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babymarley

Newbie

05/13/2008 8:03 AM
Hello everyone! Im new here and just got my rattie as a graduation present a few weeks ago...his name is Marley and he is now about 3 months old. Anyways, I really need some advice if anyone can offer it. Me and my fiance decided to use the crate training method in order to potty train him and since he is not completely house trained yet and still chews on stuff we keep him in a crate when we leave the house. And his 'crate' is actually a decent sized pen in our living room that he can comfortably move around in. Now, my fiance has always insisted that we let Marley sleep with us at night because he doesnt want to keep him in his crate all the time, which is understandable, but here lately Marley has taken to jumping off the bed in the middle of the night while we're sleeping and chewing our belongings (and possibly peeing on the floor? I haven't seen it yet but it's a pretty likely thing to happen because he does still have accidents). I think it would be better to keep him in his crate at night if he is going to do this but my fiance thinks otherwise....what do you think? I am a new nurse and only work 3 days a week now, and otherwise only put him in his crate to run errands and such. Plus I figure if he is sleeping in bed he has just as much room as if he were sleeping in the crate so it shouldn't matter where he sleeps at night, cause it's not like he needs to move around or is getting exercise then anyway. Any advice?

gwacie

Terrier Terror

05/13/2008 8:07 AM
If you are going to keep him in the bed try leashing him to you. Also try closing the bedroom door and picking up your belongings and leaving only his acceptable toys/chewies on the floor for him. You can also get a crate that is just for the bedroom so he is 'with you' but not active and free.

gwacie (Bethany) http://www.myadams.net/dogs/ Ratbone Rescue Home Visit Coordinator and Foster Home

rattytatty

Training Moderator

05/13/2008 8:11 AM
Welcome to the forum! And... welcome to the world of ratties! Nurses usually work 3 days a week... 12-hour shifts. I hope you aren't leaving Marley in the crate that long!!! (that's way too long.. if you are). Most trainers would tell you not to allow your dog to sleep with you... however, mine stay crated during the day and I want them with me at night, so ours sleep with us. But... if you are having issues such as what you describe... I think it would be wise to let him stay in his crate at night at least until he gets a bit older and his behavior becomes more consistent. Dogs usually do sleep through the night (unlike felines)... so the future will probably work itself out as far as Marley's sleeping habits are concerned. Keeping him in his crate during the night will serve to validate good night-time sleeping habits which will carry over to the time when he's old enough to sleep in the bed with you. The general rule for crating a dog is to crate them for 1 hour per 1 month of age. So in Marley's case, he should be crated no more than 3 hours at a time before being let out to relieve himself.

~Nora~ Mom to Hoss, Lil'Bit, Buster & Bailey, CGC, NA, NAJ

treble02

Feisty

05/13/2008 8:11 AM
WELCOME and congrats on the graduation and the new Rattie! There is TONS of crate training information on here...but heres what I think..... Good job getting him used to his crate so young...it will become ( if it isnt already) a safe, warm place that is only Marleys!! It is great to have him used to it for when you arent home, when youre on vacation, when you have people over, etc. Our dogs sleep with us at night and if they get up in the middle of the night, i feel it ( I am a light sleeper) and I will take them potty....BUT...they usually dont wake up cause they have had enough exercise. Exercise is they key to non-destructive behavior. If he is only 3 months then he probably DOES need to go potty in the middle of the night, I would suggest setting an alarm for halfway through the night...maybe 2-3am. That way YOU are in control of when he goes potty. He should settle right back down to go to sleep if he has had enough exercise that day. If you can not bring yourself to wake up to take him out in the middle of the night, I would go ahead and crate him at night for now. Also, you said the crate is a decent sized pen....everything I have learned about crate training says that the crate should only be big enough for the dog to lay down, stand up and turn around...if its too big, they will potty in one corner or on one side and sleep on the other. I would suggest blocking off part of the pen so he only has this much room or you could get him a smaller crate. Oh yeah, and we want to see pics of your baby! We LOVE pics here!

~ Mary, Trixi and Toa's Mommy Vote for Trixi!! Visit her website by clicking the campaign button below

rattytatty

Training Moderator

05/13/2008 8:14 AM
Yes indeed -- Mary makes a very good point concerning exercise. If your pup is tired at bedtime... he will be more apt to sleep through the night even at a young age...

~Nora~ Mom to Hoss, Lil'Bit, Buster & Bailey, CGC, NA, NAJ

babymarley

Newbie

05/13/2008 2:02 PM
When we first got him he would wake up in the middle of the night and lick our faces, pull my hair, etc. etc. until he woke us up to let him out to potty. However, he quickly began sleeping all through the night without waking up, only he would just wake up pretty early but by then he was ready to be up for a while anyway. So now it's like he's going back to his old ways I guess. By the way, rattytatty, he doesn't stay in his pen that long!! My fiance doesnt work shifts that long and is home before me to let him out. So no worries there, and the other 4 days of the week he is hardly in his crate at all. He gets plenty of exercise also, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. Anyways, thanks a bunch for all the advice! I'm going to try and close the door and put everything up, although I know it wont stop him from chewing the bedspread/carpet/etc and I also considered maybe buying a little cat bell to hook to his collar at night so it will wake us up. As for the pen being too big, he has been pretty good about not having accidents in there (only one or twice) but if it continues I will buy something else. We used a smaller crate initially but it became too small so someone gave us this pen and we have used it ever since.

rattytatty

Training Moderator

05/13/2008 2:22 PM
Thanks for easing my mind about how long Marley stays in a crate! LOL I just know the long hoursi that nurses work, and not knowing your 'total' situation... I just felt obligated to say what I did. Hope it was ok to do so... You may want to consider an X-pen for night use. They allow the dog freedom but yet keeps the dogs confined to a particular area. They are great! You an buy a cheap crate to go in it... leave the door open so Marley can go in if he wants to...

~Nora~ Mom to Hoss, Lil'Bit, Buster & Bailey, CGC, NA, NAJ

gwacie

Terrier Terror

05/13/2008 3:33 PM
IF you decide to do the bedroom experiment as you said (and pick stuff up with door shut) you might put down something he can legally find and chew like a bully stick or other exciting chewy dog thing. Something withOUT a squeaker perhaps (grin).

gwacie (Bethany) http://www.myadams.net/dogs/ Ratbone Rescue Home Visit Coordinator and Foster Home

pepper

Rat Royalty

05/13/2008 8:47 PM
By letting him sleep in the bed with you at a young age, you are giving him more of an idea that you are equals, and not that you are the leader. Like others have said, A crate in the room with you is fine. It would be different if he was in a crate all day, and you expect him to go right back in at night. It's not fair to the dog that way. You want to make sleeping in the bed a privilege. Once he is consistently holding it through the night, then you can reward him with it. For example, say he obeys all his commands that day, or plays good and winds down early in the evening. He then gets to sleep in the bed for respecting you as the leader.

Kristin ~ Pepper's mommy

lynnygal

Terrier Terror

05/14/2008 8:45 PM
Our Ms Daisy just turned a year old, so we were going through all of this just a year ago with her. I am a big believer in crate training. Consistency is super important to get the potty training thing down. So my recommendation would be to crate little Marley at night. He will be fine. Now I will tell you once our Ms Daisy was completely potty trained and we didn't feel like we had to worry about her behavior during the night.....she now sleeps in bed with my daughter all night long.....we started that around 8 months of age..... By then, their little bladders can hold it all night....as long as they are not mischevious chewing stuff, then you should be good! Good luck and welcome to the site! Lynn

--------------------- lynnygal ---------------------------------

babymarley

Newbie

05/15/2008 3:25 PM
Nora, no offense taken! I don't blame you for worrying. Also, the x-pen is a good idea but we really don't have the room for it now (unless we put it outside, which I don't want to do). He has actually slept in the bed twice, or ever since I posted this, without jumping down during the night. That day was just frustrating for me because I had woken up to find several of our things ruined. I want what's best for him but I also want what's best for my personal items too lol. Kristen, I agree with you! I like having him sleep with us but then some days I need to go to bed early because I have to get up at 5 a.m. and he is just too wound up...in which case I've just been dumping the babysitting job on my fiance. But hopefully he will continue sleeping throughout the night and the problem will be solved. I've just been thanking my lucky stars he hasn't had any accidents in the bed (he is very specific about going on the carpet only!) Thanks for the advice everyone.

Dinks Mom

Ratastic

05/15/2008 3:36 PM
I love my Dink DEARLY but I don't want him in bed with me, I just don't. I have blankets on my couches and he snuggles with me there all the time. We crate him in the living room when we're gone and at night and he does fine, he's never given us a problem or made a sound. I read somewhere that if you're going to crate them at night you should put them in your room so they can see you and feel secure. It's not a problem with us so I don't do that but you may want to try it.

~Susy~

Amjski

Rattie

05/22/2008 5:46 PM
Choxie sleeps in her crate (out in the kitchen hallway)for a few reasons. One, the cats sleep at the top of the bed...and they would be mighty angry with me if I booted them for the dog, two...her crate keeps her safe because she has a way of finding things that are dangerous and putting them in her mouth, and lastly it establishes that our room is our room and her crate is her sleeping area which demonstrates that we are in control. On our days off she is out of her crate all day (she is sleeping by me as I'm typing this.) I normally let her out for a few hours before work and a few hours after work. The crate works well for us. She is fully potty trained and my only concern now is her chewing and destroying things so the crate will be a big part of her training at least for the next year or two...We will keep the crate forever because she has established it as her safe place however in the future I hope to rely on it less and allow her more time to roam free.

Amy J

talatzkomom

Ratastic

05/22/2008 6:05 PM
I agree with everybody!!! especially about getting a crate for just the bedroom! the pup is still too young to be out of the crate yet and the longer you wait now the harder it is later to get them to sleep it it again! the up side is that if you travel with Marley we did a lot when Caesar was younger we took him on planes and to hotels and he was always quiet cause he was use to sleeping in his small crate,now the crate just sits out and ALL the pups go sleep in them even when the don't have to! And it will really save you bed clothes too at @6 months EVERYTHING! gets nibbled on at night! by @7-8 mon then you can let Marley sleep with you guys but for now Consistant! bed times and sleeping places are more important.

Linda talatzko

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