Crate training-when to start - Page 1

At what age do you start crate training a pup?
I have a very hard time advising people when to start crate training a new pup.
I feel real bad about the thought of a pup leaving me at 8 -10 weeks old, going to their new homes, and instantly getting "locked up" all night.
And I won't even sell a puppy to someone that thinks it's OK to get a puppy, crate it up for the night, AND crate it for the 8-10 hrs they will be at work.
To me, that person does not have the time for a puppy, that the puppy needs.
Any thoughts on this subject?

I would crate the pup immediately.  Putting the pup in a crate at night doesn't mean he/she shouldn't be able to go out; I have one next to my bed and Jagger wakes me up when he needs to go.  I agree that the pup should not be crated all day at this age.  Normally, my GF is home with the pup during the day but she's out of town this week so I'm making a 50 mile round trip home during lunch every day to let him out.

I crate train immediately and then tailor the use to the dog.  Baby puppies I take to work with me and let out 3 times a day (take them on a walk to see things/people - I work on a college campus).  When they are 4 months old or so, I start leaving them home, crated, but then I go home once myself and pay someone to come over later and play with them for a while.  At night I usually let my puppy cuddle with me while I read and then I lay them in their crate when I'm done.  The crate is right next to me (I can reach down and touch the puppy).  When I'm home if I need to do something and keep the puppy out of trouble I use a pen.  Dogs earn freedom as they earn it, basically.  I have no set rule about how much time they can't be or have to be in a crate or what exact age they "graduate", it just depends on the dog.  Right now I only have adults and they are free in the house and not crated at night either.  The same applies to my fosters.  I don't put them in a crate all the time just because, I feel them out and see what they need.  My last foster was an 11 year old GSD and he was never in a crate with me, didn't need it.  I used a baby gate to keep my dogs upstairs and he had the whole basement (with a futon that he was able to get on/off).

I train my pups to be crated right away.  They are crated at night until they are able to be trusted not to do anything stupid while I am sleeping.  The crate for a wee pup is by my bed if they need to go out they cry then I take them out.  I also have a full time job that does not allow me to be home during the day.  So pups are crated.  I have a pet sitter come over mid day to let them out until they are old enough to hold all day.  My dogs now are all old enough to be loose in my house when I am not home.  I also have kennel runs outside with houses in each.  When the weather is nice they go out in a run for the day.  My dogs are exercised in the morning before I go to work and as soon as I get home from work.  I train an average of 3- 4 nights per week.  So to say I shouldn't have a dog because I work away from home all day is ridiculous.  My dogs get plenty of attention.  Would I like to give them more of course, but someone has to make the donuts so to speak.  Dogs adjust to our schedules as long as they are fed properly and get daily exercise and are a part of a family I think they are pretty happy. Every dog I have ever owned has been crate trained and when they are left loose depends on the individual dog and how reliable they are.  I am lucky my dogs don't eat inedibles etc...  Also they all get along so I can leave them together, this is not possible in all cases I know.
 
 

I crated my puppy as soon as she got home at 9 weeks. And she is still crated when i'm at work now at 1 and a half. But i was lucky enough to have a vet that let me day board my pup for the first 9 month at no charge because i worked for him for many years. Only 1 day a week i had to keep her home and that day i went home to let my pup out and eat her lunch. I have no problem with crating my dogs. And i know those "Big" kennels just leave them out in runs all day with out much if any supervision.
Your really lucky if you can find some one who works from home or doesn't currently work to care for that new puppy from you. Most of us chumps work 40 hours and do what we can with our pups to make sure they get off to the right start.
When i had a litter, (nearly 10 years ago) my pups were crate trained at 6 week so they would be comfortable with crates when they went to new homes. And i got rave reviwes from the puppy owners on how much the pups loved their crates because they were already trained to them.
I'm rather know my pup is safely crated then loose at home eating wores or the carpet.
Fry

So I think in the long run, pups would be better off starting their crate training while still with me.
I would not say Lyn that you should not have a puppy because you need to crate it. I. Have a couple of my own that "needed" to be crated when they were younger, and I crated them.
My dogs that are crated love their crates. They choose to go there to sleep,take their bones, etc.,
I appreciate the replies and opinions. I just don't like the buyers that come looking for pups that are not sport and working dog people, and when you ask how they will keep the pup, they say crated. You know more people are not going to make certain the pup gets out during the day than there are that do (hell,some parents don't care if their kids ever leave the front of the TV)

Some say they'll crate because they've been doing research and think that's what working and sport dog breeders want to hear;-)

It's funny - crate training our female involved setting up the crate and that was it. If she's inside the house then she chooses to stay in her crate. Our male has never gone into his crate once without the "crate" command. It took us a long time to crate train Bosco to the point that he'll relax when put in his crate. We persevered since we knew that he'd have to be crated at training. He won't even go into the dog house in his kennel - he just lays outside in all weather on his Kuranda bed. I'll note that the Crate Games video by Susan Garrett really helped us to teach Bosco to tolerate his crate.

My last pup a border collie came to me with crate training from the breeder at 7 weeks.  She was and is the easiest dog I have ever owned.  Potty trained without a hitch.  Quiet in her crate from the first night home.  I also used susan garrett's crate games and carried it right over into our work for building drive and start line stays and a whole lot more.  The only dog that was difficult about the crate was my first GSD who had severe separation anxiety and had a hard time dealing with the whole crate thing.  I put her leash on her at night tied her to my bed post and put her on a bed next to me on the floor worked like a dream.  If she got up I heard her and would take her out to potty then back to bed.  I tried putting the crate in our room but every time she moved she would wake my husband(not good)  so we did it this way.  She ended up being fine but it took a while for her.  She was crated during the day while I was at work and would sometimes be loud while I was gone.  Once I moved her to an outdoor kennel she was much better.  She was crated til she was 3 because she couldn't be trusted.  Then she was able to be loose in the house or outdoor run with no issues.  She was a tough one for sure.  But overall I highly recommend crating begin at a young age.