[PaddleAddict]

Hello! I was hoping to get some feedback from poodle owners regarding cratetraining and potty training. I did not cratetrain my last two dogs, but I really would like to crate train our miniature poodle (he will be about 15 weeks when we get him).

My plan is to have two crates, one for downstairs in the living room and one for upstairs in our bedroom (for sleeping). The downstairs crate will be to confine him for brief periods when we are not right there with him. We are also going to baby gate off this area so he doesn't have full run of the house, even when we are right there. I also will have him on a leash whenever he is out of the gated living room area. I don't want to give too much freedom too soon and create the opportunity to have potty training accidents.

I am wondering about having to go out at night… I am guessing he won’t be able to hold it overnight at 15 weeks, but maybe I am wrong here. I’ll have to play it by ear of course, but I’ll take him out right before bed of course.

Any tips for crate/potty training, especially when it comes to poodles (this is my first poodle) would be greatly appreciated!

 

[schpeckie]

I was wondering how you are making out with this. I will be getting 2 new puppies next month, and my previous dog of 18 years was raised in a cardboard box. With all this talk of crates and kennels, it seems this is the best way to go now. I already have baby gates for them and I am looking at possibly a wire crate. Any ideas would be great! Danke!

 

[Olie]

Crates are the BEST way to go! If you do a search you will find tons of conversations

 

[Fluffyspoos]

You already seem like you know what you're doing! With my standard, I just took him out every morning at about 3 or 4 am until he was about.. 4-5 months? He's been sleeping through the night without potty breaks for some time now.

 

[Cdnjennga]

Ha, before I looked at the date, I was so confused! I was like Paddle is getting another mini?!

Yes, crate training is the way forward! Darcy slept through the night in his and never had an accident (from about midnight to 7 or 8 am) from 9 weeks.

 

[schpeckie]

So, for 2 toy poodles, a medium wire crate would be good, yes? I would like to keep them together since they are sisters!

 

[Olie]

So, for 2 toy poodles, a medium wire crate would be good, yes? I would like to keep them together since they are sisters!

Personally I would have 2 Having siblings is very doable (some will disagree) but I think when you do this they should have separate spaces. The one thing you want to do when taking siblings is to NOT have them as "one" so to speak. So you can develop them with their own personalities and so their attention is on you during training especially. Sometimes siblings can be difficult as they can tend to become more one than two pets. The focus becomes about each other, and not the owners.

I have sibling Poms and their living spaces (crates) are separate.And the first year I kept their crates in different spaces not so close to each other as well. I also took them on walks separately for quite sometime. They can really become dependent on being with each other if placed together too much from a young age. I have read about so many horror stories on separating the dogs and giving one up because the dogs became so fixated to be together.

It didn't happen to us, but then again I followed some of the things I read because I didn't want them having separation issues.

Just my thoughts on it. But it is doable My situation worked great.

Here is a site, I briefed thru http://www.caninedevelopment.com/Sibling.htm it seemed to have some good tips. Again this is not an all the time solution but more of a best practice with 2 pups.

 

[schpeckie]

Thanks so much! I can also see your point with these siblings becoming too attached to each other. So, maybe 2 crates would be the best way to go right now. The link you had sent is wonderful! Danke schon!

 

[PaddleAddict]

I absolutely agree with Ollie, not only about the separate crates, but also separate bonding and training time with you so they focus on you more than each other.

As far as my experience, Jager LOVES his crate. He won't sleep in the bed with us, he just wants his crate. It's been excellent for traveling and potty training...

Good luck with your two pups!

 

[schpeckie]

Thanks everyone for the information!

 

[FozziesMom]

add me to list of the happy believers in crates. Fozzie demands to go in there at night and will not lie down to sleep unless i close and lock the door.

our second crate in the living room is his airline and travel crate. So he sees that as a home away from home when he can't be here. Others like the soft sided crates...either way, good to have them, and as others have pointed out, some times they need crate rest after an injury or surgery and this keeps em safe and keeps them calm when at the vet's, groomer etc where they may also be caged/crated.

 

[schpeckie]

Excellant! I've already got a few crates lined up including a smaller one for travelling. Gosh, this is far cry from when I got my first poodle 18 years ago. The cardboard box lined with towels was a real comfort zone for her along with her stuffed bugs bunny!

 

[partial2poodles]

WELL, this little thread is right up my alley. My daughter is having a rough time with her new puppy, a little Boston Terrier named Tucker. Tucker is dog 3 with 2 adult chihuahuas. He is tooooo playful and thinks outside is playtime...but will immediately come back in and pee and poop. He is also a cage pooper/stepper in it, also.

So I am taking him on Monday for 3 weeks of boot camp. I just ordered him an exercise pen. I'm thinking: if he doesn't get to play and run around after the big dogs, if he is confined to an ex-pen, and I WATCH to see if he pees and poops and bring him back in, I think I will get him used to the idea that outside is not playtime.

It has been in the 90's and she has a teething baby. I KNOW its hard and she really should have waited till the baby was older but, OH WELL. I know Bostons are very smart. He was HOME-RAISED locally, not a puppy mill...so I don't know why he is a cage pooper/dancer. Most Bostons are clean like cats and wont soil their paws. Anyone have any BETTER advice with this breed. I never had one before.

 

[Olie]

So I am taking him on Monday for 3 weeks of boot camp. I just ordered him an exercise pen. I'm thinking: if he doesn't get to play and run around after the big dogs, if he is confined to an ex-pen, and I WATCH to see if he pees and poops and bring him back in, I think I will get him used to the idea that outside is not playtime.

The crates and the xpens are amazing together for training! I have 3 of them and still use them for various different things including keeping the ducks out from eating grass seed LOL - they are worth every penny regardless. My GF has a dog going through training and I gave her an x-pen to use weeks ago and she has yet to incorporate it with his training and boundries. I told her I was going to come take him and get him trained!

And its perfect for seperating 2 dogs as well.

 

[SnorPuddel]

Both mine are crate trained, and sleep in their crates at nite. My kitty likes crates too
Crate training is IMHO important.

 

[schpeckie]

Well, the girls 2 rooms are all ready - 2 crates, 2 puppy beds, 2 blankets and many many toys! I also borrowed from my sister a pet cargo kennel, big enough for the 2 of them to be transported home already.... next week! I've already signed them up for puppy kindergarten in November! I think I am set and ready! One more thing, do you put their food and water inside the crate or do you take them to a different area to eat?

 

[Feralpudel]

I am a big fan of walking puppies on lead to pee and poop. Not much fun at 2 in the morning, and the neighbors have seen my bedhead in all its glory. But you *know* what the pup is or isn't producing, and you can better send a message that the trip outside is about business. And you can quickly praise and introduce a command that they associate with doing their business. And they learn to go on lead. I was shocked to learn of dogs who won't pee or poop on lead, and their owners have a terrible time when they are traveling or go to shows. That, along with knowing how to chill in a crate, is a doggie life skill in my book.

 

[debjen]

One more thing, do you put their food and water inside the crate or do you take them to a different area to eat?

Mine eat in their crates. That way I can monitor who is eating or not(not really a problem at my house) ...but if someone is not eating it is an indication that they might not be feeling well..also the dominant personality is not getting all of the food..I shut the doors but do not lock them so when they are done eating they can push open the door and come out..of course I am usually there anyway watching as the whole process only takes a minute or less..LOL