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A Few Questions.....

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blondie55

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Hi All,
I am new to the forum and have a few questions if you don't mind...
So we are due to pick our shih tzu puppy up in 2 weeks when he will be 8 wks old.
My background is that a year ago my beloved 17 year old yorkie passed away and after a year to give myself some time we've decided we now feel ready for a new addition! Our home really isn't the same without a dog! Anyway it seems a lots changed since I last had a pup in the house and i have never before heard of 'puppy crates'. The way i trained Oscar (17 years ago) was to leave him in the bathroom (at night and when i went out) with his dog bed and newspaper by the door. During the day i would stand with him in the garden every half hour or so while he did his business. So now i keep reading about crates and crate training.... is this a better way than what i did before? What happens at night with really young pups who can't hold themselves??? if they are locked in a crate without papers down? I am confused!
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Congratulations of the imminent arrival of your new pup - you must be very excited!

A crate is marvellous for a puppy - if it is used the right way. It should be introduced as a safe haven with her bed inside and a warm cover over it - not a prison, and the puppy should quickly become accustomed to the security and cosiness of it. You should never put a pup in a crate and shut it away at night out of hearing range! Ideally the pup will be in the crate in your bedroom and you will hear when it needs to go outside for a wee, so you can quickly pop it outside to get the desired result! Used in that way housetraining should be easier as you are supervising and praising the pup the instant she does her business. It really is imperative that the pup does not soil inside the crate, as this defeats the whole purpose of what you are trying to achieve. If you absolutely have to leave the pup for longer than she can hold on, you must leave the crate door open and expect to clean up when you come home. Housetraining might take a little longer, but you'll get there in the end.

A crate trained pup can be popped inside if you can't be there to watch it - I'm sure you know just how much mischief they can create in the time it takes you to answer the door!

Hope this helps.
 
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Thanks Tigernidster.... Is it ok for the pup to be put in the back garden (supervised) to toilet before he has had his injections or will i need to wait till he's had both vets appointments??
 
Your back garden will be fine - he'l need to let of steam and have a run around and that's the ideal place to do it! You will want to get him into the habit of knowing that is where he has to ask to "go" so pop him out as often as you can - on waking, after food, after play sessions. In fact, as often as you can and he will very soon get the idea!
 
Hello Blondie - Welcome to Dog Forum - I am Anna! :)

Have you got any pics of your new to be baby?
 
Welcome!!

Sooooo exciting - your house will be full of the fun that a puppy brings!!
 
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Thanks Everyone!We pick him up sunday 10th Feb so only a couple more weeks. The breeder txted me to let me know he was doing well and sent me a pic to my phone so i will have to figure out how to upload it here! xxx
 
love to see some pics of your cute little pup!
 
If you click on 'More Reply Options' you can upload straight into the forum.... x
 
Tigernidster said:
Congratulations of the imminent arrival of your new pup - you must be very excited!

A crate is marvellous for a puppy - if it is used the right way. It should be introduced as a safe haven with her bed inside and a warm cover over it - not a prison, and the puppy should quickly become accustomed to the security and cosiness of it. You should never put a pup in a crate and shut it away at night out of hearing range! Ideally the pup will be in the crate in your bedroom and you will hear when it needs to go outside for a wee, so you can quickly pop it outside to get the desired result! Used in that way housetraining should be easier as you are supervising and praising the pup the instant she does her business. It really is imperative that the pup does not soil inside the crate, as this defeats the whole purpose of what you are trying to achieve. If you absolutely have to leave the pup for longer than she can hold on, you must leave the crate door open and expect to clean up when you come home. Housetraining might take a little longer, but you'll get there in the end.

A crate trained pup can be popped inside if you can't be there to watch it - I'm sure you know just how much mischief they can create in the time it takes you to answer the door!

Hope this helps.
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The above is all the same things that I would say about crate training. It really is handy, and keeps both pup and house safe. Also once a dog is used to the crate you can then take that dog (and its crate) anywhere and it will know it has a safe place. They are great for hotel rooms, for when travelling and staying with friends. My goal is to have them crate-free in our home around a year old, but whenever a crate comes out for a new pup or for a trip, they will all go in willingly. Our oldest used to kick the puppies out so she could have alone time in the crate LOL.

It took me a while to come round to the idea as I'd never used one before, but what sold me on it was that the dog would always have their 'safe zone' when travelling. Everything else worked as well, but that last one tipped me over into using it. Having the crate when travelling meant that if they were unsure or confused they always had one spot they knew was absolutely theirs.

As tigernidster says I wouldn't lock them out of hearing through the night to start with. You will want to hear when they stir and need to go out. Make sure when you do take them out it is strictly for doing their business. Use whatever cue you use to encourage them to go, praise them well and then straight back to bed. No other interaction or they will wake themselves up to try to get you to play. Over the first couple of weeks the time they wake up should get later and later till they sleep through the night.

If you don't want the dog in the bedroom you can start with the crate in the bedroom, then outside the bedroom door and slowly move it away until you have it where you want over a few weeks. OR you can start by sleeping downstairs with the crate for the first week or so if you are in a position to do so. It's difficult for pups to make an immediate transition from sleeping with a whole pack to sleeping completely alone, so having your company is good.

I have to confess ours sleep in bed with us. I sleep lightly so know when they wake up (I also put cat bells on their collars so I recognise the difference between the adult dog tags and the puppy collar jingle) and if I can encourage them to settle they will, and if they have to go they won't settle. A quick outside to pee and they settle straight back to bed. I know that's not for everyone though.

Best of luck with your new babe.
 
Hi there,

How exciting! I bet you cant wait!

My friend breeds shih tzu's & i have to say they are cute little guys especially as pups.

I always get a really large crate (infact i have many!) but i like a huge one for a pup so i can set up a bed one end & newspaper the other with room for toys & water etc. I always start off with the crate in my bedroom i find just the knowing that you are there comforts them & i have never had a pup that hasnt settled on the first night. Unlike the one pup that i thought i would try leaving with the run of the kitchen being that she was an afghan pup & i thought would appreciate the freedom but she howled her head off until i took her up to bed!

For small dogs & toys i like the soft mesh crates as they are light & easy to move around but for larger breeds like whippets etc i use the metal crates as they would just shred the mesh & be out in an instant!

Good luck & keep us posted :))
 
Nina and Chelynnah Thanks ever so much for all your help and tips. Only a week to go now before we pick up our pup. We decided to go ahead and invest in a crate so its at the ready!
 
blondie55 said:
Nina and Chelynnah Thanks ever so much for all your help and tips. Only a week to go now before we pick up our pup. We decided to go ahead and invest in a crate so its at the ready!
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You're very welcome. Hope everything transitions smoothly for you
 
I've never used a crate but then again I've never had a puppy and only seem to end up with older dogs from a rescue. (One day i'll have a puppy! lol).

After doing lots of reading on crates, they do seem to be very good for the dog if used in the right way.

The problem lies when people use it as punishment for the dog.

Dogs in the wild naturally will have 'dens' and it makes sence that they would prefer there own 'den' in the house to get away from it all when it's a bit too much.

From reading it seems sometimes people run into trouble when the crate is too big for the dog. Dogs will not normally want to use the toilet where they sleep. A crate incourrages this however a crate that has lots of space MAY mean that the dog will sometimes go to the toilet in their crate.

In my limited experience though the key with any training is praise the good things (or the things that you want the dog to do) and ignore the bad.
 
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