Crate training Question

BrookieD

Hi Guys
Background - So Charlie is with us just over 4 weeks now and is settling into the house hold really well. Crate training has been brilliant and he has taken really well to it during the day and at night. During the night the routine is to get him out into the garden for the last toilet of the day about 9- 9:30 pm, while he is outside i bring the crate up to my bedroom and then come back for himself. Take him straight upstairs and into the crate. He settles within a min or two and is down pretty much all the time for the night until i am up at 5am. Once i am ready i take the crate down stairs, send himself into the garden for early morning business. Quick feed and 10 mins on my lap before i head out the door.

At this stage it is 5:45am and he is on his own in the living room until 7 - 7:30 until MrsB arrives to again send him out. No crying or fuss at all..

I want to start to move him into the living room for the night. Given he is here sleeping part of the night and is fine with the environment I think it should be ok. He is 14 weeks and can hold himself most nights but on occasion needs a midnight wee.

Question
Is 14 weeks to early to move him or should he be ok so long as i can hear him cry for a toilet break if there is a need?

VonVix

How about moving gradually? Say, if his crate is in your bedroom next to your bed, put it next to the bedroom door, then just outside the door, see how he gets on having you out of sight or even just further away than you usually are.

Now, every dog is different and there are details when it comes to your circumstances that I don't know about which could change things... But I was very, very wary about moving my GSD when he was a pup out of my sight during the night when he was crated, for reasons of avoiding separation anxiety. He is now 1.5 years old and has no separation anxiety when I leave him, I put this down to avoiding allowing him rehearsing the feeling of being separated and the anxiety of it during a very impressionable period of his life, which I consider 14 weeks to be very much an impressionable age.

A lot of people say your dog has to "get used" to being alone and separated from people from a young age, but after seeing how it worked out with my GSD (a breed which can be prone to separation anxiety), from my own experience now, I'm pretty sure I disagree with this statement...

Question for you! Is the crate usually in the room people are in? How often is Charlie left alone (as in, nobody in the home) in the crate during the day, if at all? Is he ever left alone during the day, even outside the crate? How does he cope? Does he cry as you leave? Etc?

BrookieD

Thanks for the reply -
I would say Charlie is left alone daily for about an hour or two at the most. this lets MrsB to get shopping done etc and he is fine with this.

Due to one of the kids not liking the dark I leave the landing light on minimal brightness over night - leaving charlie in the hallway is not an option due to this - also two bed house means from bedroom, hall, down stairs with no real in between stage.

Just unsure if he may yet be a little young and although settled into the house well would this introduce stress when he is finding his feet so to speak.

FrostyJack

BrookieD wrote: »

Due to one of the kids not liking the dark I leave the landing light on minimal brightness over night - leaving charlie in the hallway is not an option due to this - also two bed house means from bedroom, hall, down stairs with no real in between stage.

Cover the crate in a blanket or towel, that will blacken it out, providing it isn't too warm and he has some air. I found jumping location directly caused us to have to jump back a few steps, so gradual increase in distance has served us well.

BrookieD

Thanks - a cover - would have thought of that..... cheers