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Originally Posted by Sunaj52
Oh trust me, I want to do the crate training, but the g/f is concerned that she's too young (11 weeks on Monday) to be in a crate while she and I are at work. So...we moved her into the hallway today with a baby gate up, and somehow she managed to get herself up and over it. Once again, this is a puggle who is less that 1ft tall at the shoulders, jumping over a babygate that's probably close to 3ft tall. We're calling the trainers we're starting with on Saturday to get their opinion on what to do. Luckily she didn't destroy the rest of the house.
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I agree with your girlfriend. A rule of thumb for crating is one hour plus the pup's age in months. Still, I will not crate for more than 3 hours a day. We did use a crate but placed it within a pen or in our gated kitchen. We also were able to arrange our work schedules so puppy was only alone a maximum of 3 hours at a time, however we were lucky in that.
Puppy stuck in crate for hours has limited movement which some think may lead to orthopaedic disorders in later life. Stuck in crate means she has to stay in any pee, poop or vomit till you get home. With crate in pen you still get them used to crate, but have the advantage of greater movement with safety, depending on how safe you can make your kitchen. I admit the kitchen is less likely to work for some, but it did for us. With that extra room we found puppies still train themselves in their bathroom habits, they pick a corner or back wall to eliminate in, keeping their sleeping/eating area clean.
Remember, puppies in general do not achieve complete control till about 6 months of age.
She's a cutie-pie. I think she's going to look a bit like the Puggle across the street from us. Sounds like she is going to be an athlete too. Agility anyone?
