Crates for bedtime should be in the same room you sleep in… especially with a puppy... if you are rooms away, how would you have any idea that he/she is having a problem? And if you are home, the pup should be with you... and you should be watching him/her.... every minute... the crate is not for your pleasure, so you can do other things... .... or you are bored with watching them every minute.. Certainly if you have to crate when you are out of the house.. that is one thing... but if you are home, they are totally tuned into you being there. If they fall asleep as puppies will do, you can pick them up and put them in the crate... just leave the door open.. and go about your business... but check on the very often.... I have raised many a litter that they are in our family room crashed out or on the back porch for hours sleeping... I can get stuff done while they sleep.. but I keep the eagle eye on them all the time..
When to stop crate training
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Hi all,
I am a first time owner of a basenji. I crate my 8 month old pup when I am at work. I normally come home at lunch to let her out for 30 min. When can I start leaving her out while I am at work? She doesn't chew on furniture because I give her bully sticks while I am home. She did pee on my bed 2 weeks ago while we were playing. Normally she goes to the door when she needs to go. Is she ready for more freedom during the day? -
It's really dependent on the personality of the puppy, if you're willing to sacrifice some household items in the event that the dog isn't ready, and reality.
What I did was set up a time on my offday.....letft skype and webcam on so I could watch the process "away from home"...and left him for several hours alone. But, could come home immediately if things weren't going well... However that might not be an option for you.
You could always just try things out and experiment. My one dog reached his full adult status (personality) by 8 months. The other one I couldn't trust until she was over a year old.
Provided your dog doesn't have anxiety issues or is hyperactive there really isn't a lot to worry about. However, anxiety can lead to costly destruction damage....
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You might want to start off slowly, by restricting the areas she has access to when you aren't there. And make your first few absences brief in case things don't go as planned. Some sort of distraction when you are actually going out the door is good, e.g. give her a bully stick or toy to keep her busy, and never, ever, make leaving a big deal! Or returning. Be as matter of fact as you can. You want her to feel it's normal and nothing special, so don't make a big fuss of her after your absence.
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It depends. I've never had to crate another breed forever, but my one basenji would get destructive if left alone.. the 2nd one would pee on my bed. So crating it was. However, I'm home so they were rarely crated. My current basenji is fine loose as long as she's alone. So like they said, do it slow, confine to an area that is safe and see how it works out. But if you need to keep crating, most dogs sleep far more than people.. up to 17 hrs a day. Just exercise before and lots after so they aren't bored.
