Problems Crate/Toilet Training

Capt. Insano

Hi all, I am in need of some help. We brought home a beautiful whippet last week. He is now 11 weeks old and in general has been settling in well.

I have been crate training him (feeding him some meals in the crate, leaving it with the doors open in the living room and he happily goes in for naps during the day) and toilet training him (every hour we bring him outside and praise him hugely when he goes outside but he rarely has a poop) we also stop food and water approx 3 hours before bed but at night time he loses it!

I use the bedtime routine I read on dogtime.com: About an hour before we go to sleep, I bring him outside for a chance to relieve himself then I put his crate into a room near our bedroom. Then an hour later I bring him outside for a last chance toilet break as we go to bed. During this hour he is whining like mad, for the first few nights I had the crate closed and he was rocking it and banging into it so now I leave the crate open in the room. **He nearly always poops in the room during this hour.... **

After I bring him our for his toilet break and clean up the poo I leave him again until my alarm goes off for a toilet break about 4 hours later. Again : **Major whining when I leave him and sometimes more poop in the morning!**

My problem is that I don't want to keep checking on him and reward the whining but I obviously do not want him to keep pooping his bedroom. Should I start relocking the crate at night?

All advice much appreciated!

tk123

I value my sleep so I just had my two in my room at night in their crates when they were puppies. Really it'll be a few weeks at most and you can gradually move it out and you won't have the set backs and chore of cleaning up poo late at night.

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

I value my sleep so I just had my two in my room at night in their crates when they were puppies. Really it'll be a few weeks at most and you can gradually move it out and you won't have the set backs and chore of cleaning up poo late at night.

This is an excellent way of doing things OP. Bring him into your room in the crate, let him settle for a few weeks and get into the swing of the night-time routine that you're trying, then gradually start to move the crate out of your room. No need to do the hour in the crate before bedtime either
He's at a seriously impressionable age now, and you want to prevent these extremes of emotional stress at all costs... the idea of leaving them to cry it out is simply not recommended any more because it can do long-term damage.
Far better to ease him in gradually

Capt. Insano

Thanks folks!

I will move crate into our room tonight and report back!!

Thanks for advice

Capt. Insano

Following morning update:

Having him in our room was fantastic! He did not make a peep all night and he did his poo outside during his toilet break!!

Thanks a million for help, I am sure I will be back to this forum for more in the future!

aonb

Capt. Insano wrote: »

Following morning update:

Having him in our room was fantastic! He did not make a peep all night and he did his poo outside during his toilet break!!

Thanks a million for help, I am sure I will be back to this forum for more in the future!

ah thats lovely!

just one thing I wanted to add - hes only 11 weeks old, he only arrived a week ago i.e. a baby in a strange place - cut him some slack, and appreciate the fact that he is scared and worried in a strange place, especially at night - will take at least 3-4 weeks I always think for a dog to start to feel comfortable in a new place.

Whippets are fab - post us a picture? - and best of luck with your new puppy

Fairdues

Got a new puppy. Also 11 weeks. Great advice on here. Thanks.

Knine

Great advice above. I never remove water from a young puppy though. Puppies here always have access to water.

Fairdues

Knine wrote: »

Great advice above. I never remove water from a young puppy though. Puppies here always have access to water.

That's what I would have thought too. I can see the logic in removing it though.

DBB

Personally, I hate to see dogs, and particularly pups, having their water taken from them. They will still make urine and they will still pee... And on top of that, especially with a pup, dehydration can set in within hours.
It's a bit of a band-aid on a wound, this business of taking the water away. The underlying issue is what needs to be addressed... Not the symptom.