We have a five month old male and he is outgrowing the large crate so we are moving towards the great dane size crate. Because we have not had a puppy in 14 years, I do not remember when we started the transition from crate to bed. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
both of our puppies started sleeping in a dog bed in our room at about 4 months old. they both did just fine and have never had an accident at night. they get taken out to potty last thing before bed, then they wait till morning. each dog is different though. he sounds like a large breed of dog, so i bet he can hold it all night. i’d start now. just leave his collar on so you can hear him "jingle" if he gets up, so you can put him back in his bed. you will probably have to do this a couple times the first night, but he’ll learn quickly and he’ll like being next to you.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
All dogs are different. They have different temperaments and learn at different rates. The best thing that you can do is to try it out to see if your puppy is ready.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
Mine, the ones who started out sleeping in crates, stayed sleeping in their crates, to the end of their days. But personally I’d just collapse the crate and replace it with his bed, if you think he’s going to be clean overnight/safe when left during the day now?
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
Our dogs still sleep in locked crates. The crate is a secure "den-like" environment for a dog that the dog loves, so why take it away? We have a dog bed IN the large crate, on one half. You could also just put a towel in there. Chances are, your dog will prefer the crate. We have a separate dog bed we call a "pillow", in the family room, that our dogs slepp on until bed time, at which point, they go to "the crate". If your dog is doing well in teh crate, leave it alone! If it aint broke dont fix it
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
My dogs all have crates and although I never shut them in anymore, they prefer sleeping there, rather than a dog bed. I have 4 dog beds, 3 small and 1 large and only one has ever gotten used. It’s the big one and in use by a rescued sheltie . I see no need to transition from crates to dog beds as crates seem preferred by all my dogs.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
Would you trust your dog home alone for 12 hours? Would he chew? bark? bite?
If the answer is yes, you can start transitioning. I forget when I transitioned my pup, I believe at 6-8 months, though. Remember this is a question of loyalty and trust.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
You can do it now. Just get rid of the crate and put a pillow or whatever in it’s place.
May 20th, 2010 - 9:22 am
We just started to let our Bullmastiff puppy sleep in our room in his dog bed. He just turned 4 months, but I still wouldn’t leave my house with him out of his crate. It really does depend on the dog, you’ll know.