Toilet/Crate Training- Night time options

[Smckenry]

Hi All, my husband and I are so excited to pick up our new puppy Luna in a few weeks

We definitely want to crate train, and have read up a lot on toilet training (our first objective of course!)

We are planning to have her in the crate overnight, but I can't decide between the following (all advice iv'e gathered from the net):
 - leave crate downstairs overnight, and come down to let her out when she starts to cry
 - bring crate upstairs to bedroom overnight so she has company, and then carry her downstairs when she cries to go out
 - either of the above, but try to wake up using an alarm before she does/starts to whine , 2-3 times a night, and bring her outside and encourage her to go

(all done with minimal fuss and without getting her too excited)

Does anyone have any advice? Preferences? This is our first puppy and I want to get it right! :-)

[mcinnd]

I would go with the leave her downstairs as if you start off with her in your bedroom then you'll never get her to settle anywhere else.
David

[KeresleyKate]

Hi.  Congratulations. I bet you are so excited.  I recommend you get Pippa Mattinson's book "The Happy Puppy Handbook", you can download it. We didn't get it until we had Arvy a few weeks last year, by which point I was in desperate. My husband is a right softee with dogs and Arvy was a raving cockerdile. You will find a lot of desperate puppy owners on here. The book is great and tells you what you should do before your puppy even arrives.  Its got lots of behaviour tips etc and info on preparing for the arrival of the puppy and crate training and everything you need for the first few very important months.  Pippa is a zoologist and a cocker owner, she rights the website Totally Gundogs.   Arvy is a year old now and pretty much wonderful.

Good Luck x 

[Archie bean]

Welcome to you and little Luna. Looking forward to seeing her when she arrives. 
I have to admit I have never used a crate so I am happy to be corrected but, as I understand it, it is best to set an alarm and get up to let the puppy out BEFORE they start to cry. As most pups don't like soiling their bed, they can get distressed if they are not able to go outside it to wee/poo when they need to. This is the main reason that, after researching them, I decided crates weren't for me. I was also concerned that they would get used to me going in to them during the night, making it harder for them to settle for the whole night. All my previous pups were left alone in their bed in the kitchen from the first night and they settled very quickly. I got a good nights sleep and just cleaned up any mess in the morning. If you choose to leave the crate downstairs then I'm sure that will be fine. Current pooch Archie came into my room when he first came home (he picked up  a urine infection and was quite distressed.) He was meant to be in his bed on the floor and the plan was to move him into the kitchen after a week or so. He's now nearly four and he's still in with me. In my bed. 

[GeoW]

We crate trained William with great success. He was left downstairs and we got up at 2.00am, 04.30 am and 06.30 am to let him out to start, and gradually extended the time as the weeks progressed. The crate should only allow sufficient room for bedding,and when we let him out it was done with the minimum of interaction.

It worked for us 

[Andrea Ellie]

I bet you can't wait to get your new arruval. We had Ellie in a crate downstairs but she didn't settle at night so we brought her crate upstairs at bedtime and put a blanket over it. When I heard her move in the night I would carry her downstairs and let her outside to the toilet (I didn't wait for her to cry or bark). We then gradually moved the crate from the bedroom to the landing and took the blanket off, then the bottom of the stairs and eventually back in the kitchen, by which time she didn't need to go as often, so I could set an alarm to let her outside to go to the toilet. It worked for us but I'm sure lots of people will have some great suggestions too.

[MIN]

Oooh another pup to ogle over and another Luna.
My dogs have always slept with us on the bed (even when we had 3) .Gemma was invited to send the nights on the bed but then she developed a dislike to our old staffie. Her " punishment" is that now she spends her nights in a crate. We had about 3 nights of Whoo hoos in varying degrees of loudness.
I do not think there is any set rule as each dog is unique. It is more of a case of suck it and see.  what ever you decide, be patient and do not expect to much. Pups are really horrid little monsters  that are sent to test our insanity. bring it on 

[Damommin]

Hello, I bet you are very excited.
We had two crates, a larger one downstairs that is used for daytime leaves and a smaller one in the bedroom. Leo spent his nights upstairs in his crate for the first few months, when he stirred he was carried downstairs and out for a wee.
As his bladder gained control and he got used to the downstairs crate we moved him down there for overnight. Now at ten months, he sleeps downstairs in the hallway and his downstairs crate is only used for if he is left of a day time. My advice would be do what works for you and your pup. I had very set ideas about bringing pups into the home having had several over the years. However Leo was my first cocker and he had his own way of thinking!  Good luck and enjoy!

[Smckenry]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the advice!! And yes we are very excited, I am literally counting the days (and trying to have as many lie-in's as I can now!)

We have an old baby monitor, so was thinking I will start her out downstairs in the crate, with a blanket over it with the baby monitor so I can hear if she stirs. I think we'll try putting the alarm on for the first few nights at first until we get used to her schedule and see how we go from there!

Pictures to follow as soon as we can, Damommin- she looks a bit like your profile pic.
Only 22 days to go!! 

[JackieT]

Ziggy is now 8 months. He is our first too. We used the Happy Puppy Handbook and we had him in a crate downstairs. The first night, my husband sat with him until he settled, which didn't take more than 5 minutes or so. We set an alarm and took him out, then did the same to settle him. After that, he's always been fine in the crate at night - although I do think there's a degree of luck in this, other people on here haven't been so lucky.

Can't wait to see pictures of Luna - yes it's hard work but its also the best decision we've ever made as a family.

[Helen]

Mine slept through till 6am in a crate from 8 1/2 weeks.  I made sure he went last thing before bedtime but I also didn't pander to him and he got used to a routine very very quickly -  if he cried in the crate I would let him cry and if he didn't stop within a few minutes then I would have got up to him...but he always stopped so I didn't have to and he didn't mess his crate anyway (couple of wee's along the way but nothing else).

My first pup wasn't crate trained and our night time routine was very different.  I would say first pup was housetrained more quickly but that was probably because it was summer time and easier to take him out. 

This one has had no accidents inside for the last month and he's 6 months next week.