Hiya, I have a 6 month old darling, and he sleeps in his crate at night. I would like to give him his freedom at night, so that he could maybe start sleeping in our bedroom, but I am worried about if he will start peeing, etc. inside while I sleep. What is your experience on this subject??
When did you trust your dog to be loose at night?
- Thread starter candy2100
- Start date
Hi!
I have two german shepherds, one is 3 and the other is 8. I crated both of them at night until they were about 8 months old. When they had complete freedom during the day and evening in the house with no mistakes ever, I started letting them sleep out of their crates at night. The interesting thing is that they both actually preferred to sleep in their crates with the doors open. Both of my dogs are foolproof in the house and I credit it to crating them until I was sure that they could control their bladders.
I had them in my bedroom in their crates, so you might want to start that way, with the crate in the bedroom. Also, if you can close the bedroom door at night and confine them to the bedroom to start, I think they would be less willing make a mistake than if they had the entire house at their disposal!!
I have two german shepherds, one is 3 and the other is 8. I crated both of them at night until they were about 8 months old. When they had complete freedom during the day and evening in the house with no mistakes ever, I started letting them sleep out of their crates at night. The interesting thing is that they both actually preferred to sleep in their crates with the doors open. Both of my dogs are foolproof in the house and I credit it to crating them until I was sure that they could control their bladders.
I had them in my bedroom in their crates, so you might want to start that way, with the crate in the bedroom. Also, if you can close the bedroom door at night and confine them to the bedroom to start, I think they would be less willing make a mistake than if they had the entire house at their disposal!!
great advice stormy, we do the same thing with various breeds and both males and females. Once they are trustable during the day you're probably okay at night. Maybe confine them to a tiled kitchen or something of a comparable size and easyness to clean until they are accident free for a while, then let them onto carpeted areas.
What an interesting post! I have posted numerous threads about my new puppy (7.5 months) and the interesting thing is that he is great at night but makes mistakes during the day. After the posts suggested he is in the crate a bit more now but he's fine. He does not sleep in the crate at night but sleeps in a little bed next to mine. I am an extremely light sleeper so if I hear him stir I take him out and he also scratches the side of my bed when he has to go #2. So far, the night has been best for him.
When my boxer pup was about 4 months, we started leaving her out her playpen during the day but not at night. Even when she was home alone she really just went to our room and slept on our bed. She started chewing up the corner of our bed though so we had to watch her more often. Then we got another dog that was used to being crated during the day so it actually made it easier. They're both crated together during the day and night and they don't mind it. On our days off, we still crate them for about an hour or so even if we're in the same room. It helps to calm them down and they usually just end up taking a nap which isn't so bad.
My Pom is about 18 months old, and we crated him at night until he was about 8 months old. He has had free reign of the house during the day and at night until about 4 or 5 months ago, when he has started destroying everything, and peeing on the couch. We have had to start crating him again, but I feel so terrible, becuase he is crated during the day AND at night. I'm not really sure how to proceed with him now.
My 9 year old Chi. We found him after being abandoned at 4 months old. We crated him at night for a whole 10 days lol... No problems EVER. Our other Chi we adopted her at 8 months and since the day we got her she has had total freedom. Never crated her at all. They both sleep with us.
I started crate training Awesome-O at night and he had free range in the day but our bedroom was upstairs and his crate was downstairs, but one week I was out of town and my husband said he was crying one night and he put him in bed and he has had free range every since. He did not make any mistakes as we put a potty pad in the corner of our bedroom and if he needed to go at night he woule either use the one in our bedroom or go down stairs and use his potty pad (he does not like it when you look at him while he is doing his business) He was about 6 months when we gave him free range.
When I got my golden puppy, we let her sleep in the kitchen for a month. She learned to pee on the newspapers within the first day (THANK GOSH). But, she kept thinking that she could do it anywhere. Gradually, she learned and a month later we decided to let her sleep in my room. It was more of trial and error. Sometimes she would be able to hold it till the morning but sometimes she'd wake up are 3 am to go to the bathroom. Now, she's about 5 months and she can hold it from when she sleeps to when we wake up (11 pm - 6 am). We started walking her outdoors for the bathroom. I really felt it was more trial and error but TRUST ME, i left wee wee pads in my room for emergencies and she used to go. Sometimes, I'd have to clean my floors at 4 am =T but now she's great!
Crate training went well. for the first few months, I woke up every few hours to take her out but eventually she was able to hold it through the night. Her crate has always been in my room so that she's near me at night and during the day she's out with me for the most part. She's older now but her crate is her bed and she runs to it whenever we're in my room. I recently started cracking the door open and will do that for a while then crack it some more until I know that she will not wake up at night and go to a corner to do her business.
I hate being so paranoid but ever since we moved to the house, she's had a few accidents, I think I gave her too much freedom too soon and now I'm having to undo and redo that. I just need to figure out how to get her to give me consistent (and maybe audible) warning that she needs to be taken out.
I hate being so paranoid but ever since we moved to the house, she's had a few accidents, I think I gave her too much freedom too soon and now I'm having to undo and redo that. I just need to figure out how to get her to give me consistent (and maybe audible) warning that she needs to be taken out.
Was she from a pet store? It seems that pet store pups are more likely to go where they sleep simply because that's the pet store environment.
Also, how old is she? Mine still has the occasional accident and it really frustrates me. It's certainly a lesson in patience.
Also, how old is she? Mine still has the occasional accident and it really frustrates me. It's certainly a lesson in patience.
I've read that puppies can hold their bladder an hour for every month of age. I don't know if it is scientific or not, but I found it to be more or less true w/ my dog and my parents dogs. As my dog got older, he went out less and less and for example, when he was 6 months old, he wanted to go out every 5-6 hours and didn't need to go when I took him out ever 2 hours or so, as I tended to do.
So, long story short- when he could hold it for 6 hours or so, the normal amount of time I sleep at night.
So, long story short- when he could hold it for 6 hours or so, the normal amount of time I sleep at night.