Hi guys, thanks for replying to my other post. My gsd is now 11 wks old and does great in her crate. I can't say she is 100% house broken, but she hasn't had accidents in the house for about a month now. As she is getting bigger, I feel like I should let her out of her crate more often. My question is how long should one keep a puppy in crate on a daily basis? Should I gradually reduce her crating time as she matures and grows? I don't want to drive her against the wall for being crated too long (I do taker her out for bathroom breaks every two hours). I also would like to know if there are any concerns regarding puppy growth and prolonged crating. Thanks very much for your input.

Andy
My GSD puppy is 16 weeks old and I usually let him out of the crate whenever I can have my eyes on him so that I can guide him out side if I see the tll tale signs that he needs to go out. My understanding is that most young pups sleep abt 16 - 18 hrs a day so I do no think you are over doing it with your pup. Just make sure that you are spending time with her and that she gets some romp around time. My puppy does great in the crate and is even going to the door and sitting down to let me know that he needs some relief. He is still just a puppy and he is not finished house training yet, but he will get there. Good Luck
Treat them like an animal
Train them like an animal
Love them like a person

Andy, the formula most quoted for crating a pup is no more hours than the dog is months old, + 1.
An 11 week old pup is almost 3 months old....so no crating for more than 4 hours at a time. Since you say you are taking the pup out every 2 hours then you are well within the formula.
But I see your point....even taking the pup out to potty on a regular basis helps with house breaking but does not allow much time for socialization.

This is what we have done with our dogs as pups: our kitchen has a hard floor so is easily cleaned in case of an "accident". Baby gates at the openings keep the pup in that one room, and for 30/45 min or so, after the pup has been outside to relieve itself, and a couple of times a day, it is allowed to explore free and play with toys. Of course someone is always there in the kitchen to monitor the pup.
Pups that young spend most of their time sleeping so that is more than enough stimulation at one time.

As the pup ages, the time is increased, and when it becomes apparent that the dog is housebroken, ie, signals to go out, it is allowed in the rest of the house (supervised of course, since we don't like our couch being chewed! Lots of bones and chewy things lay around to discourage teeth on OUR stuff!)

Nights are spent in the crate (in our bedroom) with the door closed, and depending on the dog and it's rate of maturity, this is the program for most of it's first year. Our black Am/WG dog matured pretty fast and was reliable out of the crate at night at about 8 months; the WG/DDR bitch was crated at night until about 12 months old, otherwise she went rumaging through the waste baskets in the bathrooms! (Getting up to a carpet covered with shredded tissues is funny, but gets old fast!)

This worked in our household, but you will have to work out your own program. Common sense and compassion will show you the way....I like the way Terry expressed it at the end of that posting <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I've seen several cases of dogs that were crated in the wrong size crates and/or were crated for grossly unacceptable periods of time who have various levels of malformities.

Bow legs, crooked hocks, bad hips, and general muscle apathy.



If you have to keep the dog confined for extended periods of time put together an outdoor dogrun or kennel. At the very least make sure the crate is large enough for the dog to stretch out in and move around in freely.

Dogs in crates are fine, I use crates. They are safe and are necessary. I don't put developing dogs in crates for extended periods of time though, that sucks.

My advise is to get the dog in a kennel. I'd rather put a bark collar on a young dog and put him out in a kennel than box him up in a crate for most of the day.

My own pups will spend time inside in crates as necessary, will spend the night in the crate till they can do it without trouble or messes (six hours or so), but will be put in a kennel ASAP for their primary housing. It's better for my sleep at night, it's better for the dog to have some extra room, and I think it is better for their development to be able to move around and be active when they want to be.