New puppy tips please

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Marigold4

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After the very upsetting rescue return last month, we have decided to bite the bullet and get a puppy. She arrives next week and will be 10 weeks old. We have had two puppies before but I can't remember the early days! We are planning to use a crate to start with. My question is, how do you set up the crate, I can't remember. Do you make a bed over half of the crate and then put down newspaper in the front so that they have somewhere to toilet? Where do you get newspaper from these days?? Any other tips for a new puppy? We have another dog as well who is very gentle.
 
Noooo. Crates are not for toileting in. Just a bed.

I crate next to my bed and only use the crate for bed time initially. This allows you to sooth puppy to sleep and you can hear them when they wake for the toilet.

Over the coming weeks and months, I gradually move the crate further away. To the foot of the bed, to the landing with door open, landing with door shut and so on and so on. Teaching independence.

I personally do not leave my puppies alone for at least a month. By this point the crate is something they are well adjusted to. When I do begin leaving them, it starts no longer than an hour and is after exercise. Again, I build this up over the weeks and months.
 
I slept downstairs with our recent ish addition for 3 weeks..he was in an open cage and I let him out to toilet in the night. When he didn’t need to toilet in the night I went back to my own bed and puppy had bed on landing…at 9 months and 27 kg he now sleeps where he likes 😂
 
For the 4 dogs (one at a time!) that I have had as puppies, I would put them in a cardboard box next to my bed at night so I could dangle my hand in there if they cried in the night. After a couple of weeks of taking them out so we could both stand in the garden at 2 am while they sniffed the borders and I muttered “Take a pee!” at them they would sleep through the night by around 13 weeks.

I never aimed to have them in a crate after they had grown big enough not to be a danger to themselves. Never encouraged them using it as a toilet and they never did. In the house crate, I just put a blanket in the bottom and had another blanket that could be draped over the top if they needed some quiet. I mostly used the crate for the back of the car and stopped using it at all once the puppy was about 5 or 6 months old after which they could stay safely in the boot with a dog guard. Like @Jenko109 , I never left them alone for the first couple of months, other than in the back of the car if I popped in the shop.

Very exciting - is she a collie? Pictures are mandatory in these posts you know.
 
Ours were downstairs in crates, separately after a while, but we’ve always had two, plus an older dog, so a bit different. Take her out into the garden as often as possible and decide if you want to use a keyword for toileting then praise massively for doing it in right place. Swap food very gradually, see if you can get a big container of water from the breeder to start with.

Lots of pictures, please! What breed are you getting?
 
Mine just have a bed in the crate. I let them out to wee late at night and early morning when they are young. (Maybe 4 hours left, if they pee I wash it, no biggie).
 
Yes, they very likely will toilet on the bed if you don't designate a space in the crate. Puppy pads are very useful instead of newspaper. We have almost always had 2 pups together and if only one there has been another dog in the house. Start as you mean to go on is my advice, here, that means no dogs upstairs but the crate is directly below my bedroom, so I can hear. Our dogs spend the night altogether in the living room but pups are safe in the crate.
 
When I got my puppy (one and only, so not much experience here), she slept in a crate near my bed. Crate was just a bed with a water bowl in one corner. The first two nights she was here, my sister and baby nephew were here as well, so I took her out for a pee when my nephew woke me up. After that she was fine with going the whole (short) night, though needed to go out the minute she woke up, basically slippers on and puppy out first thing.
Downstairs she had a larger play pen, with a bed section and a puppy pad section, plus water and chews / toys, for when i left her or couldn't keep an eye on her full time. My older dog was in the room with her, but outside of the playpen if I had to leave her and she got very frequent visits that we gradually spaced out. Be warned, the puppy pads got chewed more that used for toileting!
 
Petalpoos said:
For the 4 dogs (one at a time!) that I have had as puppies, I would put them in a cardboard box next to my bed at night so I could dangle my hand in there if they cried in the night. After a couple of weeks of taking them out so we could both stand in the garden at 2 am while they sniffed the borders and I muttered “Take a pee!” at them they would sleep through the night by around 13 weeks.

I never aimed to have them in a crate after they had grown big enough not to be a danger to themselves. Never encouraged them using it as a toilet and they never did. In the house crate, I just put a blanket in the bottom and had another blanket that could be draped over the top if they needed some quiet. I mostly used the crate for the back of the car and stopped using it at all once the puppy was about 5 or 6 months old after which they could stay safely in the boot with a dog guard. Like @Jenko109 , I never left them alone for the first couple of months, other than in the back of the car if I popped in the shop.

Very exciting - is she a collie? Pictures are mandatory in these posts you know.
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She is indeed a collie! Red and white with spots. Photos to follow when she arrives!
 
Thanks, everyone. Sorry, should have explained better. Ours is more of a playpen than a crate. I wasn't going to train her to use the newspaper area as a toilet area, just aware that puppies have accidents and keen to avoid washing the bedding all the time. She has started using training pads with her breeder.
 
I use a similar method to Jenko, in that with the crate by your bedside you hear them rouse and can lift them outside to toilet, then soothe them back to sleep. A larger playpen, provision of pads or a designated toilet/accident area is less ideal in that the puppy can move away from their bed area to toilet and go back to sleep without waking you, which you may find makes training longer.
 
I also did similar to Jenko, as I had an older dog I used a crate if I left them alone , just for safety, I used to put mine in the crate when I showered so they got used to being in there for a short time, it’s difficult to shower with dogs in the bathroom😀… I didn’t use puppy pads as didn’t want to encourage toileting inside.. my collie cross was the easiest to housetrain, took less than a week, my terrier cross took a lot longer, months!!! He would be ages in the garden then come in and go indoors , sometimes in his bed. I ended up staying outside for about an hour each time and once he had been I would give him a treat, this worked quite quickly and I wish I’d done treats earlier..
 
The now 5 yr old Labs were the easiest pups that we have ever had to train, because the breeder had made a good start. We were lucky in that they were born in June, we had a good summer and the pups played outside a lot, with 3 adult bitches. They had almost no daytime accidents and were clean overnight within a very short time. Whilst the 5 month old pup that we rehomed took ages to get clean during the day, let alone at night. It depends mostly on the dog, I think.
 
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I've always used crate as just sleeping area. If you put puppy pads or newspaper in you are teaching them the crate is a toilet area. I'm not a huge fan of puppy pads but appreciate it is not easy to get newspaper nowadays. I have always either slept pup in bedroom or slept downstairs with them for the first few weeks, that way you hear when they wake and whip them outside. I have very rarely had a puppy that has messed overnight following this routine.
 
IrishMilo said:
Honestly I would just start as you mean to go on... so just stick the puppy in bed with you 😉
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Its what I do with mine. Up once or twice in the night to take them for a wee, and by about 13 weeks they sleep through. Both were toilet trained almost immediately. They both had one accident each as pups, both my fault for not paying attention and being quick enough. Other than that out every hour, after food, after a drink, after playing, after waking up etc etc. They house trained very quickly. Having an older dog always helps a lot.
 
I had my pup ( could have been 6 weeks) in bed with me as a tiny chap. No problems ever, he's now 11 YO and I can leave him alone for up to 6 hrs, he has run of house and is presently upstairs whilst I am sitting downstairs.

It must depend very much on individual dog, although one v experienced poster on here said they too them into their bed when small
 
I bought washable pee pads for when mine was a puppy in case of accidents. She kept in a crate from the first night, lined with a washable pee pad and some vetbed but she never peed in there. She was next to my bed so I could dangle and arm down to help her settle and, after the first night, she pretty much slept straight through. I also used the washable pad to line her puppy pen to protect my carpets and would have vetbed at one end and then water and toys at the other. I actually had two pens, one upstairs by my desk and one downstairs in the living room.
 
She has arrived! Long journey down from Scotland yesterday. Put a box by my bed but she wouldn't settle. She wanted to be with my other collie. So they spent the night quietly in the kitchen and slept till 6 am this morning! They are having a lovely time together playing ball, jumping off steps, and chasing each other. So far, so good!
 

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Marigold4 said:
She has arrived! Long journey down from Scotland yesterday. Put a box by my bed but she wouldn't settle. She wanted to be with my other collie. So they spent the night quietly in the kitchen and slept till 6 am this morning! They are having a lovely time together playing ball, jumping off steps, and chasing each other. So far, so good!
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Ideal😄. Mine wanted to be WITH me at night for a couple of weeks and kind of weaned himself off it gradually if I remember correctly.
 
Marigold4 said:
She has arrived! Long journey down from Scotland yesterday. Put a box by my bed but she wouldn't settle. She wanted to be with my other collie. So they spent the night quietly in the kitchen and slept till 6 am this morning! They are having a lovely time together playing ball, jumping off steps, and chasing each other. So far, so good!
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2 is definitely better than one for this reason! Brilliant!
 
Cinnamontoast said:
2 is definitely better than one for this reason! Brilliant!
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Yes, it's working really well. We can go out and do things in the field and leave her for an hour to nap in the kitchen with the other collie who seems quite happy to babysit. She doesn't want to go in the crate/playpen we rigged up, but is happy roaming round the kitchen.
 
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