Crate Training

Our dogs spend their lives in the home with us as members of our family. They have free roam of our home and are not crated or kenneled beyond the time it takes them to be housebroken and trustworthy when left home alone. We screen prospective buyers carefully to make sure our pups are going to homes similar to our own. We do not want to see our puppies end up as outside dogs or spending the majority of their lives living in crates or kennels.

We use a combination of crates and exercise pens to housebreak our puppies. The puppies we breed here are crate trained and sleep in a crate together at nap times and during the night. They do have access to a news papered area to relieve themselves 24/7. Their little bladders are unable to hold their urine overnight until they are over 8 weeks of age.

When you take your puppy home he/she will readily accept a wire crate you provide for him/her. Make sure the puppy doesn't have too large of a crate or he may pee in one corner and go sleep in the other. To take up the excess crate room you can purchase crate divider panels or you can simply place an old cardboard box or milk crate inside. As the puppy grows the cardboard box can be replaced with smaller and smaller boxes until the pup fills out the crate by himself.

Don't expect the puppy to hold his urine overnight for a few weeks. By 12-13 weeks you should be able to sleep throughout the night regularly. Until then expect to get up 1-2 times during the night to take the puppy outside.

Same thing goes during the workday. If you work out of the home full time you may need to use a combination of a crate and ex-pen for the first month or so until the puppy can hold it for longer periods of time comfortably. I recommend attaching the ex-pen to the front of the crate. Create a small papered area so the pup can relieve himself there rather than inside the crate. It is better to come home expecting to clean up soiled papers than to come home to cleaning out a crate and washing blankets.

After a few weeks you should come home and the newspapers should be clean. When that happens you'll know your puppy is gaining control of his bladder and getting on your schedule. Eventually you can phase out the ex-pen area.

By the time the puppy is 5-6 months old you can try putting the puppy in the crate at bedtime but only pretending to latch the crate door behind him. Just push it closed-but don't latch it. By morning his movement may have allowed the door to open. You'll have to sleep with one ear open this night in case he discovers he is free and runs amok. We are hoping he discovers he is free yet still sleeps in his crate or sleeps next to your bed quietly. If he gets up during the night and gets into mischief put him back in his crate and latch the door like normal. Try again in another month. Keep trying until he is finally trustworthy during the night. 

We use this same technique to teach the dogs to be trustworthy in the house without the need of a crate. Trial and error. Leave them out and just drive around the block for 5-10 minutes. If you come home and he was good praise praise praise! If not, then back in the crate and try it again in another month. Then you gradually increase the length you are out of the house 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours etc. They are quick learners.

Once the pups are trustworthy the crates are put away until we have another puppy in our home. Don't expect them to be perfect angels each and every time you leave them home alone. Mine still pull some high jinks from time to time. Couch cushions are on the floor, evidence of them sleeping all over my king sized bed, garbage can knocked over. They can be characters at times! As rare as these little pranks are and as long as no major damage (destroyed furniture, etc) is done how can I complain??

I only use puppy crates when:

1. we are not home

2. at bedtime

3. when we are home but distracted and cannot keep a watchful eye on the puppy. (Such as dinnertime)

If we do not have the time to carefully watch the puppy we will put him in his crate with some toys to entertain himself in a safe area. Same as you would use a playpen for a baby. This will give you a chance to shower, cook, entertain, etc. knowing the puppy is safe and secure from potential dangers.

Puppies are not supposed to live in their crates! Crates are supposed to be a housebreaking aid only. If you want to keep an animal in a crate all the time then go buy yourself a hamster or a gerbil. Danes are not for you! Dogs should never spend more than 8 hours in their crates at any one time. Danes pups need to spend the majority of their time outside the crate to ensure proper growth and development. Danes that spend too much time in a crate can get open bleeding sores on their tails from all the wagging. This can lead to tail amputation if left unchecked.

Keep in mind puppies need to potty after each of these three puppy activities:

1. upon waking

2. after eating

3. after romping/playing

If you can remember these and place your puppy outside directly in the spot you want him to relieve himself (carrying him if needed in the beginning) he will be housebroken in just a few short weeks. Be sure to use a key word such as "go outside, potty, go pee, etc" each time you want your puppy go do his business. Eventually you will be able to ask your puppy if he has to go outside and he'll run to the door for you (or he'll roll over and get back to his nap!) He'll start going to the door himself waiting for you to let him out. So if you don't readily seen your puppy call his name-he may have been standing at the back door waiting on you the whole time!

Some people teach their dogs to bark, to ring a bell, or to scratch the door to go outside. That depends on you. It doesn't matter to me how they communicate as long as they let me know when they have to go outside!