Sorry - it's me again!  I've been doing some more reading in preparation for the arrival of our puppy and I have some questions.  (Puppy is an Estrela Mountain Dog arriving 31/3)

Firstly, I have bought a crate large enough for our dog when it's an adult, with a divider.  However, it is so huge that it can't be moved from our kitchen, and it also won't fit in our car.  Should I buy another smaller crate so that I can move it around the house when we're at home, use for travelling in the car, and for the dog to sleep in when we are visiting friends? 

I was planning to put a blanket in the crate for the dog to sleep on, but am considering getting a pet carrier and using that inside the crate as a bed, then using it instead of a smaller crate for travelling.  What do you think?

Secondly - Everything I have read says you need to get your puppy used to the crate and want to go in there.  I imagine that would take a day or two at least... so what do you do on the puppy's first night?  I imagine locking it in its crate and disappearing off to bed isn't going to make the puppy like its crate much!  What if it refuses to go back in its crate after toilet breaks?  This doesn't appear to be covered in my puppy books.  (I've got Before & After Getting Your Puppy (Dunbar) The Perfect Puppy (Bailey) and The Culture Clash (Donaldson))

Thirdly - Could you please confirm that this is what's meant to happen with crate training:  Puppy has a toilet break.  Puppy has 10 - 30 minutes of supervised free play/training session then goes back in the crate.  When an hour has passed since last toilet break, puppy has another toilet break.  Repeat. 

I'm a bit concerned that the puppy is going to be caged for quite a lot of the day, albeit for 30 - 50 minutes at time.  Is that right?  It has been able to run around freely with its littermates all this time, surely it is going to hate being locked up all the time??  I need reassurance that this is right so that I can be confident I'm doing the right thing when the puppy arrives.

Fourthly - Ian Dunbar suggests feeding the puppy its meals stuffed into a Kong.  My breeder has told me the puppy is going to be on dry food, so how do I get it to stay in the Kong?  I could use peanut butter/cream cheese but surely that's fattening/bad if I'm doing it daily?  I'm also worried about giving too many treats - it sounds like I'll be offering food treats for just about everything in the first few weeks, so how do I make sure she doesn't end up being overfed?

So many questions.... I really appreciate your help.  I haven't owned a dog for 15 years and I've never owned a puppy... it shows.

Hi Alicey :)

>Should I buy another smaller crate so that I can move it around the house when we're at home, use for travelling in the car, and for the dog to sleep in when we are visiting friends?

You could consider buying a smaller fabric crate for when your dog is crate trained and use that for visiting etc.  I prefer to use car cages that are built to fit the model of car as these IMO are more rigid and secure plus allow a free flow of air when travelling :)
edited to add: IMO, adult dogs should not need crated at home - it's handy to have a full sized cage for emergencies and to keep your dog used to it for vet visits etc, but ideally over time your dog should be trained to accept being loose at home and you confident that it wont chew, damage, endanger itself or others :)

> so what do you do on the puppy's first night?  I imagine locking it in its crate and disappearing off to bed isn't going to make the puppy like its crate much!

Exactly :D  I never leave pups alone overnight, preferring them to come into our bedroom however as that's not everyone's idea of bliss you could sleep overnight for the first few nights/week in the same room as you intend setting the cage up in so the puppy can see, hear and smell you :)  That way you are also on hand to let the puppy have regular toilet breaks throughout the night so helps expedite toilet training too.

>Thirdly - Could you please confirm that this is what's meant to happen with crate training

Your perception is not quite what's intended ;)  Arrange a week in advance that when collected from the breeder you can have a (previously left) blanket/toy/towel smelling of it's mum and littermates  Keep this wrapped up in a bag until the pup's first bed-time.  During the day, I feed pups in their crates - door open at all times;  always have a comfy bedding area in there - for the first 3 weeks minimum I'd say preferably with a T-shirt or PJs carrying your scent - to encourage the puppy to relax.  Only put the puppy in the crate for meals and then when it is clearly falling asleep on it's feet :P  That way you're not shutting it away from fun, games, exploration etc but giving the puppy a personal "den" to feel secure in while sleeping.  Covering all sides except the door of the crate with a blanket at sleep times will also enhance the ambiance!  This way your puppy will in fact spend very little time in it's cage compared to what you fear.  You also have to ensure over time that the puppy can be safely crated when you're going out without resenting it so read on .....  :D

>Ian Dunbar suggests feeding the puppy its meals stuffed into a Kong

Keep this trick for periods when the puppy is left unattended in the crate or loose in the house :)  It needn't be the pup's meal but can be as kibble (depending on size relating to size of kong) will release randomly.  You could add a little cream cheese, pate, sandwich spread etc to the inside of the kong to help adhesion and also make for a more interesting time for the puppy.

Re treats -I dont treat for every toilet break - only lots of excited verbal praise and cuddles when the pup performs on command :)  Young pups go a LOT so you would be in danger of over feeding or upsetting the tummy by treating for this function.   Keep the treats for "manners" type training especially - recall!

HTH, and good luck.  I'm glad you're finding the forum helpful - and we all need to continue to learn so don't be shy ;)   Teri 

Hi Teri,

Thank you so much for all the helpful advice.  I think I'll try leaving the crate door open but letting the pup have the run of the house in the daytime as that seems much nicer than keeping it in the crate.  I'll feed meals in the crate and crate the pup at night.  I like the idea of only using the stuffed Kong when I go out so the puppy thinks, "Oh goody, she's leaving, now where's my tasty snack?" :D

I probably won't bother with a second crate and will get a car harness instead, they are much more appropriate for our size of dog/size of car :D

Thanks again,

Alice

I wouldn't let a puppy have 'the run of the house' :D Not, at least, until a) they are reliably house-trained and b) they can be trusted not to chew/eat things :D :D I would keep the puppy restricted to one room unless totally supervised, until you can be sure that it can be trusted :)

Daisy

Our pup was restricted to one room, with a tiled floor in case I wasn't quick enough to spot the signs of him needing to go out, and because it was far easier to totally puppy proof the one room rather than the whole house, We used a crate for those times when he could not be supervised or it would have been dangerous for him to be loose - taking food out the oven, answering the phone etc - and also at night. As he was a rescue pup who had spent a week in rescue in a run all by himself he was used to being alone so at night he went in his crate with the door open and free access to a small playpen.

The crate was then used at night for about 5 months, with the door shut, and the odd time we had to pop out. I used the crate as a means of keeping the pup safe and secure and for giving him his own refuge when he wanted it and not for any other reason. He got used to it very quickly - cried for half an hour the first night ( we ignored him) and 10 minutes the second night and then not a peep unless he needed to go out in the night.

As he grew older and more reliable we removed the playpen and left the cage door open at all times and he would usually choose to sleep in his cage at night. Once he had outgrown the cage it was removed and he now has an ordinary bed and free range of the house when we are at home, and restricted to hall, kitchen, bathroom ( he likes to sleep in the stone shower tray in the summer :) )and conservatory if we go out at all.

Used in this manner I found a crate to be an asset for a small pup.