# Do I need to crate train?



## newpuppy (Mar 29, 2011)

My puppy knows to use her wee wee pad 80% of the time. Right now she sleeps in a crate placed inside an x pen. The crate door is always open. Inside the pen she has food, water, toys, and wee wee pad. To get her wee wee pad trained 100% of the time, should I close the crate door and use traditional crate training methods? 

I would also love it if she didn't have to potty at all in the middle of the night. I hate waking up to that smell! During the day when I'm not home she's left in her pen with her wee wee pad. Is it too confusing if she has access to the wee wee pad during the day and have freedom within her x pen, but be crated at night? 

Also, will crate training help me fix other behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety, barking, and whining?


----------



## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

I trained Rocky only with the crate. It depends how many hours you leave her alone. I could stay out for three hours and know that Rocky was fine in his crate. I slowly went up to four or five hours. I don't think it's confusing for the dog to be in a pen during the day and the crate at night. But I do know that crate training teaches them to hold it in faster than pad training. I also used it during the night and Rocky didn't get us up when he was a puppy till about 5am, then when he got older it became a game to wake Daddy up at 2am. I never put water in the crate either. Now he doesn't stay in a crate at all and sleeps with us at night. He can hold it in for hours and I never worry he is going to potty in the house. I don't leave him alone for more than six hours during the day. Crate training made potty training easy. When I was home, I took him out every hour in the beginning. The more successful times they go outside the faster he will potty train. Mistakes will happen. How old is she? I didn't notice if you mentioned it. Oh and yes, do close the crate, make sure she has a blankie and some safe toys while you are out during the day.



newpuppy said:


> My puppy knows to use her wee wee pad 80% of the time. Right now she sleeps in a crate placed inside an x pen. The crate door is always open. Inside the pen she has food, water, toys, and wee wee pad. To get her wee wee pad trained 100% of the time, should I close the crate door and use traditional crate training methods?
> 
> I would also love it if she didn't have to potty at all in the middle of the night. I hate waking up to that smell! During the day when I'm not home she's left in her pen with her wee wee pad. Is it too confusing if she has access to the wee wee pad during the day and have freedom within her x pen, but be crated at night?
> 
> Also, will crate training help me fix other behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety, barking, and whining?


----------



## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

newpuppy said:


> My puppy knows to use her wee wee pad 80% of the time. Right now she sleeps in a crate placed inside an x pen. The crate door is always open. Inside the pen she has food, water, toys, and wee wee pad. To get her wee wee pad trained 100% of the time, should I close the crate door and *use traditional crate training methods? *
> 
> I would also love it if she didn't have to potty at all in the middle of the night. I hate waking up to that smell! During the day when I'm not home she's left in her pen with her wee wee pad. Is it too confusing if she has access to the wee wee pad during the day and have freedom within her x pen, but be crated at night?
> 
> Also, will crate training help me fix other behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety, barking, and whining?


 
I don't think you'll regret crate training. If your dog is comfortable in a crate, it makes any kind of travel easier. I also put the dogs in a crate when service people and repairmen are at the house.


----------



## jan149 (Jul 23, 2010)

I crate trained Haley. I kept her in her crate when not at home (never more than 4 hours at a time) and when I got back, took her to the door, took her paw to the bell and said "outside" and took her immediately outside to go potty. 

As a puppy, when she wasn't in her crate and just out, I took her out every hour, did the same "outside" routine and praised her when she went. It did take about a year to have her fully trained, but now she'll ring the bell like a champ and doesn't have accidents inside unless she gets too excited. She also loves her crate as well - it's her little den and she sleeps in it at night. I'd recommend making it her little comfy home and training will be easier - just remember to be consistent and praise whe your dog does what you want.


----------

