Dog Crate/Duration

ThirdMan

Hi. My 5 month old pup sleeps in a crate at night. He's in there for 8 hours, with a toilet break after 4 hours. I've read that this is an acceptable amount of time. It has really helped with his toilet training, and it has been invaluable in getting him to relax and stop wrecking the place.

He spends most of the day in the garden, save for an hour or two while I'm cooking or whatever. My problem is I'd like to bring him into the living room at night. But with the wet weather we're having (and the amount of time he spends running around in his soiled grass) he's always really wet and stinky.

I just can't let him run around freely. Not until he's fully toilet trained and I have the garden segregated to allow me to keep his toilet area properly cleaned.

Anyway, I'm worried that if he's in his crate for two or three hours in the evening it will be too much, seeing as he's already spending 8 hours in there at night.

Also, I've been told that to make full use of the crate as a toilet training tool, I should have him in there often, so that he's continually building an association between being inside and holding his toilet, and being outside and reliving himself .

The alternative to these additional hours in the crate is to leave him outside. And in this weather he spends most of that time in his kennel. I keep telling myself he's more comfortable inside. But a dog presumably doesn't think like that.

So, any suggestions or advice?

Thanks.

jsabina

Just my experience..
My dog (3 months old) doesn't like at all being in the garden.
So he is usually in the house with me and going out for toilet breaks.
He is in the crate during the night with no problem.

During the day in the house he has some accident in the evening peeing around, but every day less and I always keep an eye on him.
Obviously he is dirty from the garden and wet, the house was terrible for few days.. I am trying to get him used that I will clean his paws etc before he can come back inside.

I am feeling bad to crate him in the evening as I am working most of the day.. but it's a good tool to make him relax.. I am using it always less and less.

You could dry his paws etc before to bring him inside and if he is in the same room with you, you will notice when he needs to go to toilet?

tk123

I wouldn't count the hours he's in at night because he's asleep so a couple of hours in the evening with a kong or chew (i'd recommend antler chews) to keep him busy and entertained would be fine imo? The crate is his bed/den - he should like being in it and will as he gets more used to it so try not to think of it as cruel. You'll get used to the mess btw

ThirdMan

Thanks for the replies. I've been crating him for an hour or two in the evening for the past few days, and then again at night. It doesn't seem to be a problem. He actually seems to be more relaxed when I let him out. So hopefully he's starting ti understand that's how to behave inside.