If you crate trained your Puppy??

Did you leave food or water in the crate with them??

Bella is 10-weeks old and I am in the process of training her (it's a learning experience that is for sure). Currently, I keep a water bottle in her crate (the hanging ones) and I leave it in there for her to drink when she wants all day long!

I feed her in the am, let her do her business, play with her and back in the crate. I run home at lunch and then in the PM the same routine.

The problem I am having, DH & I work full time jobs and I do not like the fact that she might be holding in her pee for hours until I get home.

Do puppy's need to have water at their disposal all day long or I can take it out and only give it to her when I am there?

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

We crate trained our puppy but we did not leave food or water in there with her. I used to come home every day at lunch to let her out, feed her, play with her so she was never alone more than 4 hours at a time.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

You have to do what works for you - I have read a million books and tried REALLY hard to get my Yorkie to cooperate as far as her "feeding" time -

My childhood dog (a Westie) ate once a day, when the rest of us ate dinner. - I tried that with Lola forever, it didn't work -

I leave her food and water in her crate and she eats at random times. - Sometimes she's hungry at 7pm, sometimes I hear her her eating at 1AM ....sometimes I come home from work and her bowl is empty, other times it's still full. -

It's annoying b/c it made potty training her more difficult, but she just wouldn't eat on my schedule !


Good Luck w/ the crate training !!

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

Posted by MarisaK

You have to do what works for you - I have read a million books and tried REALLY hard to get my Yorkie to cooperate as far as her "feeding" time -

My childhood dog (a Westie) ate once a day, when the rest of us ate dinner. - I tried that with Lola forever, it didn't work -

I leave her food and water in her crate and she eats at random times. - Sometimes she's hungry at 7pm, sometimes I hear her her eating at 1AM ....sometimes I come home from work and her bowl is empty, other times it's still full. -

It's annoying b/c it made potty training her more difficult, but she just wouldn't eat on my schedule !


Good Luck w/ the crate training !!

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

When she was a baby we lived in the city, so I could easily run home during lunch to let her out -
She rarely had an accident

I've always had her in a pretty large crate - One of those wire ones, she has a lot of room and a high 'ceiling' not the ones that are all closed in -

I tried to leave her blocked off in the kitchen with the wee wee pads, but she would pee 3 or 4x a day, and never on the pad .........- I think it's just too much room for her, she likes her 'bed' .....

Now she's crated all day while we're @ work - with her food and water if she wants it -

she holds it until we get home to let her out

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

We do not leave out food for our pup but we do a small amount of water. She can wait till we get home to go to the bathroom but she is about 10 or 11 months old now. (she is a rescue so we don't know exactly how old she is)

The reason we do not leave food out is because we want her to know that her food comes from us. She depends on humans to get her food. It may seem like something little but with a rottie mix who is already about 70 pounds it's important for her to know that we are in charge. A trainer suggested to us that this was one (of many things we do) to reinforce that we are her pack leaders and she is not.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

We didn't have any food or water in the crate. we had him on a feeding schedule.
He stayed in the crate right before it was time for him to eat and use the bathroom.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

The truth is that she does need water while you are not there. She does not need water overnight but during the day she really does need it. NO FOOD though.

I never leave anything they can eat (food, chewy items, etc) while I am gone b/c I am afaid they will choke when I am not here. Esp my dogs, who like to bark when they hear things.

It may be a long time that she is holding it. Tough situation. I would probably leave the water and see if she is having accidents. If she is not having accidents when you get home at lunch, then she can likely hold it.

How is she doign when you come home at lunch?

Message edited 1/10/2008 2:40:21 PM.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

Thank you for the advice Ladies

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

We have a water bottle that attaches to her crate. I don't think she even uses it.

We do not keep food in her crate.


She had a few accidents when we first brought her home, but now that she's older, she is able to hold it while we are at work all day. She is crated from when DH leaves at 8:45 until I come home at 3:45.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

I left food and water in her crate and came home everyday at lunch until she was about 6 months. We removed it at night though. She rarely ate or drank while we were out.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

I never left anything in her crate when she was young...Once she was trained not to go in the crate or the house, we left a water bottle in the crate - which she hardly ever drank from anyway. Now she has free roam of the house and I still don't think she drinks any water during the day - she mostly just sleeps.

Re: If you crate trained your Puppy??

we gave cody the water bowl in his crate, but not a food dish. We would take him out, let him eat, play and go outside to relieve himself and then before leaving put him back in crate.

Message edited 1/11/2008 8:01:26 AM.