Kennel training a puppy

[Soon2BChixMom]

no, putting him outside won't teach him not to potty in the house. Pull the papers, he won't need to be going at night. At most, he might need to go once and then right back in the crate. If he's outside alone, there is no one to mark and reward him to let him know that outside is the right place. Just as if he potties in the house and you don't notice until later there is no way to let him know that inside is the wrong place.

Do NOT put the papers in his crate, you never want him to get the idea that he can potty in there. Place the divider so that he has just enough room to lay down and turn around until he is trained not to go in there. It honestly shouldn't take more than a couple days at his age.
I feed on a schedule so that puppy will need to poop on a schedule. He will have to potty when waking up, about 30 mins after eating (depending on his body schedule lol) and after playing.
When he isn't in the crate, he is on leash tied to your waist or tethered elsewhere in the house. If he starts to sniff and circle happy voice "Let's go outside!" and take him out on the leash. Walk him to the area of the yard you want him to use and stand in one spot. If he goes immediately, praise and reward. And it's a good idea to let him have at least a couple seconds afterward to sniff and wander so that he learns that the quicker he potties, the sooner he can play. Taking him back in immediately teaches him to try to do his playing and sniffing BEFORE potty which isn't something you want when it's cold outside.
At his age, I've never had it take more than a week to get a puppy that is reliable enough to be trusted free in the room that I'm in. A couple weeks after that to be free in the house. You might take a little longer because you've already taught him that the hallway is a potty place. If you see him wanting to go there, slowly reduce the amount of paper you put down.

If you notice him whining and wanting to potty the first couple nights (especially if you've never asked him to hold it all night before!) don't turn on any more lights than necessary. Open the door and put on his leash. No talking or extra lights, walk him outside to his potty place. Stand a couple seconds. Give him a low key "good boy" and pat and a cookie if he potties. No other talking and then, whether he went or not, back into the kennel. The first couple nights he might try it a couple times, thinking it will get him attention and playtime but he'll quickly learn that waking up at night is boring.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Yup. Going to call the vet tomorrow.
It is throwing me since she makes it through the night. Here that is just 6 hours but it IS 6 hours.

My 3 yr old 100 pound dog has a tiny bladder apparently. She was a lot of work as a puppy as she seemed to do fine crated at night, but I was constantly taking her out throughout the day. Very active plus a tiny bladder. Oh boy! Now, she can hold it for as long as needed, but squats immediately once outdoors. She never had a uti, but we did think that was it initially. She was a lot of work as a puppy, but she is one awesome dog now!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I haven't read thru everything, just the first page.
I have crate trained 3 dogs pretty successfully. I even crate trained an older dog who we got from the shelter. He was house trained, but not at our house.
Anyway, what worked for us -
*You keep the area in the crate for only as much room as they can turn around section it off and increase the amount of room as they grow or until no longer needed.
*They come out of the crate and directly outside - no waiting. If they do not do business then they go back into the crate for 10 min and the routine is repeated until they do their business.
I keep them on a leash otherwise they can think it's play time.
*Once they do their duty, they can then have free time. During free time it should be confined to whatever room you are in and supervised. If they are playing and suddenly stop then it's time to take them back out or if they start swirling around in circles it's time to go out like immediately. Generally, its good advice to take them out every 2 hours. One of ours has a tiny bladder and she needed to go out more often - so use your judgement. They also need to go out immediately upon waking.
*If you cannot supervise, they should be crated. One it will cut down on accidents and chewing unwanted things. The length of time they can be crated increases with age, I cannot recall off hand. The puppy can remain in the crate throughout the night. However, they do need to go out at first to learn that they will be cared for. Again, they can learn that if they cry - momma comes running. So, you have to realize if it's a real cry for potty needs.
*Provide the puppy with lots of chew toys and if you see them chewing something else, immediately replace that with a chew toy.
*So, with that said, a 5 yr old should not solely be responsible for the training of the puppy. In fact, until you can trust the puppy is potty trained, I would take them out myself unless the 5 yr old is supervised. I had older children with my one dog and we had some issues, so I would not put the stress on a 5 yr old - sometimes puppies look like they pottied but didn't. Or it can just become play time - puppies tend to see children as peers.
This is not to say you won't have accidents, because they will occur. Just clean them up with an enzymatic cleaner to get rid of all traces of odor. Do not reprimand the puppy. Instead, if you catch them in the act, just say "no" firmly, but not harshly followed by "out" as you are rushing them out the door.
"Let's go out" is a good phrase when you are taking them out, but whatever you use be consistent.
When they are in the act of business once they start, you want to say a command word like "go pee" or "go poop" or "hurry". Whatever, but it's a short command and they will eventually learn the command.
As well, as soon as they finish, a high PRAISE is in order. Some use treats and I did for the young puppy, but not for too long and always make sure they've actually done their business (why I also advocate for this to not be solely the responsibility of the 5 yr old). Praise generally works the best.

Also, and this is just my two cents (and been there done that) - raising a puppy is like having a baby and so now you have 2 babies in the house. It is a lot of work for you. I actually had to give up my first puppy because I did not realize as a 20 something how much work puppies were in addition to having a baby plus i was in college at the time (what was I thinking?) The good thing is is that puppies grow fast and learn quickly and really want to please their human caretaker.

The 5 yr is not in charge, I am, I am just making the 5 yr do it, because i am training her too. She is actually doing a pretty good job, I have no illusions that the dog is going to be fully trained quickly, but it is cold and 5 yr means business. I told her to walk him around our drive once (we have a big circle drive) She takes him out and walks him beside some bushes, he must be going, because we seemed free of accidents yesterday. I am hoping the kennel gets here today.
Thank you!

 

[21hens-incharge]

The 5 yr is not in charge, I am, I am just making the 5 yr do it, because i am training her too. She is actually doing a pretty good job, I have no illusions that the dog is going to be fully trained quickly, but it is cold and 5 yr means business. I told her to walk him around our drive once (we have a big circle drive) She takes him out and walks him beside some bushes, he must be going, because we seemed free of accidents yesterday. I am hoping the kennel gets here today.
Thank you!

for your accident free day!!
I am happy for you that things are getting better!
I cannot imagine how hard it would be with a toddler AND a young puppy.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

for your accident free day!!
I am happy for you that things are getting better!
I cannot imagine how hard it would be with a toddler AND a young puppy.

Yeah the timing wasn't great, but I had been wanting a puppy for a couple years, I knew my girl was getting to old and she was injured, so not a great farm dog. But family had this puppy no one wanted, perfect breed, so I figured we would figure it out.

 

[coach723]

Here is a good article on housebreaking/crate training. Actually this site is a wealth of information on dog training info, much of it free. http://leerburg.com/housebrk.htm
Best of luck with your babies!

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

We got the kennel! I put his two favorite toys inside along with the food. He is a bit nervous about it, so we will go slow

 

[21hens-incharge]

OH what as cutie!

Good deal. Yes take it slow and easy. It should never be a struggle to get him in.