Crate training....for the rest of us.

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drkg

Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by drkg » Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:56 pm

I'm picking up my 7wk old GSP in two weeks and intend to work on crate training right away, both for transport and housebreaking.
I've seen all of the recommendations regarding how to get the little guy used to getting in the crate, how long to allow him to stay in the crate and what to do when I take him out.
Regarding the how long:
All I've seen are the rigid guidelines like "no more that 2 hrs at 2 months, 3 hrs. at 3 months..."

Any suggestions for those of us who have jobs?

I'm fotunate that I work close enough to home that I can come home at lunch every day and spend time with him, but that leaves 4 hours at a time and I don't want to put the pup in a situation where he feels like he needs to hold it to the point where medical problems arise.
I can allow him free run of a bathroom while I'm gone, but I wonder if allowing him a place to 'go' inside will undo the positive work done in the evenings.

I appreciate any input on what has helped those of you with jobs get through this early stage.

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jbr03
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by jbr03 » Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:08 pm

the guidelines you stated about 2 hours-2 months ect. are pretty good. basically an hour for every month they are old. not really much you can do to get around that. when i still used the crate (my beast roams free around the house now) i would leave her in there for no more than 4 hours at a time at any age and hope that she didnt go in the crate, but it will happen. i was lucky to have a girlfriend who worked 3 hours here, 3 hours there so she was able to come and let the puppy out to go to the bathroom and play. once i moved out of a little apartment to a house with a nice patio and fenced in back yard, i would just leave the dog on the patio with her crate out there with some water and food and let her have free roam of the patio area. to this day i dont have any problems with her going to her crate when i say "crate!" nor do i have problems with her going in the house. if i were in your situation i would look for someone who you could entrust a key to your house and let them come by and help out. leaving a young young pup in a crate for 4 hours, then letting it have a little break, then another 4 hours is going to be heck for that little thing. i would put the dog in the bathroom with the crate open rather than basically crate teh dog for 8 hours. but with that you have to watch that it doesnt chew whatever there is to chew. there are a lot of places that you can take the dog to for doggie daycare if money is no object. i wouldnt do what you are attempting to do until the dog is at least 6 months old.
Brian

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Sharon
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by Sharon » Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:09 am

I agree with all the good crate training advice but I work too and with all the pups I've had I left them in the crate from 8:30 a.m. until noon. I made sure they got good exercise in the morning and i'm sure they mostly slept. I'm sure they may have messed in the crate occasionally but I don't remember any housebreaking problems. I only worked until noon though. I wouldn't have left them again all afternoon but made some other arrangement.
" We are more than our gender, skin color, class, sexuality or age; we are unlimited potential, and can not be defined by one label." quote A. Bartlett

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Kiki's Mom
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by Kiki's Mom » Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:59 am

Not sure what your work situation is or the weather etc....if it is condusive.....but perhaps you could take the little guy with you in the car and leave him crated in the car so you can let him out every couple of hours the first few weeks. Once he is sleeping and holding it for 3- 4 hours you can leave him home???

I'm lucky. All the pups that we raise get to come to work with me and are in the crate next to my work station so I can let them out as needed until they get old enough to hold it longer.....

greyghsts

Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by greyghsts » Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:57 am

I hear ya drkg, I'm kind of in the same boat next week. My wife is going to be out of town and son off to school. I'm hoping for cool non-sunny weather and going to take my 9 week old with me to work as Kiki suggested. I will say this, I've been lucky at night, he kennels all night 7ish hours without a problem or accident. He's only woke up once in the week+ we've had him and that was because one of my older dogs wanted out and he woke up during the rukus, other than that he sleeps through the night, thank god LOL. During the day 2ish hrs is max right now for him. If you do take him/her be very aware of the weather, even a cool day can turn a car hot if it's sunny out.

drkg

Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by drkg » Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:45 pm

Thanks for the advice.

I may be able to take him to work with me once he's broken. I work in the corporate office of a major gun company and goose and turkey calls and "business casual" camo are common sights and sounds during season- I don't reckon seeing a well mannered birddog in the office would be too far a stretch.

I'm just worried about those first couple formative months. I may be able to get a retired neighbor to help out but am trying to devise a plan 'A' and enlist her help only as a backup- though I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

It doesn't get truly cold here until December-ish (and even then its mild compared to where I grew up) and I have thought about working out an outdoor kennel, but I'm putting up a privacy fence until later this winter and am worried about folks being able to see his kennel until then. I trust my neighbors, but don't know about their guests.

stumpy

Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by stumpy » Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:54 pm

We made Roscoe a room in our basement (cement floors). We put up a puppy gate to keep him in the room. I put down some news paper for him to go on while at work, and cleaned it up every day when I got home. My wife and I work different shifts so it was not long until we could leave him in the crate all day. It worked well and we didn't have any problems with house training. He figured out that going in the house was not as fun as getting to go outside! :D

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tmoneysju
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by tmoneysju » Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:20 am

I was in the exact same situation as you, except I got my pup when he was a few months old, enough that me coming home at lunch was sufficient. We now have a dog walker that comes at lunchtime, we walk him in the morning and run him at night when I get home.

I know they had a service where they could make multiple visits. They're generally not cheap, but it was a sacrifice that we made and continue to make since we both work 9ish-5ish. Luckily, our service is based in our home town and they give us a little discount since we're so close.

I do like Helen's idea regarding crating him in your car/truck while at work. You would just have to manage coworkers who see this as cruel and unusual, haha. I think it's perfectly fine though considering the weather.

Good luck,

Kevin

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wems2371
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by wems2371 » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:54 pm

Maybe you could crate him at home the first 1/2 of the day (since he'll probably sleep right through it if you play hard before you leave for work), and then take him to work the 2nd half........or just have someone puppysit him the 2nd half??? Denise

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briarpatch
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Re: Crate training....for the rest of us.

Post by briarpatch » Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:33 pm

Make an outside kennel for while you are work (if the weather permits) you can buy the kind you just snap togeather and tarp for a roof they work great for that situation (although the tarp roofs wear out quickly)

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