with the feedback i received regarding crate training, i think it will be the best option for pup!!...For those of you who have crate trianed your dogs from a puppy...could you give me an idea as to how the first night went?...ive been reading articles sayin ''take the crate to bed with you''...and others saying....put your alarm on for every 4 hours to let pup out to relieve himself...what are your experiences or views????

I put Fagan in his crate on his first night in the kitchen, I sat with him for about 5 minutes stroking him and he went to sleep I left a little night light on for him and went to bed.  He got me up twice the first night, I got up put him out for a wee put him back in his crate and went back to bed, I didnt hype him up or play with him but I did switch the radio on to give him some company.  For the first week he got me up a couple of times a night for a wee, usually about 2am and 5am, this then went down to just 5am.  He did whine occasionally when first shut in but you have to learn to ignore that.  He is now 13 weeks and has his crate door open at night, he NEVER soils in the house. (thats a lie he had the runs last weekend, my OH heard him whine about 3am but couldnt be bothered to get up so he had to go in the kitchen poor little mite)  Due to his crate training and us being so vigilant he only ever had a couple of accidents in the house.   If you pup doesnt settle well you could always start the crate off in the bedroom, when we first got Fagan I had to go away for a night and OH put him in a crate in the bedroom because he was worried he wouldnt wake up if he whined, in the end OH had to wake pup up in the morning because pup had slept right through ;)

niceguy,i`ve had my puppy 4 days and this is what we did the first and following nights.put one of those loudish ticking clocks next to the crate, had a radio on low,turned all lights off (as recommended by breeder)also pulled blinds down so morning light to a minium)as you know at this time of year the suns coming up at 5 ish),covered crate to make it feel safe and cosy,had a piece of vet bed from the litters bed.i didnt get up in the night as advised not to, but my pup is small and he`s in a large crate so has a sleeping side and a toilet side if needed.also my crate is in the kitchen.he`s slept roughly 11pm till 5am or 6am ish so far.did`nt put a hot water bottle in for 2 reasons 1.not sure if it was made of thick enough rubber if he chewed it 2.it wouldn`t stay warm all night, maybe half the night so didn`t bother.hope that`s some help when`s your pup coming ?and let us know how you get on !also make sure each day when pups whinning that you don`t jump to it`s beck and call or he`ll try at night.best of luck get some early nights in before pup comess baxter

Niceguy,
I was told by my breeder to 'start as you mean to go on' so our pup was left in the kitchen the first night. After 2 hrs of constant howling I slept in the kitchen with him (we have very young children next door and I thought it was the best thing). After that fiasco I decided he would sleep in his crate next to my bed, this also meant he could wake me up to take him outside when he needed to go. Gradually I moved the crate further away, then into hall way with door open then room next door then downstairs in the kitchen on his own, in all maybe 4 weeks? Also I worked on seperation during the day for short bursts and within the 4 weeks could leave him to do the shopping for an hour. When we get another pup I shall do it this way - it worked very well for us, although others say not to return to the puppy and just get earplugs! But I couldn't have done that with next door, especially since they've been so understanding about the 7 foot fence thats been put in!

The way I see it is a puppy is a just like a baby.  When a baby cries you comfort it.  It is a big shock for a pup to be taken away from its littermates and left all alone I think if the pup is crying alot then you should put it in your room until it is confident enough to be left alone at night, I think using earplugs is harsh.  I was lucky with my pup, from day one he hasnt really minded being left, occasionally he would have a little whinge but only for a couple of minutes and he would go to sleep.  Before bedtime though we used to try to keep him awake and active for as long as possible, if he started falling asleep we would put him out for a wee, put him to bed then go to bed ourselves no matter what the time was :rolleyes: