Puppy house training

sunnyday1234

Hi All

We have an 11 week old cavachon pup that we got two weeks ago. He is doing exceptionally well and we havent had an accident in 5 days or so. He always goes outside. He is in a crate (usually with gate open) and this is in a pen. We leave a puppy pad down at night but he only soiled it a few times and now its dry every morning (10.30PM to 6.30AM) so everything is on track

We are back to work next monday and we have arranged a neighbour to come in during the day to let him out for a pee. My questions are these :

1. Should we remove the puppy at night now as we have had two dry nights in a row
2. When back to work should i leave him in the crate with gate closed or opened. I cant put water in his crate as his bed and toys are in there so if i close the gate then water is restricted ( i have been doing this a little anyway, not much but a little)
3. If you recommend leaving the crate open will i leave the puppy pad there or take it up during the day ?

I took him out this morning at 7AM for pee and poo and then again at 8 for pee so he made it to midday no problem. My worry is that some day next week he will go pee at 7AM but wont go again before i leave the house at 8AM and then he might soil his crate and or pen before the sitter arrives to let him out at midday....

Can someone advise me here on the best course of action ? Im tempted to close the crate from 8 to 12 for a few days even if he doesnt have water as that would train him fairly quickly that he has to hold it but if i do that he might soil the crate ?

If i leave the crate open and a pad down then he might use it and then get used to using it during the day (not the end of the world as we would just remove it anyway once he is older and can hold it and will always go outside when we bring him)

We are making great progress and i just want to make the right decision next week once we go back to work

Thanks for any help

Bunnyslippers

I wouldn't shut him in the crate, it won't teach him to hold it just make him feel awful when he does pee in his bed, an 11 wk old small breed pup will still only be able to hold it a couple of hours when active during the day tops! We rescued a puppy which had been left in his crate all day while the owner was at work, so he had to pee in his bed then sleep in it. It got to the point he thought it was normal to sleep in his own mess. He still pees in his bed at 3yrs old despite all efforts to retrain him, he is not confined at all, and he's still happy to sleep in it!! So please don't shut the door!
I'm not a fan of puppy pads tbh as it teaches the pup that peeing indoors is fine, so is another thing you have to try and train out of them, but if there is no other choice then needs must.

11 weeks old is very young to be left alone, is there no family/friends that could take him during the day? Leaving him out for a pee at lunchtime is a start but he's still very much a baby and needs human contact all day at this age!

Knine

I think your situation of being in work all day is not ideal for a puppy. 4 hours is too long to leave a puppy in a crate. Did the Breeder not ask about your situation before they sold the puppy?

Personally I would prefer to use the puppy pen as the puppy will have a bit more space to play, toilet etc & access to water. Just make sure there is no collar on the pup when you are not there to supervise. You can expect some little accidents when the pups routine changes when you go back to work so don't panic if that happens. Before you go to work in the mornings, have a nice play session to tire the pup out and then feed and toilet him. The mid day caller should also feed the puppy. Then repeat when you come home. Make sure any toys you leave are safe e.g. filled Kongs are good. The best of luck.

3dogs

My pup ( now 8 months) is in a puppy pen still. I leave for work about 7am, dog walker is in about 12/1 for half hour, lets him and the others out for a pee etc and takes him out for a short walk on his own. I get home at about 4.30

My dogs are walked before and after work and I generally do a training session in the evening too.

They are all happy and house trained