Hi all

As some of you are aware we are due to pick up our pup Finn in around 2 weeks time when he will be just over 8weeks old.
Our previous dog Ted a lab/collie x was never what could be considered a house dog....he had a large run and kennel out the back in a large garden. He slept outside from when he was 12 weeks old all those years ago......

Finn as we have seen on our visits to him like his parents with the father being a working spaniel, has also been sleeping outside since he and his little brothers were born.....which brings me to my question.

I am struggling to decide which is the best course of action for the puppy in these early weeks with us and I refer specifically to NIGHT TIMES only.... I have a brand new run and kennel built, which is warm, sheltered and ideal, plenty of doggy blankets, and a warm heat snuggle pad for him, but should I put him out straight away.....would it be easier for him as he has been outside all along...this is where I want him to be eventually and it would make it easier for him to go to the toilet during the night if needed.

I have read so much (big mistake sometimes) about keeping him close to you, sleeping in a crate in your room etc....but franky I have never done this with our previous dog and it was all fine.....and am confused as to what to do..??

During the morning when Jo is at work (part time) he will have freedom of the back garden and run area...although for the first few weeks I would keep him in the run only.....its just this night time, toilet training issue that is really confusing me ...
any thoughts from anyone...
thanks
Paul

anyone ????

Would this thread help? Haven't read it all, so sorry if totally off topic
http://springthing.3.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=26173

I never like to put pups out when we first bring them h ome - that's just me. My last pup - a gwp, slept in our bed for the first month. We got her used to a cage and she slept in that and then we got her used to a kennel and she went in there from about 4 or 5 months old but, she was with another dog.

The pup we have now sleeps in a cage in the living room but just because of Sam (4 month old son) who is still in our bedroom and I don't want him disturbed in the night.

I know people put pups out on their own from day one, but I personally think they need time to settle in before being put on their own.

Not against kennels as most of my lot are kenneled.

Helen

thanks Vic...had a quick look through it......some good info...

Helen !!....slept in your bed......jeeeeezzz I would be out in the run with Finn if I brought anywhere near our bed....!

You might want to have a look on Doglost too, and see just how many dogs and pups are stolen from kennels please please make sure yours is like Fort Knox. I don't have a problem with kennelling done properly but I do think it'd be a big shock for your pup to go from siblings to no company. You want him to be part of your family don't you, so why put him outside from night one

Chase slept in his crate in my room, then his crate moved to landing, then to conservatory..................

I prefer to have them close to begin with but crate could be weaned off in the run too..

I'm not aversed to letting him stay inside for the first few weeks although would look to move him gradually outside over that time period...I just thought it would be easier as he is outside just now..and it would have made getting to the toilet easier...so for the pups that are kept inside....did you get up in the middle of the night to let them out to the toilet..???? and how long did this last for..?
I just want to do whats right for him......???

I got Chase when he was 7 weeks and he toiletted around 11pm, 3.30 am and then again about 7am for a few weeks then the timings extended. Once I knew his 'routine' I set my alarm so I was ready for him!! After about 6 weeks he was managing through from 11 to about 6.30 but then going back to sleep for an hour or so.

Remember though you want him to be housetrained don't you - so at some point you have to housetrain him not just rely on him being in a kennel to be "clean". I generally get up once in the night for a few weeks with new pups - it makes housetraining much quicker.

I think Pens point is very valid, a while back someone posted about a dog kept outside being a real problem when allowed in the house.

When we got our first 2 we kept them in the utility room and made a point at regularly letting them out to do business. I built an enclosure with a B&Q garden store in it which was their kennel, they happily spent the day out there and the evenings in the kitchen/utility area. The plan was to keep them outside and this we tried when they were about 4 months, it was working fine but we got a note complaining about their barking which they did do as they were getting used to the daily routine of noises around the house so they only stayed out at night for a couple of months. We now have moved and we could easily keep them outside if we wished but ours are intended to be our family companions and the main issue for keeping them separated from the family is to enhance focus during training, but we are making satisfactory progress keeping them in the home. We also crate trained them and they are happy with this arrangement. Remember though that our experience with puppy-hood has been with 2 siblings, so I'm not sure about how I would feel about separating and isolating a single pup, I believe that naturally they thrive on company.

Steve

thanks for the comments...

Penel - the house training side of it wouldnt concern me, Finn would be in the house most of the day apart from the morning time when Jo is at work, so there would be ample opportunity to perfect the "needing out" routine....Its just this night time thing....that I cant grasp.....

thanks

paul, in order to get the house training done, you really should do it while the pup is a baby - it always depends on the pup, I was really lucky, but fonz was in a crate in my bedroom for the first 4 weeks, purely so i could hear him wake up - when he woke we were straight out for a wee, no speaking, no cuddles, only the command for toilets and praise for doing it, then straight back in, back in the crate and me back to bed. I generally picked him up to come in and out to prevent him from being inquisitive at unholy hours!

i was getting up about 2am, and again at about 5am for the first couple of nights, then it went to 3am and 6am, which to me is pretty good going for an 8 week old baby. yes, getting up in the middle of the night sucks, but the reward is a quickly trained pup!! you soon get into the routine and fonz was going all through the night in about 2 weeks i think.

hope this helps,

Sarah

OK, this is what I did.

Vinnie was already partly house trained when I got him at the tender age of six and a half weeks. The first two nights he stayed inside, in a cage in the living room. He was totally dry the first night, but did make a bit of a mess the second night. This could probably have been avoided if my husband had bothered to wake me to tell me that he was making a racket at about 5.00am! On the third night he moved in to his kennel and run. The only reason that I didn't do this sooner was becuase the kennel has a dog flap on it and I needed to be sure that he knew how to use it before putting him out overnight.

To get him used to the kennel and run, I spent some time with him in there during the day - I sat in there ignoring him whilst he had a sniff around and played with some toys. I also left him in there on his own for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. As with car training, I fed him in there. When he fell as leep in the house, I would often move him to either the cage in the car or the kennel. He would always dropp straight back off. Apart from the initial 'where are you going' whinging, he settled really well.

He had been an inside dog when with his mum, dad, big sis' and litter mates. When he was about five weeks old I dropped a cuddly toy off at my friends house, and brought this home with him so that he would have something with his 'families' smell on it.

His kennel has a memory foam mattress in there, and I have tried putting a blanket in there but he usually drags it out. As it often gets stuck in the flap, I now don't bother. I know he has 'locked' himself out of his kennel a couple of nights by taking a toy in there and dropping it right behind the door. He just sleeps in the porch bit.

I honestly think he prefers his kennel, because it is nice and dark in there. If he is inside and wants a nap, he goes under the stairs or in our shower room which are the darkest places in the house. He spends the day with my parents who live across the road, but they will often pop him in his run because he won't settle in the house - if you as much as blink he is up and wanting to know what is happening next!

This worked for me, but it may not work for you. I do hope it is of some help though.

Woops - this duplicated for some reason. Can a moderator delete please. Ta.