Morning All As my previous post we will be bringing home in a couple of weeks our gorgeous black lab girl. We are going with her being our room for the first few nights to settle her and the crate downstairs to use during the day etc. So...........what's the best thing for her to sleep in when in our room, Pippa's book says a sturdy deep sided box - any suggestions please? Many thanks
We just bought the crate up from downstairs each night. We started off with a 24" one so wasn't any effort. He still whined for the first few nights but gradually got better. In the end he was in with us for about a week before we gradually started moving the crate away, to the middle of the room, by the door, on the landing, at the bottom of the stairs (with hubby sleeping on the sofa bed downstairs so it wasn't too far away too soon) then moved the crate bit by bit to its spot in the kitchen Good luck
I think a sturdy cardboard box will be fine. I try my pups downstairs first but have a soft sided crate set up (ON my bed!) in case they are distressed. I give them 15 minutes to settle - so far I haven't needed to have any of them upstairs - I've had four pups so far. I'll be doing the same with the next pupster - hopefully in November. I put them in the pen for all their daytime sleeps to help them get used to it before bed time. ...
Thanks everyone, I am going to get a 24" one too to use in our bedroom if needed and then move her towards the one downstairs. Loving this forum ................................
On Larks first night at home I had a large plastic tub that she slept in. Then when she was whining during the night I could just reach my hand down to pet her. We went to the crate a few nights later which she HATED at first, but we out the crate up on a trunk at the end of our bed, and flipped our pillows to the foot of our bed so she could see us and that helped her settle in. We did that for about 4 days and then moved the crate back to the floor and she was fine.
Not all puppies are distressed the first night - lots are, of course, so it's best to have a plan worked out, as you are doing. I was going to sleep downstairs with Betsy the first night but put her in her pen (where she had been most of the day with us playing with her, and feeding her etc.) and she took herself off to her puppy bed, curled up and went to sleep. I gave her 15 minutes to check it wasn't a fluke, it wasn't, she stayed sound asleep so I just went to bed myself! She has never once cried at night since the day we got her.
Thank you for your words of advice. Have various options now - large plastic box for side of bed so can reassure her, 24" crate to start in bedroom or the 42" downstairs (with divider) so all bases covered.
Exciting times! We used a big cardboard box lined with vetbed, some of her mum's smelly blanket, and a chew toy which I could use to deflect chewing or nipping. Truffle never cried, but she did often jump up at the sides, scrabble at the cardboard like a giant gerbil, get a flap free and chew it loudly, sigh! We had also made it very warm and cosy with a little hot water bottle and lots of bedding, but it turns out she gets too hot and prefers a flatter space to stretch out in, so we changed that. Then into her crate in our room after day 5, she only ever made a couple of protests at the crate during training but settled after about half a minute both times. We have it covered in a towel to make it more den-like, and she sleeps much better in the crate than the open box Enjoy preparing for your pup!
We just got our little man a few days ago! The first night my boyfriend slept on the couch with Titan in a box beside him but that didn't seem to work that great. Our guy gets too hot and likes to stretch out with his back legs straight out behind him haha. I tried the crate but he barked and howled and cried and wouldn't settle down. We're going to try to tire him out really good tonight and try the crate again. Ideally, I'd like him in a crate long term as we have a grouchy old cat who sleeps in bed with us and she isn't so sure of him just yet
Take your time over crate training. Some pups are ok in a crate from the get go, others need the full program of gradual training to be ok in them.
