thing that might be helpful to remember is if puppy is sleeping, he is not pooping or peeing - so I tried to limit the outside stimulation as much as possible by covering the front of the crate with a towel and putting a fan on next to him. It sort of worked but not really until he was big enough to get used to being in a crate by himself.

If your puppy is really young when you get him (8 weeks or so) then I would recommend starting off in your bedroom because you will need to let him out during the night because they simply cannot hold their potty very long so it makes it more convenient so you can hear him whine. It also helps with the isolation factor since you have to remember your puppy is used to sleeping on a pile of other puppies and has probably never been alone at night before.

Remember, it is likely your puppy will cry in his crate at night. And it definite that this will suck for a while but, whatever you do, remember consistency is key and the whining and barking WILL stop eventually...though bulldogs can be a determined sort.

The other thing I would mention is that if you are leaving the puppy crated while you are at work, unless you are able to let the puppy out every couple hours, you must accommodate them so they can go to the bathroom somewhere and not have to sit in it. They just can't hold it very long. The general rule of thumb is taking their age in months plus one - so a 2 month old puppy can hold it's potty for about 3 hours but no more. So, if you're leave him crated while you're at work for longer than 3 hours at a time, you have to expect an accident.

I hope some of this is helpful. I got my other two bulldogs at 4 months and skirted most of the hard stuff but when I got my last bulldog, Truman, at 9 weeks - I had NO idea puppies didn't sleep through the night and needed to be let out so often!

 

[sheshistory]

Also, you can learn and laugh at some of my puppy crating foibles here and here and here...Truman was (is) a live wire and a tough puppy so maybe you will fare better or maybe I was just totally unprepared!