# Is it ok to use two different crates to train with?



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

We are picking up our pooch in about 2 and a half weeks :wild: (I can't wait) and we are trying to decide how we are going to train him. Our house is kind of split level, so our bedroom is in the basement, and the living room, dining room, kitchen is all upstairs. We were going to give him an area in the living room (where we spend most of our time) to have a crate and play pen for during the day. That is where we spend most of our time, so it will work out easiest for us. We also have 2 cats who are locked downstairs during the day (it has always been that way, otherwise they get up on the counter and eat the butter, this isn't just for the puppy), so we want to keep them separate when he needs to be crated during the day. We have a bedroom upstairs as well, but it really isn't any closer to the living room than our bedroom downstairs. Downstairs we just don't spend enough time there for him to be crated there all the time, plus we don't have the room to put a play pen, and it is carpeted, so accidents would be much more difficult to clean. 

My question is this, is it ok for the puppy to be upstairs in a crate during the day, and to be crated downstairs in a crate at night, so that we can wake up with him when he needs to wake up. We want to crate him at night for the first few months, then he will be given the option of going into his crate or sleeping elsewhere, once he is well housebroken and we can trust him. (Time may vary). But at least in the beginning, we want him contained so he doesn't have an accident, or get into something he shouldn't be. I'm just wondering if in your honest opinion, it would confuse or frustrate a little pup to have two different crates. (One will probably be a travel crate, which we will use double as a car crate, and the other is a large wire crate) We will work with him playing crate games with both, and what not, to make him used to both of them. This is just the situation that will work out best for us, unless one of us sleeps up on the couch with him upstairs until he can sleep through the night.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

I use different crates all the time. One in the truck, one in my Explorer, one on the deck, I have kennels. Whatever you want, he'll learn its all ok.


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Steve Strom said:


> I use different crates all the time. One in the truck, one in my Explorer, one on the deck, I have kennels. Whatever you want, he'll learn its all ok.


Thank you! I just didn't want to confuse a small pup by having 2 different areas for him, it is just the way it works out in our house. Once he is old enough he will just have to be kenneled while I am at work (and when he doesn't have a sitter with him). But when we first get him, for housetraining purposes, I would prefer if he was always kenneled. And the closer to us, the easier for us to wake up to take him out (I plan on probably setting an alarm the first 2-3 weeks every few hours to ensure I wake up for him)


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Not a problem, I used a xpen for nights in my bedroom and a crate on the main floor for days


----------



## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

I think its fine. Most people have multiple crates. I would caution against travel/soft crate for a puppy. The dog will likely chew on it, destroying it. Once the puppy is past teething, I think the soft crate will be fine. Mine doesn't seem to do anything while in the crate (metal or soft) so I'm comfortable leaving him in either.


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

eddie1976E said:


> I think its fine. Most people have multiple crates. I would caution against travel/soft crate for a puppy. The dog will likely chew on it, destroying it. Once the puppy is past teething, I think the soft crate will be fine. Mine doesn't seem to do anything while in the crate (metal or soft) so I'm comfortable leaving him in either.


It is a hard plastic travel crate, not a soft one. I was thinking soft on, then decided against it for the same reason you just mentioned!


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Once crate trained, he should be able to generalize. Our dogs sleep in plastic crates in our bedroom at night, Halo has a plastic travel crate in the car for traveling to flyball practice and tournaments, and I also bring a soft crate that she hangs out in once we're there (car crate stays in the car).


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Once crate trained, he should be able to generalize. Our dogs sleep in plastic crates in our bedroom at night, Halo has a plastic travel crate in the car for traveling to flyball practice and tournaments, and I also bring a soft crate that she hangs out in once we're there (car crate stays in the car).


That's what I was thinking, we are going to have to kind of crate train him for both at the same time. So hopefully he will adjust well, but I'm sure we'll manage.


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Wags said:


> My question is this, is it ok for the puppy to be upstairs in a crate during the day, and to be crated downstairs in a crate at night, so that we can wake up with him when he needs to wake up.


I'd recommend calling each location by a different name, as it will become a command to your pup. "Kennel" means to go into their crate/kennel/box/bed etc. It's a place to them. Having two different locations and having the same name (command) will cause hesitation, confusion and possibly frustration for your pup.

You might consider calling one one location 'kennel' and one location 'bed' or something along those lines. When your pup is older, it'll readily run to the location you request.


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Lilie said:


> I'd recommend calling each location by a different name, as it will become a command to your pup. "Kennel" means to go into their crate/kennel/box/bed etc. It's a place to them. Having two different locations and having the same name (command) will cause hesitation, confusion and possibly frustration for your pup.
> 
> You might consider calling one one location 'kennel' and one location 'bed' or something along those lines. When your pup is older, it'll readily run to the location you request.


Thanks, this is good advice and will be used for sure! We'll probably call the one downstairs "bed", since it will be used at bedtime, and the one upstairs "crate" or "kennel"


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

I just say "inside" and he goes into whichever one is there.


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Steve Strom said:


> I just say "inside" and he goes into whichever one is there.


Ok, I guess this will just be to try to see what he is comfortable with. If he can figure out hey, we are downstairs, when I say crate, I probably mean the one that is right there, or when I say crate upstairs, I probably mean that crate, ect, then it's fine.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

I'm not trying to ruin your excitement or anything Wags. Some things are just really simple and its easier to keep them that way.


----------



## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Steve Strom said:


> I just say "inside" and he goes into whichever one is there.



Me too. I say "go to bed." It refers to the crate in the house, the one in the car, the one at work (same actual crate as car), or the one at my parents house. I have two crates downstairs, but when I say "go to bed," TJ always goes to his crate and Paisley goes to hers.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I agree with Steve - once he understands the cue, he'll likely go into whatever crate is the closest. Our cue is "go to bed" because their first crating experience was the crates they sleep in at night. In the car I say "up" for Halo to jump into the car, and if there's a crate in there she goes into it without any further instruction. 

At flyball, I say "go to bed" too, because that's the crate cue she already knows.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

mspiker03 said:


> Me too. I say "go to bed." It refers to the crate in the house, the one in the car, the one at work (same actual crate as car), or the one at my parents house. I have two crates downstairs, but when I say "go to bed," TJ always goes to his crate and Paisley goes to hers.


Great minds think alike! :wild:


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Steve Strom said:


> I just say "inside" and he goes into whichever one is there.


If you are 'upstairs' and you want him in the 'downstairs' kennel, do you correct him when he goes into the wrong one? Just curious.


----------



## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> I agree with Steve - once he understands the cue, he'll likely go into whatever crate is the closest. Our cue is "go to bed" because their first crating experience was the crates they sleep in at night. In the car I say "up" for Halo to jump into the car, and if there's a crate in there she goes into it without any further instruction.
> 
> At flyball, I say "go to bed" too, because that's the crate cue she already knows.





mspiker03 said:


> Me too. I say "go to bed." It refers to the crate in the house, the one in the car, the one at work (same actual crate as car), or the one at my parents house. I have two crates downstairs, but when I say "go to bed," TJ always goes to his crate and Paisley goes to hers.



Awesome! I've read other owner reviews about the puppies from the breeder we are getting Bruce from, and they all say their puppies are very smart and trainable, and eager to please, so I'm sure he'll figure it out no time.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Lilie said:


> If you are 'upstairs' and you want him in the 'downstairs' kennel, do you correct him when he goes into the wrong one? Just curious.


I don't send him from one room to another. If its something someone wants to train their dog to do, that's up to them, but its not something that I've ever had a use for.


----------



## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Steve Strom said:


> I don't send him from one room to another. If its something someone wants to train their dog to do, that's up to them, but its not something that I've ever had a use for.



I too have never had a need to send a dog to a crate in a different room/floor than I was in/on. To me, if I am sending a dog into his crate, 99% of the time I will be closing it. So if I am downstairs and I want a dog in the upstairs crate, I walk upstairs and say go to bed and close the crate.


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Steve Strom said:


> I don't send him from one room to another. If its something someone wants to train their dog to do, that's up to them, but its not something that I've ever had a use for.


True. I have five dogs. Only one tends to get a bit naughty with the other males. Therefore we play crate and rotate. 

If I want a dog to go to the kennel in my bedroom, I'll say, "go to bed" and they'll go into that crate. 

If I want a dog to go into the kennel in my living room, I'll say, "kennel" and they'll go into there. 

I can give the command from any room of my house and they'll go into the correct location. I just made it a game with all of my dogs during crate training. Made things simple for me, and clear for them. 

If I am at a hotel, I'll say "kennel". If I am loading them into a vari kennel to travel, I'll say "load". 

I think it all depends on what works for you and what you expect from your puppers.


----------

