Should I Kennel Train?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I’m getting a Papillon soon (within a few weeks) and she’ll be a puppy. I’ve heard good and bad things about kennel training. Plus I like having my dog on the bed with me. My last dog loved sleeping on the bed next to me, but it became a bit annoying when he’d take up the whole bed. He was pretty large though; this dog will be about the size of a Chihuahua.
So what should I do? Kennel training gives them security, but I think the bed would give a bit more… closeness, I guess, between me and the dog. But it might be dangerous if the dog falls off (I’ve heard about Paps breaking their legs from falling off beds and I have a very high bed). So what do you suggest? I just think kennels look so sad; I’d probably get over it, though, with some convincing.
Related Papillon Training & Care posts:
I’m all for kennel training. The kennel isn’t a “sad place”, it’s the dog’s den. And it helps greatly with housebreaking, too.
My pap was kenneled at night until she was 1 year old, now she sleeps on the bed. I still kennel my dog when I leave for hours at a time.
My dog still prefers to sleep in her kennel when she naps while I’m home:http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj237…
You can get closeness to your dog by talking it for walks, training it, playing with it, etc.
Papillons are GREAT for agility (just wait until they are 1 year old, jumping and weaving isn’t good on growing joints and bones).
ADD:
Also, having a kennel trained dog makes traveling with the dog much easier. And a lot safer than having the dog wandering around the car. If for some reason you had to evacuate for an emergency (natural or man-made disaster), it’s much easier on both you and the dog if the dog is kennel trained.
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You can start with a crate and when your dog can go all night without having to go then switch to the bed. I’ve had puppies get up and go to the end of the bed to pee and I find it the next morning, so a crate will stop that. Dogs that I have love their crates, go in it to nap when its open during the day. Have fun with your new baby.
i always kennel train, sometimes people come over and it is nice, if they dont care for dogs, to have a kennel trained dog, opposed to a dog that thinks its in trouble for something, or locked in a room.. and when its time for a dog to not be in the bed (
), and in a kennel in another room, not crying and barking…plus it gives them a “private ” place for them..
good luck either way
not full kennel training.
my puppy is a chi. and sleeps in a kennel in a baby play pen(so she can potty and play)
but when she gets bigger and can jump off my pet w/o killing herself then she will sleep in my bed.
so i would suggest having baby play pin. then putting pet taxi in it wiht a bed and blankets.
and having puppy pad on the play pen so she can potty.
and put water and toys.
then we put a fitted sheet on top so she isnt too cold and cant jump out.
good luck
I have 2 dogs and they are both kennel trained. I believe in it 110%. My 2 year old Boykin still uses his because he likes to chew sometimes but my Mini Schnauzer doesn’t need one anymore. He is very well behaved and I think kennel training is partly responsible.
Kennel training is the way to go, at least for the first couple of years.
Pups should be kenneled when they’re young- especially paps, they’re trouble.
We weaned ours off theirs though when they were older and more trustworthy. All of ours sleep on the bed now, though the new pup is going to be crated for sure. Actually, we use pens most often.
Do not use the kennel as punishment. I did this with my dachshund and I’d go to get him out and he’d try and attack me. It was his territory and he didn’t want us to get near the kennel. I would only use it long enough to potty train the dog then switch to the bed.
YES YES YES! kennel training is the way to go. i’ve heard that when your dog sleeps with you, you lose the “dominance” in the relationship. did you kennel train your first pup?
also, without a kennel, where are you going to keep him all day when you’re gone?
If you do it properly, the dog will like his kennel. It should be a place of security, not a place for punishment.
Research the right way to do it and you’ll be fine.
I’d be interested in hearing what bad things you’ve heard about kennel training. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were more because the owner couldn’t handle being away from their puppy instead of it being bad for the puppy.
Kennel training is a safe, easy method of making sure that while you’re away your puppy doesn’t destroy your house or potentially ingest something dangerous for it.
If you kennel train properly, the kennel is a safe, happy place for the dog where it gets to hide away from all the stress and activity of the house when it needs to. You should never, ever take the dog out of the crate to punish it, or ever yell at the dog while it’s in the crate.
Sure, they might cry for a little while, but that’s not because it doesn’t like the crate, it’s because it’s not used to where it is and wants reassurance. But if you reassure it by giving it what it wants, it will learn that it can walk all over you and do whatever it wants just by crying and being scared.
I’ll probably take some flak for this, but we do a bit of both. Our 8 1/2 week old puppy sleeps in bed with us at night because she sleeps much better that way. In her crate she was up every 2 hours, when she sleeps with us she sleeps right through sometimes 7 hours. However, during the day while we’re at work we crate her, both for our sanity and hers. She is only ever alone for about 3 hours at a time before someone comes along to let her out. Some people will probably discourage her sleeping with you but it’s really a choice you need to make that you will be comfortable with. I would definitely suggest crate training her regardless. That way she stays out of trouble while you’re gone