hello my 7 month old cocker spaniel stays in the crate all day. I'd like to allow her the possibility of staying confined to the kitchen area when we are not there. my question is, should I leave the crate in the kichen area as well? will the dog think that the moment she is out of the crate it is the freedom to do her business and walk back into her clean and dry crate? what is the best way to go about introducing the dog to the house. My puppy is house broken (she will ask for the door when she needs to go out... but will she be able to wait and hold it when we are not there despite being out of her cage?

Joseph,
Crate training has always worked for me. The crate must be sized for the pup to just be able to turn in. Reduce the crate size if necessary with plywood or paneling. Feed and water your pup where you want it to eventually eat (some folks frown on crate feeding). When the puppy has had enough time in the crate to where you think it has to eliminate, pick the dog up from the crate and carry it to a spot outdoors. If the dog does nothing in a reasonable time, pick it up and carry it back to the crate. Give the dog some more time and repeat the process (the dogs feet never touch the floor until it has done it's business outdoors. If done correctly your dog will never eliminate in the house unless left too long. I always crate my pups when I am away from the house for extended periods. They really do need the security that the crate offers them and also prevents the dog from doing damage or injuring himself in your absence (ie: electric shock, choking, etc). Correctly timed praise and reward is necessary for good crate training.

I've read of this training technique a couple of times before where you carry your puppy from his crate to his spot outside to use the bathroom. It is suppose to imprint on him the sensation of grass/rocks under his feet when he needs to eliminate rather than carpet/tile. I understand that you use this method Jerry and it makes a lot of sense to me too, but I was wondering if any of the other experienced trainers on this board have anything to say about this. I kinda think that picking your puppy up every time you take him outside and carrying him back into the house might have some negative consequences that outweigh the imprinting of the grass under his feet trick. Another question I would have is if you started doing this at say 8 weeks old, when do you stop carrying him outside? I would imagine doing this for the first few nights when you bring your 8 week old puppy home might be a good idea, as I've heard that since puppies have a weak bladder they will sometimes end up eliminating the second you take them out of the crate. So would opening the crate in the middle of night, picking up my puppy, and sprinting to the back door be a reasonable assumption of what I will need to do for a few nights when I get my GSD? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

i am not sure my original question was answered, I wanted to know if anyone leaves their dogs outside the crate when they are not home, (ie leave the dog in the basement or kitchen) and if the crate should also be kept nearby OR is leaving the dog not in a crate when nobody is home a bad idea?
thanks for your input

It takes a long time for me to allow my dogs total freedom unsupervised. I see nothing wrong with crating while you are at work. In my home, my almost 3 year old has total freedom, while my 11 month old does not.If I'm not home, she's in her crate still.

hope this helps <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I have 3 dogs:
1. The 15 y/o Beagle is crated daily because he is too unpredictable and has separation anxiety problems...never know when he will destroy a couch, shoes, floor.
2. The 3 y/o Golden has full run of the house because the worst he will do is sleep on my bed when I'm not home.
3. The 13 week old Border Collie is crated because he's still learning about life. Took 2 weeks to housebreak but he still has his puppy teeth and likes to chew.

What I've done with other dogs is to leave them out in the house for 10-15min while you run to the store, etc. Give them little trial runs until you feel they can be trusted to be left out during the day. For some dogs that may never happen, as is the case with my Beagle. Love him, just don't trust the ol' guy!