[louise12]

We'll be getting our puppy in a few weeks and will have 2 weeks at home with him before we have to go back to work.

He will be left for about 5 hours in total, but this will be broken up into 3 blocks of time (he won't be left longer than 2 hours at once). While he's alone we are intending on leaving him in his crate - we've got a 36"x24" one.

Do I put a small bed area at one end, then newspaper, waterbowl etc at the opposite end? Or should I reduce the area so it's just the size of his bed? I know I need to leave him with plenty of chew toys to keep him occupied, but should I leave his water in or out (sorry if this is a really daft question)

 

[Bock]

The area available should be only big enough to puppy to lay down, get up, turn around, and lay back down comfortably.

Be aware that a bed may not last long if puppy decides to turn it into a chew toy.

Other chew toys are good and water is your call. Obviously leaving water in will increase the times needed to go potty so be aware of that.

 

[rappwizard]

If you have water bowls for the pup in your house (for example, I have a water bowl in the kitchen near the den, and in the master bath near the bedroom) I vote for no water bucket in the crate--the pup will have been able to have been drinking plenty of water while out of the crate, and won't need to be drinking during the two hours it will be in the crate. (should be napping most of the time)

a bowl in the crate--I'd practically bet it will be tipped over in no time--and create a big mess--at least that is what would happen to me--gee, I had water buckets that mine would tip over. so you have my thoughts, for what they are worth!

 

[jwemt81]

Make sure that the crate is not big enough so that the puppy can easily find a spot to relieve himself away from where he sleeps. A crate with a divider is very good for limiting the amount of access the puppy has to the crate. As Bock said, there should only be enough room for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. I would not put any type of bedding in the crate because it will most likely be chewed to pieces. You can put a couple of toys in there, like a Kong or something similar, but nothing else. Don't put newspaper down. That will totally defeat the purpose of crate training. I also would not leave water in the crate. That will only increase the chance of accidents.

 

[louise12]

Make sure that the crate is not big enough so that the puppy can easily find a spot to relieve himself away from where he sleeps. A crate with a divider is very good for limiting the amount of access the puppy has to the crate. As Bock said, there should only be enough room for him to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. I would not put any type of bedding in the crate because it will most likely be chewed to pieces. You can put a couple of toys in there, like a Kong or something similar, but nothing else. Don't put newspaper down. That will totally defeat the purpose of crate training. I also would not leave water in the crate. That will only increase the chance of accidents.

That's what I thought - I just can't help but feel worried about shutting him in such a small space (although I know it's the right thing for him). No bedding at all though? Not even a blanket? Will he be okay just lying on a hard floor?

 

[Shadowboxer]

No bedding at all though? Not even a blanket? Will he be okay just lying on a hard floor?

I put a blanket in with my puppy. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

 

[jwemt81]

That's what I thought - I just can't help but feel worried about shutting him in such a small space (although I know it's the right thing for him). No bedding at all though? Not even a blanket? Will he be okay just lying on a hard floor?

I personally wouldn't put a blanket in. If the puppy were to chew on the blanket, I would worry about him ingesting large pieces of it. We tried putting blankets in Tucker's crate when he was a puppy, but he would literally eat the pieces that he tore off. He did perfectly fine in his crate with no blanket. However, your puppy may not be a very big chewer and do just fine with a blanket or even a soft towel.

 

[Allan's Girl]

The only thing i have to add and somebody touched on it earlier, is to only leave toys that can not be chewed up and ingested. Puppies eat everything!

 

[Shadowboxer]

My pup has never chewed up his blanket (just about the only thing he doesn't chew) and we've got plenty of other things in there to chew on. Just depends on your little chewer I guess.

 

[iluvlucy]

that is great that you'll have 2 weeks to get in a routine. i wouldnt put a blanket because if it was ingested you would feel terrible. lucy chewed like a maniac & ripped things to shred as a pup. how many hours will he be in the crate?

 

[cinnamonteal]

As for the blanket, a lot of goldens actually prefer to sleep on cool, hard surfaces. If I put Caleb's blanket in his crate, he pushes the blanket aside and sleeps on the bare plastic liner.

 

[CarterBoo]

We also had 2 weeks at home with our new puppy last winter when we first brought him home. A book we read in preparation, ("The Art of Raising A Puppy" by Monks of New Skete) had a schedule to follow in the first few weeks with your puppy. It was basically taking them out every 2-3 hours for a potty break, followed by 45 minutes of play, then back in the crate for 2-3 hours. IT WORKED WONDERS. Carter was house trained and crate trained in a week. Puppies need A LOT of sleep, so dont feel bad about leaving him in the crate so often. Also, I would go with other recommendations and only leave enough room for puppy to stand up, circle around and lay back down, and leave the water out of it. Just be sure to offer water whenever he is out of the crate. Anyway, thats what worked for us! Have so much fun, they grow so quickly!

 

[grrrick]

My last puppy ate the blanket. Then she got her nose through the bars and ate the wall.

 

[inge]

And what happened then?

 

[Luci]

As for the blanket, a lot of goldens actually prefer to sleep on cool, hard surfaces. If I put Caleb's blanket in his crate, he pushes the blanket aside and sleeps on the bare plastic liner.

Lucy does this too! But sometimes she does sleep somewhat on it. Another good book is "Before and After Gettting Your Puppy" by Dr Ian Dunbar

 

[Bender]

If you do put in a blanket/bed, make sure it doesn't have stuffing that they can pull out and swallow. An old towel is usually perfect, don't invest much into bedding until they've past the 'destroy it and eat it' stage....

Lana